2004 Wessex Rover

This page contains details of the Webmaster's third Railtour of 2004. This excursion, totalling nine days in all, covered an area across the English counties of Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, & Gloucestershire and across the Bristol Channel to South Wales.

click here to view the photo gallery

		CITY OF BATH
		Without doubt the finest city architecturally in England and second only to Edinburgh throughout the United Kingdom, Bath provides a true spectacle as the train approaches its railway station. Surrounded by hills, the attractive Cotswold stone buildings give off an air of wealth and grandeur about them. The city is famous for its Roman Baths and is also home to an impressive abbey. The sweeping Royal Crescent is one of the most famous residential street in Britain and Pulteney Bridge is possibly the only remaining construction of its kind in the country. Bath also boasts a number of historic public houses, of which The Star and The Old Green Tree are a delight to visit.

		CITY OF BRISTOL
		A short distance from Bath by rail brings you to the South West's largest city, Bristol. Here there is plenty to occupy the visitor, from the Historic docks, where you can find Brunel's famous Great Western, to the Cathedral and Clifton Suspension Bridge, which provides superb views from above Avon Gorge. Other notable buildings include Cabot Tower on Brandon Hill, from where fine views of the city are afforded; Wills Momorial Tower, part of the University buildings, and St Mary Redcliffe, one of the largest parish churches in Britain.

		GLOUCESTER
		This important West of England city is home to a magnificent Gothic cathedral, top on the list for most visitors to Gloucester. The redundant docks were once an important feature of the city and now serve as a tourist attraction, having been restored to include museums, cafes and retail outlets during the 1990s.

		CHELTENHAM SPA
		Situated to the north of the Cotswold Hills, the elegent town of Cheltenham gained its popularity on the discovery of its natural 'healing' waters during Victorian times. The result is a mass of beautiful Regency architecture, most notable of which are the buildings along the west side of the town's famous Promenade, complete with formal gardens and an ornate fountain inspired by the Trevi in Rome. The town's Pump Room is a popular tourist attraction as are the interesting shops and cafes that can be found in the Montpellier district.

		CITY OF WELLS
		Whilst not served by the UK's rail network, a must-visit place during this tour shall be the City of Wells, the smallest in England and located near the foot of the Mendip Hills. Dominated by it's superb cathedral, the city is also home to the Bishop's Palace and many other historic buildings. The Webmaster shall need to travel via bus from Bath in order to visit the city.

		THE HEART OF WESSEX LINE
		The Heart of Wessex line is one of the few rail routes in the area that the Webmaster has not travelled over. Advertised as running from Bristol to Weymouth, the line really starts at Westbury, where it runs via the market towns of Frome and Castle Cary before heading south via Yeovil to Dorchester and Weymouth. Generally worked by Class 153 sprinter units, the line has now adopted locomotive-hauled trains, which adds greatly to the appeal of this picturesque rural rail link. The Webmaster shall be joining the service on one day, probably at Westbury, for the journey south.

		VALLEY LINES
		The Welsh Valley Lines that run north from Cardiff provide a number of pictureque rail routes to journey over and create vital links to the many small towns and villages that nestle among the foothills of south Wales. A small selection of these services are now worked by Class 37 locomotive-hauled trains, adding further to the enjoyment for anyone interested in rail travel and the UK railways in general. The Webmaster plans to spend a day riding over these lines to destinations such as Aberdare, Rhymney and Treherbert.


The diagram below details the extent of the area covered by the Severn Avon & Wessex rover

