2003 North East Rover

	DAY ONE (Sunday 24th August):
	Departure from Havant station shall be at around 9am from where I shall travel to Waterloo, cross London to St Pancras Station and take the 11.30 Midland Mainline service to Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The town makes a good base, situated between the cities of Sheffield to the north and Nottingham & Derby to the south. My HQ for this trip is the Portland Hotel, a JD Wetherspoon pub in the centre of town. There should be plenty of time to head down to Derby or Nottingham this afternoon/evening to look around town and check out the pub scene.
	DAY TWO (Monday 25th August):
	Today shall probably consist of a tour around the West Riding of Yorkshire, to visit a selection of the county's towns and cities and travel over some of the many branch lines that cover this area. Wakefield, Halifax, Bradford, Keighley, Saltaire and Harrogate are a number of possible destinations throughout the day.
The parish church of St Mary & All Saints, Chesterfield is the largest in Derbyshire and is famed for its twisted spire.


	DAY THREE (Tuesday 26th August):
	Weather permitting, today's plan is to head north to the ancient border city of Carlisle via the famed Settle to Carlisle line. Universally recognized as being England's most scenic railway, it crosses wild expanses of moorland in the shadow of the Three Peaks of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen Y Ghent in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is intended to retrace the route back to my base, with a possible stopover in the Cumbrian market town of Appleby, where it is hoped to revisit one or two of the rustic pubs which can be found here.
Large parts of Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem pub in Nottingham are carved out of the Castle Rock.	DAY FOUR (Wednesday 27th August):
	Today it is intended to head south to Whatstandwell to visit the National Tramway Museum at Crich. Later there should be time for a journey east to the city of Nottingham, home to its castle situated high above on the rocks and overlooking the legendary Old Trip To Jerusalem, the oldest pub in the land, which reputably dates back to the 12th Century.
	DAY FIVE (Thursday 28th August):
Arten Gill Viaduct is one of many magnificent examples of Victorian engineering to be seen along the length of the famous Settle to Carlisle Line.	Today it is hoped to head east to make the most of my rail rover ticket. This shall involve travelling via Retford in Nottinghamshire and through Lincolnshire to the east coast fishing ports of Grimsby & Cleethorpes. Admitably, not the most glamorous of destinations, but somewhere new nevertheless! The latter part of the day shall consist of a yet-to-be-decided trip to another town or city, for stroll around a few pubs.

	DAY SIX (Friday 29th August):
	My last full day should consist of a great loop of the Pennines, heading north via the East Coast Mainline to Newcastle, then across the picturesque Tyne Valley Line to Carlisle from where I shall, once again, travel across the S&C to Leeds and back to base. Various stop-offs shall be had, including one in Durham in order to attend the city's annual Beer Festival. Other destinations may include Newcastle, Hexham and Skipton.
	DAY SEVEN (Saturday 30th August):
	This morning shall mark an end to my excursions as I head back to the South Coast, after what hopefully shall have been another very successful railtour.
Wakefield Cathedral dominates the skyline of the West Yorkshire city.


The modest size of Derby Cathedral is evident in this photograph.	The enormous proportions of Durham Cathedral totally dominate the small city from every vantage point.	The famous Tyne Bridge spans the river between Gateshead & Newcastle.


The River Tyne flows through the ancient Northumberland market town of Hexham.

	The map above details the rail routes across the region. My base at Chesterfield is underlined in yellow, with some of my intended destinations underlined in red.