TOUR DIARY
Saturday 21st August 2004
Less than two months on from my last excursion to the North West of England, I'm setting off again on another week long rail tour. An early start was called for today in order to catch the 07.22 service from my local station, Cosham, to Cardiff Central. The three hour journey is a familiar one to me, and for much of the route it is very rural and picturesque. Particularly of note is the attractive small town of Bradford-on-Avon, in Wiltshire. The view from the train gives the traveller an indication of what to expect a little further up the line, as the route passes the magnificent city of Bath, where I shall be spending some time in a few days. After departure from Bristol, the train reverses out of the station and heads for Brunel's four mile long Severn Tunnel, which runs beneath the Severn Estuary and connects England with Wales. The last part of the journey passes through mainly industrial areas of South Wales via Newport and on to journey's end - the Welsh Capital. My first task on arrival in Cardiff was to get meal, so it was off to seek out a previously-unvisited pub, The Central Bar where I was able to find a decent pint and an early lunch. From here, a short rail journey from Queen Street Station back to Central Station was had, where I paid a brief visit to The Cottage pub on St Mary's Street before returning to the station to await the 12.59 service to Rhymney, in the Welsh Valleys. The main reason for chosing this service was that it is currently being worked by a Class 37 locomotive-hauled train, as opposed to the usual Nodding Donkey railbuses that ply the route. The journey to Rhymney took one hour and wound its way via Caerphilly and through the former mining heartlands of the Welsh Valleys. The green hills and rocky riverbeds give the visitor some idea of what the region must have looked like before the mines were opened, though sadly what we tend to notice more today is the unsightly spoil tips, the decaying buildings and the cheap housing that bear testiment to this now-impoverished part of the country. It's not all bad though, and on arrival at Rhymney I sought out the very nice Farmers Arms pub whilst I waited for my return train to Cardiff. This multi-roomed country-style house had a very homely feel and sold a very nice pint of ale indeed! On leaving Rhymney, I retraced the route down to Queen Street Station where I boarded another Valley Lines service to Aberdare. This route proved to be far less unspoilt by industry as it followed the River Taff for much of the journey. Time retraints meant that I had to return from Aberdare immediately in order to catch the 18.30 service back home from Cardiff Central. Despite losing seventeen minutes on departure from Westbury, the train made up time and I was back home at 10pm. A good start to a week's roving.
Today's Rail Mileage:	362 Miles

Sunday 22nd August 2004
Thankfully I didn't have quite such an early start this morning as yesterday. I headed out of Cosham on the 09.23 Cardiff Central service, although at one point it didn't look as if the train was going to make it past Southampton! As we passed through Sholing station there was a small explosion beneath the carriage in which I was sitting - a lick of flame shot out the side and white smoke issued forth! Initially I thought it was an engine failure but soon suspected we may have hit a detonator left on the line by engineers. It soon became apparent that it was neither of these - the train had struck an object on the line, which in turn came to rest across the running rail and the DC power rail, causing a short-circuit and, of course, the bang. Thankfully, as the train was a DMU it wasn't reliant on the third rail, so we were able to continue on our way after a short delay. I left the train at the small market town of Warminster, Wiltshire - a place famed for two things: Longleat Safari Park and UFOs! I took a brief stroll around town and took a few photos in order to kill time until my next train arrived an hour later to take me to Swindon. I was looking forward to this next journey, as it involved travelling over the little-used line between Trowbridge and Chippenham and through the small town of Melksham - a route which I'd never had the opportunity to travel over in the past. As the train got closer to Swindon, I spotted a number of RAF Hercules transporters departing from Lynham air force base - possibly en route to Basra to supply our forces in Iraq. On arrival at Swindon I headed for the Groves Company Inn, where I bought lunch. This was a typical Wetherspoon conversion of what I presume to have been a shop. I didn't stay long, as I wanted to take the opportunity whilst I was in town to pay a long overdue visit to Swindon's best pub, the Glue Pot, situated in the heart of the historic Railway Village close to the station. This very popular little corner house was doing a roaring lunchtime trade, with most drinkers opting for one of the many real ales that are on offer. I sampled two and sat outside on the patio in the sunshine before it was time to head back to the station. My next port of call was to be Bristol, and I was pleased to find that the train to take me there was one of First Great Western's Adelante units. I'd not travelled on one of these before and was quite impressed with the spaciousness and comfort - certainly a nicer design that Virgin's Voyagers and Pendolinos. The journey took around 45 minutes and on arrival at Bristol I set off to do a spot of sightseeing. The first, unplanned, stop was at St Mary Redcliffe church - a magnificent Parish church which is superior to many of England's cathedrals even. The architecture and decoration both inside and out is first rate - a wonderful building. From here I took a walk up to Brandon Hill, stopping briefly to photograph the exterior of the cathedral, which I shall probably return to later in the week. Atop Brandon Hill stands Cabot Tower - an ornate folly 105ft in height with access to two viewing areas towards the top. The views from the tower are fantastic - all across the city and beyond to the distant hills. From Brandon Hill I took the long walk up to Clifton to revisit a place where I'd not been since childhood - the Clifton Suspension Bridge. This famous landmark by I K Brunel carries the road across the precipitous Avon Gorge and its deck stands 245ft above the river. The good weather meant that there were plenty of opportunities for some fine photographs, some of which you can see on the gallery page. As it was a fair distance from the city centre I opted to head back using a local bus service. Before returning to Temple Meads station I dropped in at the Old Fish Market, a Fuller's pub on Baldwin Street, for a quick pint. Before long it was time to leave Bristol behind, though only for a day or two, as I shall be back later on during the tour. I caught the 18.27 service back home, where I arrived shortly after 9pm.
Today's Rail Mileage:	240 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	602 Miles

Monday 23rd August 2004
Day three and it was time to head off on the 09.39 service from Cosham to Bristol Temple Meads, on what was a rather wet morning. It wasn't the best of journeys either, mainly due to the cramped conditions that the Wessex Trains Class 158 units subject the traveller to. These trains really aren't a comfortable mode of transport for middle-distance rail travel. Southampton once again proved to be a problem spot, though this time it was in the form of a rather confused-looking woman wandering on the line Between St Denys and Mount Pleasant - never a dull moment on the railways! Although the weather cleared for the majority of the journey, we arrived in Bristol in the pouring rain. I just had time to buy a pasty from a kiosk at the station before making a run for the midday service to Weston-Super-Mare. It was at Weston that I needed to connect for a bus servcie to take me on to the small Somerset city of Wells. I had around 40 minutes to kill at Weston, so was pleased to find that there was a station buffet serving three real ales, two of which were from local brewers. This helped pass the time before I headed out of town on the bus for the 1 hour 20 minute journey to Wells. The route was less direct than I'd expected, taking in a number of residential areas of the small towns and villages along the way. Eventually I arrived at the bus station in Wells and set about exploring the place. Another heavy rain shower passed overhead, so I sought shelter in the Kings Head pub on the High Street. The range of ales looked promising, but I was disappointed to find that they were distinctly lacking in condition and flavour. Only the rustic interior of the pub and Lynryd Skynyrd records playing on the jukebox made me feel like staying! On leaving the pub I headed around the corner to visit the cathedral. As I entered the Cathedral Green I made a point of not turning to look at the church until I was in the best position. From the centre of the green I turned around and saw the West Front for the first time since childhood - a magnificent sight and certainly one of England's finest cathedral churches. The interior is equally impressive, with the famous scissor arches standing on three sides of the central crossing. Also unique is the Wells clock with it's figurines of knights on horseback jousting as the clock chimes! On leaving the cathedral I took a walk around the curtain walls and moat of the Bishop's Palace before returning to Cathedral Green and the city centre. Before heading back to the bus station I dropped in at the Globe pub which I'd spotted on the way in on the bus earlier this afternoon. I was served a fantastic pint of Butcombe Bitter and spent some time talking to the licensee after complimenting him on his ale. As I arrived back at the bus station for the journey back to Weston, I noticed another bus which was bound for Bristol. The journey time was shorter than it was to Weston, so I opted to head direct to Bristol. I was unsure as to the route that the bus took, as I didn't have a map to follow, though it was a good limited-stop journey on decent roads, so the time passed by quite quickly. Back at Bristol I had time to grab a bite to eat before returning to Temple Meads station for the trip back home. So far during this tour, all the Wessex Trains services I've travelled on between Cardiff/Bristol and Cosham have been delayed. Let's hope the situation improves over the coming days.
Today's Rail Mileage:	225 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	827 Miles