TOUR DIARY
Sunday 24th August
Well, off I go again on another week-long railtour, just short of two months since my last, although this one proves to be very different from the excellent Tour of Scotland. Departure from Havant was on the 08:37 fast service to Waterloo, giving me plenty of time to cross town in order to start my journey proper from St Pancras. The 11:30 to Sheffield departed bang on time and, despite the slow crawl through Herts & Beds, made good time until we arrived at Derby. I was rather perplexed when, on departure from Derby station, we reversed out of the station, back in the direction we came from! This must have been due to engineering works on the line ahead. Instead, we retraced our route to Trent Junction and, much to my surprise, headed up the non-passenger train line through Toton Yard en route to Chesterfield. On arrival at Chesterfield (only ten minutes behind schedule) it was about a ten minute walk to my hotel, The Portland, located on the edge of the town centre, just a few yards from the Market Place. My room is huge - more like a suite than budget-priced accommodation! After a much-needed shower it was time to explore the town. Chesterfield is a lot more attractive than I'd imagined. The centre of town has a large number of mock-tudor buildings and a number of premises dating from the 18th Century. There are two traditional market squares, complete with a vast number of permanent wooden stalls, and plenty of small alleys (Shambles) to explore. Chesterfield's most famous building, however, is the church of St Mary & All Saints, with its hugely-twisted spire. I took a walk around town in order to photograph some of its best buildings, then set about trying out a couple of local pubs. Armed with a copy of the Good Beer Guide, The first I visited was The Rutland, apparently the town's best real ale pub. I wasn't disappointed! Around ten beers were available, with offerings from Edinburgh to Hampshire and back, with a good atmosphere and friendly bar staff. Here I was able to pick up a copy of the local CAMRA magazine, which included a mini guide to all of Chesterfield's town-centre pubs - invaluable! My other stop-off was at The Spa Lane Vaults, a Wetherspoon pub which served a great pint and a nice meal. This evening I decided to head back south to Derby to visit a few of the city's best pubs. First stop was the famous Brunswick Inn, located adjacent to the station in the historic Railway Village. The whole area was rescued from demolition in the 70s by a local conservation society and the Brunswick has since become one of the most renowned pubs in England - complete with its own brewery and a magnificent multi-roomed Victorian interior, this has got to rate as one of the top ten pubs in over two thousand that I have visited across the UK. A living, working museum. Whilst in the Brunswick I met a friendly local who pointed me in the direction of two further ale houses in the city centre: The Olde Dolphin Inne and The Flower Pot both proved to be well worth the visit. I started the journey back to base at around 9.45pm, arriving at the hotel around an hour later. A good start to the trip.
TODAY'S RAIL MILEAGE:		310 MILES

Monday 25th August
Headed off out at about 8.45 this morning to catch a train up the line to Sheffield. Today's plan was to travel around the towns and cities of West Yorkshire, so the first place on my list was Wakefield. The journey took around 30 minutes or so from Sheffield, travelling through some fairly pleasant scenery via Barnsley. What surprised me most during the journey was catching sight of an enormous telecommunications tower (which I guess must be located in the Huddersfield area) - I'd no idea that it even existed, which is surprising because it must be Britain's tallest structure, resembling a scaled-down version of Toronto's CN Tower - an amazing sight viewed from the train across the dales (I shall investigate further to establish its identity!) On arrival at Wakefield I wasn't overly impressed. Within minutes of leaving Kirkgate station there was an unpleasant smell in the air and soon after a rat scurried across the footpath in front of me! Welcome to West Yorkshire! I made my way to the cathedral and took a look around inside. The interior is very ornate, with an impressive screen, an abundance of stained glass and some wonderful ribbed vaulting in the chapel to the rear of the high alter. An early lunch was had at the Six Chimneys pub before I headed off to Westgate station for the short journey to Leeds. Here I boarded a connecting service to the former industrial 'model' village of Saltaire, situated next to the town of Shipley. The village and its enormous mill owe their existance to the great Victorian industrialist Sir Titus Salt, who had the entire site constructed for the thousands of mill workers that were employed at his factories in an around Bradford. Mid 19th Century Bradford was nothing short of a disease-ridden slum, below a blanket of choking fumes from the dozens of smokestacks that billowed all day long. Salt built his new village to provide his employees with a better quality of life. The result made him a hero and earned him a knighthood. The village's name is a concoction of his own name and that of the valley in which it is situated (Airedale). The location is now rightly a World Heritage Site, and Salts Mill now contains an art gallery showcasing the works of local artist David Hockney. Next stop on the tour was the town of Keighley, where I checked out a couple of local hostelries before taking a ride on the preserved Keighley & Worth Valley steam railway, which hauls you through five miles of attractive scenery, in the heart of Bronte country, en route to its terminus at Oxenhope. Apart from the obvious attraction of a steam railway, the KWVR is a magnet for real ale drinkers, who flock here to ride in the society's buffet car, which sells a selection of cask beers and is a long-standing entry in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide - the only pub in the book which is mobile! When back in Keighley it was time to head off once more to another West Yorkshire town - this time Halifax, which I thought was quite attractive and is overlooked by an enormous steep-sided hill. I got myself a bite to eat here before planning to continue on to Huddersfield. Unfortunately, I mixed up the train times and so decided to call it a day and head back to base. The trip from Leeds to Sheffield was arduous to say the least - uncomfortably hot (I had to ask twice for the heating (!) to be switched off) and very cramped. I was very glad to arrive back here in Chesterfield after what has been a rather tiring day. I'm now ready for a much-needed rest. This turned out to be NTL's Emley Moor transmitter, which rises 1084ft above the West Yorkshire countryside!
Today's Rail Mileage:		184 Miles
CUMULATIVE MILEAGE:		494 Miles