Tuesday 24th August 2004
Today differed from the rest of the week's roving as the journeys I took were purely a 'repositioning' exercise, as I was staying overnight near Stroud, in the Cotwolds. I caught the 11.39 Cardiff Central service and intended to alight at Trowbridge for a connection via Melksham to Swindon. As has been the norm this week, the train was again delayed which meant I had to continue to Bath Spa, for the connection back east to Swindon. Earlier in the journey, an aging long-haired Scotsman joined the train at Southampton - he struck up a conversation with a young American woman who was sat opposite, and it became apparent that he was a musician on his was down to Cornwall for a gig. Soon after he produced a harmonica and began playing a Delta Blues-style tune to the amusement/bemusement of fellow passengers! It was actually very good and bought a wry smile to my face, sitting on a train in Southern England yet feeling like I should have been in a box car in Mississippi! The young American called the tune'Late Train Blues', which I thought was perfect! When I arrived at Swindon I sought out the Savoy pub on Regent Street where I had a late lunch before heading off on the last leg to Stroud - a picturesque town situated at the head of five valleys in the heart of the Cotswold Hills. The remainder of the day was spent with my sister's family.
Today's Rail Mileage:	141 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	968 Miles

Wednesday 25th August 2004
This morning's journey started on the 09.31 Great Western service from Stroud to Cheltenham, as I left the scenic landscape of the Cotswolds behind and moved on to a different form of beauty. Cheltenham, located to the north of the Cotswold Hills, is notable for its abundance of elegant Regency architecture. This is all due to the discovery of the town's Spa waters in Victorian times. Unlike other English towns where Regency architecture is prominent, such as Brighton, Cheltenham's has not been left to decay and therefore remains a pleasure to explore. From the immaculately kept formal gardens and attractive terraces of shops in Montpellier, to the granduer of the town's magnificent Promenade, the visitor cannot fail to be impressed. Suffice to say, a walk around town for photographic opportunities was the main reason for visiting, followed by a brief pause for refreshment before heading back to the station and on to my next destination, Gloucester. Situated just ten minutes journey time away from Cheltenham by train, Gloucester is a very different place than its neighbour. The city centre contains many bland, modern buildings, though there are also a number of very attractive and particularly ancient landmarks to be found. These vary from Britain's oldest medieval galleried public house, the New Inn Hotel to the magnificent gothic cathedral that dominates the skyline. The church has some of the finest decorated stonework of any of the English cathedrals, both inside and out, along with a number of huge stained glass windows. Of particular note is the wonderful ceiling above the Quire (sic) and Lady Chapel. On leaving the Cathedral I took the opportunity to visit the aforementioned New Inn Hotel and the Fountain Inn, another listed inn, which can be found in an alley off Westgate Street. Finally it was time to head for the docks - now a heritage area, where the city council have preserved the redundant grain warehouses and converted them into a variety of shops, antique centres, bars and restaurants. A variety of craft are moored here, from large yachts to attractive narrow boats. On departure from Gloucester I boarded a train for Cardiff Central. I was unsure as to where I would stop off when I left town, and decided en route to visit Chepstow, the attractive border town with its impressive ruined castle. After taking a walk across Chepstow Bridge (and back into England!) I returned to Wales for a visit to the castle. The very reasonable £3 admission gave you the opportunity to explore the castle itself, read the history of the building and watch a short film. There were plenty of good photo opportunities from the high vantage points around the battlements. After dropping by at the Three Tuns and Five Alls to kill time after leaving the castle, I headed back to the station to catch a service to Newport, where I changed trains for the journey back home, arriving at 20.30.
Today's Rail Mileage:	187 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	1155 Miles

Thursday 26th August 2004
It was a nice morning weatherwise as I departed Cosham on the 08.39 for the journey to Bristol. In fact it's been the best day since the weekend, with no forecast of rain. This morning's service made good time and arrived as scheduled and I was able to catch a connecting service to Weston-super-Mare, which was unforunately the most cramped, uncomfortable journey of the tour so far! Thankfully it's only a trip of around half an hour, so a little easier to endure. My reason for returning to Weston today was to catch another bus service, this time to the world-famous Cheddar and its caves and gorge. Before boarding the bus I killed time at Weston's local Wetherspoon pub, the Dragon Inn. If only I'd known that the bus was going to be twenty minutes late - I could've stayed in the bar for another! The bus was the same service that I took to Wells earlier in the week, so the route was familier to me. On arrival at Cheddar it was already busy with tourists, though thankfully not uncomfortably so. I followed the road up the hill from the picturesque old village and into the gorge. I'd not been here since I was a young child, though some of it did seem vaguely familiar to me. I chose Gough's Cave to visit first - I was surprised at the extent of the cave system inside. A labyrinth of winding passageways with amazing water-sculpted rock and stalectites/stalegmites forming the most curious sights. Cox's Cave on the other hand was smaller and less impressive (albeit interesting of course). Sadly, the owners have turned much of the caves over to a children's exhibit known as Crystal Quest, which I found rather tacky and trivialised an otherwise very interesting place. Adjacent to Cox's Cave is Jacob's Ladder, the flight of around 200 steps that leads part way up the side of the gorge to a lookout tower. I found this a little disappointing, as the tower is not in a prime location to enable the visitor to view the gorge itself, instead providing views mainly to the south towards Glastonbury and west across Cheddar Reservoir. I completed my visit with a beer and light lunch at the White Hart in the village - a picturesque stone pub intraditional style, which happened to sell an excellent pint of Butcombe Bitter. I returned to Weston on the bus at around 3pm, from where I boarded the train to take me back to Bristol. Here I took a walk around the city centre, visited the cathedral and had a meal in the Commercial Rooms on Corn Street before heading back to Temple Meads station for the return journey home. All in all a pleasant day out.
Today's Rail Mileage:	234 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	1389 Miles

Friday 27th August 2004
Today I awoke to heavy rain, which continued to persist throughout the morning. I therefore decided to delay travelling until this afternoon, by which time the weather had improved. I arrived at the station only to find that the 13.39 service to my destination, Bath, had been cancelled - this was bad news, as it would severly restrict my plans for the day if I didn't get to the city in good time. Thankfully, good news arrived via the station announcer to inform us that the service would now depart from nearby Fareham. I therefore boarded the 13.31 service, changing at Fareham to pick up the Bath train on time. It was actually a blessing, as it meant that the train was mostly empty instead of being packed with Bank Holiday travellers. After seven days of travelling the same route, the journey is becoming a little uninspiring at times, though it seems to take less time on subsequent trips. On arrival at Bath I headed for some of the more obvious landmarks to photograph, such as the Abbey and Pulteney Bridge. Bath is one of my favourite UK cities for a number of reasons, though it's global reputation means that the centre becomes invaded with tourists, particularly during the summer months, which can prove tiresome for the locals and the casual visitor like myself. However, I got a number of acceptable photographs which meant I could then concentrate on making a long-overdue visit to some of Bath's wonderful pubs. First stop was Lambretta's on North Parade - don't be put off by the name. This relaxing bar has a pleasant atmosphere and serves some good ale. It's star feature is a fantastic GS Scooter, complete with a vast array of lights, mirrors and air-horns, and enclosed in a glass case. Much of the decor is themed around the Lambretta and 60s memorabilia. A short walk from Lambretta's brings you to the Rummer, close to Pulteney Bridge. This old pub has a laid-back atmosphere and serves a good selection of West Country ales. Next stop on the circuit was a Bath institution - the Old Green Tree on Green Street. This superb hostelry has been a pub for 250 years and consists of three tiny wood-panelled rooms. A fine selection of real ales is available. In the back room, the large framed collections of banknotes from all corners of the world prove fascinating viewing. From here I headed up to the famous Star Inn. Entering this pub is like stepping back into a different era. Little has changed here since the mid 19th Century (except the prices!) A number of interconnecting wood panelled rooms provide wonderfully intimate surroundings. The inn is owned by local brewers Abbey Ales, who saved the premises from possible ruination at the hands of Bass. Last on the crawl was the Salamander on John Street. This former coffee house is now run by Bath Ales and is one of the best ale houses in the city. This was my first visit, though somehow I feel that it won't be the last! I sampled two pints of the excellent Barnstormer dark ale and bought a Bath Ales T-shirt for a very reasonable £8. Now I really should have quit at this point, but the friendly service, superb atmosphere and great choice of drinks made it extremely hard to leave! Next thing I knew was that I was enjoying a large Bunnahabhain malt whisky - the last of the Islay distilleries' products that I'd yet to sample. It was only now that I spotted the Belgian Beer Range! The evening was therefore rounded off with a bottle of Duval before it was time to stumble back to the station for the two hour journey home. A great visit to Bath - if you've never been, why not??
Today's Rail Mileage:	173 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	1562 Miles