Tuesday 26th August
Well it's 11.30pm and it's been a rather long day! I headed off this morning from Chesterfield at 9.30 on a Virgin Trains service to Leeds, from where I picked up my connection to take me all the way up to Carlisle via the superb Settle-Carlisle line. By the time we'd reached Skipton the weather was looking a bit uncertain. The hills were shrouded in mist and so I resigned myself to not seeing a great deal as we climbed higher through the Yorkshire Dales. To my surprise, the mist lifted and by the time the train reached Settle the weather had improved a great deal. Settle is located in a very picturesque area and is overlooked by the craggy face of Sugar Loaf Hill to the east. From here the line climbs gradually through ever-desolate landscapes, punctuated by small towns and scattered settlements. Horton-in-Ribblesdale is dominated by the lofty heights of Pen-y-Ghent, just short of 2300ft and one of the National Park's Three Peaks (along with the fells of Ingleborough and Whernside). The scenery becomes more and more impressive as the miles increase. The line clings to the sides of the dales, overlooking a network of dry stone walls and rocky becks that flow through the area. A multitude of foxgloves and heather provides vivid early-autumn colours along the line side. The Settle to Carlisle line is not just famous for its scenery, but also for the vast amount of wonderful Victorian viaducts that carry the line across its route. The most famous of these is Ribblehead Viaduct which, at around 120ft high and made up of almost two dozen stone arches, crosses the wilderness in a gentle curve before the line disappears into the 1½ mile long Blea Moor Tunnel. We had climbed up to a height of around 1100ft above sea level by the time we had reached Dent Station (the highest in England). The views along Dentdale and later, Garsdale, are magnificent. Plenty of photo opportunites are available here to those who wish to attempt to capture something special. By this time the views have changed from stark desolation to rural beauty as the line crosses Mallerstang Common before reaching Kirkby Stephen. The remainder of the journey sees the landscape gradually change again to more familiar farmland terrain, and the River Eden begins to make an appearance as we head out of Appleby and on to Carlisle. A great trip which I had planned to repeat in reverse later today. On arrival in Carlisle it was time for a pub lunch followed by a spot of sightseeing, notably the cathedral, which although small has a wonderful interior and an especially striking ceiling. From Carlisle I had decided to mount a quick border raid by crossing the international boundary for a brief stopover in Dumfries. Train times dictated that this wasn't, sadly, convenient so I therefore decided to change my plans completely and headed east along the Tyne Valley line towards Newcastle. This is another picturesque route which I have been familiar with for ten years now. The line crosses the sparsely populated Northumberland countryside, close to the Cheviot Hills and Hadrian's Wall. I left the train at Hexham, an ancient market town on the River Tyne. It's a rather quaint place and very photogenic. Its ancient Abbey stands at its centre and overlooks the valley below. After a quick tour around the streets and an even quicker drop of beer in the Tap & Spile it was back to the station and on to Newcastle. Now Newcastle has got to be one of my favourite British cities. It cannot fail to impress anyone who arrrives there by train, as the six bridges cross over the Tyne and the city clings to the river's north bank. However, my decision was to leave the city immediately as I am planning to return on Friday. Instead, I took the long journey back south via the East Coast Main Line to a very misty, wet Doncaster. Here I changed trains to continue to Sheffield, from where I got my final connection back to Chesterfield. To my surprise I felt quite lively when I got back, so after heading downstairs to the bar for a late tea, it was time to check out the Market Inn across the square for a late pint. Finally, I returned here to my room and set about updating this site. It's now almost 12.30am and I really think it's time to sign off!
Today's Rail Mileage:		375 Miles
CUMULATIVE MILEAGE:		869 Miles