Saturday 28th August 2004
One route I'd always intended travelling over during this tour was the Heart of Wessex line, from Westbury down to Weymouth. It meant making an early start due to the low frequency of trains over the line each day - unfortunately today was the day I had to do it - if you've read yesterday's diary entry, you'll know why I'm using the word 'unfortunately'! It was BIG HANGOVER day and I forced myself out of bed at the ungodly time of 6.20am in time to catch the 07.22 departure! Feeling a great deal under par, I headed up the line to Westbury to catch the connecting service to take me down to the Dorset resort. This route is currently a magnet for rail enthusiasts, as many of the Saturday services are worked by Class 31 locomotives in top 'n' tail formation, with five Mk.2 coaches in between. Loco-hauled passenger workings are a rarity on today's UK rail network, so it's a great way to travel for the traditionalists amongst us. The journey from Westbury makes leisurely progress as it travels through the Somerset and Dorset countryside via the market towns of Frome, Castle Cary, Yeovil and Dorchester before arriving in Weymouth. I was just about ready to eat by now, so it was into the pub for an orange juice (yep!) and a salad before deciding to leave town on the 11.56 back up to Bristol. This service was also worked by Class 31s, albeit the second set on loan to Wessex Trains. All four locos were present at Weymouth on my departure. The trip north to Bristol took around two and a quarter hours. There was now only one section ofpassenger line in this area of the country that I was yet to travel over, so this was my intention as I arrived at Temple Meads station. The suburban line through Bristol to Avonmouth and Severn Beach can only be travelled over in its entirety on a Saturday, as services are terminated at Avonmouth for the rest of the week. The journey aboard a Class 143 'Nodding Donkey' takes around half an hour and links both afluent and rundown districts of Bristol with the industrial landscape of the Severn Estuary. I remained on the train for the return journey to Temple Meads, arriving just in time for the return journey to Cosham. The Wessex Trains 158 which worked the route was former Virgin Trains stock, which included a decommissioned First Class section, which was very welcome. As most passengers thought it was genuinely First Class, I was able to enjoy a peaceful journey in comfort for a change, instead of the usual sardine-like experience of Class 158s! This may well have been the conclusion to the rail tour, although I'm undecided about whether I shall travel again tomorrow...
Today's Rail Mileage:	341 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	1903 Miles

Sunday 29th August
Well, despite the rain this morning I felt good enough to head off for a ninth consecutive day on the metals! As the weather improved later in the morning, I caught the 11.23 service from Cosham. My original intention was to leave the train at Bradford-on-Avon, though I decided en route to continue to the following station, Avoncliff. This meant asking the train crew to stop the train for me, as this tiny station is purely a request stop - if you don't ask, it doesn't stop! Avoncliff is set in lovely surroundings, with the River Avon and the Kennet & Avon Canal both passing through the valley. An aqueduct takes the canal over the river and the railway line. A lovely old stone inn, the Cross Guns proved to be a popular place - its stepped garden leding down to the banks of the Avon, within sight of a large weir. I stopped by for a quick pint before following the towpath for two miles into Bradford-on-Avon. I sought out the Good Beer Guide listed Beehive. Another popular pub, though I was rather disappointed with the quality of the ale. From here I took a walk into the town centre. Bradford is a very attractive place, built entirely in Cotswold Stone and home to a number of very ancient buildings, including a tiny Saxon Church. The Avon flows through the centre of the town and there are numerous photo opportunites. After a spot of sight-seeing I dropped by at the Bunch of Grapes, where I relaxed for an hour or so, with some very nice Smiles IPA, before it was time to head back to the station for the homebound train. I was very pleased to find that the service was a quiet one, so it was possible to end the railtour on a relaxing note. One thing's for certain...this has proved to be the most arduous tour that I've done so far, mainly due to the fact that I have had to commute for a good two hours or so in each direction almost everyday along the same stretch of line. Nevertheless, I've enjoyed most of it and look forward to the next trip, which shall either be concentrated around Cornwall or East Anglia. Watch this space!
Today's Rail Mileage	155 Miles
TOTAL RAIL MILEAGE:	2058 Miles

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