Wednesday 27th August
The planned itinerary went straight out the window today as I decided to give the trip to the National Tramway Museum a miss, mainly due to time-consuming travel to the site, which would have had a detrimental effect on the rest of the day's plans. Instead I caught the train into Sheffield (as has become the daily routine) and headed east to the Lincolnshire towns of Grimsby and Cleethorpes. If you are thinking that these places have got unattractive names, then there's a good reason for it. It's to put people off from going there before it's too late and they find out that they really are awful places!! Not only that, but I had to endure a 100 minute train journey surrounded by inconsiderate parents with several hundred children (well, it sometimes sounded that many)!! The north Lincolnshire landscape is mainly bleak and flat with dozens of heavy industrial plants scattered around, mainly along the banks of the River Humber. I stayed on the train until it reached the terminus at Cleethorpes. This really is the most awful, dead-end northern seaside resort that you could ever wish for! A place where, tradionally, Yorkshire folk escape to during the summer season. Personally I think they should appreciate what they have on their doorstep instead! The saving grace (for me) was the fact that the town is home to the Willy's brewpub, which of course I headed for as soon as I left the train. The small cafe-style bar has a brewery which is visible from the street and the place serves a very good pint. Soon it was back to the station for the eight minute trip to Grimsby. Now this place wasn't quite so bad, though I never intend returning! It was now time for lunch, so the Yarborough Hotel was my place of choice for a meal before I made the short walk along to the second of the Willy's pubs, another small cafe bar with a cosmopolitan atmosphere. My next destination of choice was, unfortunately, not reachable from Grimsby on a weekday, so instead I retraced my route back west and left the train at Doncaster. This large South Yorkshire town is dominated by the parish church of St George's, with its impressive central tower bearing a striking resemblance to Gloucester cathedral. Sadly the church is undergoing renovation at the moment, so photo opportunities were nil - a shame, as the building looked very photogenic in the late afternoon sun. Doncaster also has a very ornate victorian Corn Exchange which stands in the centre of the market square. One thing I've come to notice during my various travels is that northern towns often have permanent market stalls set up in their centres. If this was so in the south, the stalls wouldn't last five minutes - they'd more than likely be either stolen or destoyed overnight by that part of the community who appear to be hell-bent on wrecking their neighbourhood. I sought out a couple of Good Beer Guide pubs before leaving Doncaster - both of which were fine examples of traditional northern boozers, with a community atmosphere and great beer. I was well pleased to find that the train which took me from Doncaster to Retford was one of GNER's class 373 'Eurostar' sets (to the laymen among you, that's the same type that runs between London and Paris/Brussels via the Channel Tunnel). Such a shame that this luxurious mode of transport was only taking me for a fifteen minute journey! On arrival at Retford, Nottinghamshire, I asked a friendly local to direct me to the town's pub/brewery, The Rum Runner, which I found out about no more than around an hour previous! The pub happened to be on his way home, so we walked the short distance together. It was lucky I'd asked, as I doubt I would've found it alone...down a side street and across a picturesque lock on a canal. The pub was a good find and the ale was worth the trip for. From Retford it was time to start heading back to base, which involved a journey west via Worksop to Sheffield, where I changed trains to take me back to Chesterfield and my hotel. I grabbed a bite to eat before heading back to my room at about 8.30pm. It was nice to arrive back at a reasonably early time, compared to previous evenings. All I have to do now is work out today's mileage, then it'll be off to bed for a much needed rest.
Today's Rail Mileage:		179 Miles
CUMULATIVE MILEAGE:		1048 Miles

Thursday 28th August
First on the agenda today was a trip down to Nottingham, a city which I'd been planning to visit for years and, at last, I finally made it. As one would expect for the largest population centre in the region, it has an abundance of shops and is a mixture of ancient and modern buildings, though sadly the modern far out-number the ancient - dozens of cheap office blocks constructed during the last forty years appear to have been built with a blatent disregard for the character of the city and serve to virtually suffocate the wonderful listed buildings that stand in their shadow.<p> It's not all bad I'm pleased to say. Despite the rain making things seem a little dull, I liked Nottingham a lot. The canal runs through the city and the Castle Rock provides fine views for miles around. Very little of the original castle now remains, though its successor still looks impressive, especially close up, from where you can appreciate the detail of the masonry. The area around the castle is tended very well, with a mass of flowers punctuating the lawns. At the foot of Castle Rock is Nottingham's most famous building, Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, of which it is claimed to be the oldest public house in Britain (and therefore the World). Whether or not this is true is debatable, but what you can't deny is that it is a quite magnificent building. Consisting of many seperate drinking rooms (some of which have been carved out of the rock itself) it is a veritable rabbit warren and provides a surprise around every corner. At the time of my visit (around 12.30pm) the clientele consisted mainly of tourists, with a large contingent of Americans sharing the room I was sat in. For those of you with a further interest in the pub, I can highly recommend their website (yeoldetriptojerusalem.com) which shows in details the rooms I've mentioned here. As well as The Trip, Nottingham is well known as being a city of good ale houses. Therefore I wasn't about to leave town without dropping in at a couple. The Vat & Fiddle and Fellows Moreton & Clayton both have their own breweries attached and were well worth the visit. I bought myself a T-shirt in the Vat & Fiddle. I ended up spending longer than expected in Nottingham, so I wasn't able to get a train back through Chesterfield at a suitable time. Instead I took a gamble and opted to travel via the Robin Hood line to Worksop - I say "a gamble" because my Rover ticket was not valid on this route. However, as many regular Rover users will probably tell you, the boundaries for these tickets are rather complicated and your average train guard/conductor does not have a clue as to whether your ticket is valid or not! Suffice to say, I wasn't challenged when I offered mine for inspection. The Robin Hood line cuts through the old colliery areas of Nottinghamshire and joins another line at Worksop. I had a wait of around 30 minutes for my connecting service - not long enough to walk into the town centre and back - so I dropped by at the Newcastle Arms, as Good Beer Guide pub opposite the station. The barman was very welcoming and I stood at the bar chatting with him until it was time to leave. My next train took me forward to Sheffield, then on to the West Yorkshire town of Huddersfield via a single-track rural line with place names such as Denby Dale and Berry Brow - how quaint! I'm sure it would have been a picturesque journey, but in the fading evening light, with rain outside and steamed-up train windows it was difficult to appreciate much of a view. Huddersfield was a typical Yorkshire town, with some ornate municipal buildings. My visit meant a quick walk to the Rat & Ratchet, yet another pub brewery! The choice of fourteen beers meant a difficult decision had to be made - one regular suggested I start at one end and work my way along - not the best advise! Before long it was time to start heading back to base in the gloomy weather. On departure from Huddersfield I caught a view of the striking McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield FC's ground. From here it was off to Leeds for a wait of 45 minutes before getting a Virgin Voyager service back to Chesterfield. A pretty good day, but shame about the weather.
Today's Rail Mileage:		180 Miles
CUMULATIVE MILEAGE:		1228 Miles

Friday 29th August
Well, my final full day meant a long trip north to two of my favourite English cities. I caught the 09:05 Virgin Voyager service to Durham for the city's 23rd beer festival. I passed through Durham on my way back to Chesterfield on Tuesday, but resisted passing comment in that day's diary entry. Anyone who has witnessed the view of Durham as the train crosses the high level viaduct south of the city's station will know full well what I mean when I say that, in my opinion, this is the most magnificent man-made vista in the whole of Britain (yes, including that of Edinburgh castle from Princes Street). The mighty cathedral and adjacent castle totally dominate the view from high above the wooded banks of the River Wear. It's incredible to think that, by the end of this Century, the building will be a thousand years old. Built as a shrine to St Cuthbert, and until 1836 the seat of a Prince Bishop (who virtually ruled the county of Durham), the huge edifice of the cathedral must have struck fear into any non-believers of the Christian faith in Norman times. Whilst there are larger and more elaborate cathedrals in England, no other is situated so spectacularly and is more impressive than Durham. The beer festival was held in Dunelm House, the student union hall on New Elvet. 60 real ales, mainly from the north east were on offer and there were plenty of friendly punters and bar staff to have a chat with over a few pints. I fancied buying a festival T-shirt but all the XL sizes had sold out - too many fat blokes at beer fests, you know! I would've liked to have stayed in the city longer, but time was against me, so it was on to my next destination... A short journey north of Durham brings you to another of my favourite cities - Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Here it was time for a late lunch, so I walked the short distance to somewhere I already knew well, the Union Rooms, where I had a meal. From there I paid a visit to Castle Garth, the castle keep from which the city is named. This ancient fortress provides fantastic views of the city, its bridges and the Tyne. On leaving the castle it was a short walk down to the river, from where I went to take a look at the new Millennium Bridge. This I was very impressed by - a huge, slender arch from which a curved deck is suspended. The whole structure tilts to allow vessels to pass beneath, earning it the nickname The Blinking Eye. You shall be able to view my photos of the bridge once I publish the Northern Rover Gallery in a week or so. On the Gateshead side of the river, adjacent to the bridge, stands the regenerated Baltic Flour Mills, a boldly functional industrial building which now houses art galleries, cafes and shops. High-speed panoramic lifts take visitors to six levels, including an external observation deck. A walk back across the river to Manors metro station was needed to travel east along the north bank of the Tyne to North Shields, for a pilgrimage to the renowned Magnesia Bank, an excellent real ale pub and winner of many awards for its food and drink. I'd been meaning to get out to this far-flung beer lovers' outpost for years, and now I was here. And the brief visit was well worth the trek! It was now time to start heading back, so it was off to Newcastle Central to catch a soundbound train down to Doncaster, where I changed onto a service back to Chesterfield. Thus ends my travels around the North of England - an interesting week with plenty of new places visited along the way.
Today's Rail Mileage:		295 Miles
CUMULATIVE MILEAGE:		1523 Miles

Saturday 30th August
It was time to pack up and leave the Portland this morning. When checking out I was well pleased to find that I was only being billed for four nights instead of six! That saved me almost eighty pounds, which was a little more than what my Rail Rover ticket cost for the week - a great saving! I caught the 09:40 service from Chesterfield to St Pancras then from Waterloo to Havant, arriving home shortly after 3pm - the end of another great trip exploring our fine country. Next on the agenda? Probably Wales and the Marches...but that's another story...
Today's Rail Mileage:		222 Miles
TOTAL RAIL MILEAGE:		1745 Miles

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