How has the following possibly stayed with me:
“Time goes by when you’re a (“passenger”) on a train and I ride (on the footplate) there and back again. Under bridges over bridges to our destination…”
Anyone remember which BBC children’s program this was from? No? Just me? Oh dear, perhaps I am a bit sad 🙁 but it does seem to perfectly capture the last 4 days. I had a stack of books with me to at least make some start on/use as reference, occasional newspapers, an intent to listen to a number of podcasts and some downloaded documentaries to watch. I’ve barely made a scratch on any of these. Perhaps, it’s been the absorbing scenery on most of the journeys, combined with the generally slow WiFi/poor reception in remote areas.
My route back home to Epsom for a night was not as spectacular than the last three (although the northern Peak District was an exception for a small part of the journey) and Sunday’s are generally not a great day to travel on Britain’s railways. Perhaps I got lucky as the day ran smack bang on schedule and was generally, like the preceding days, smooth and effortless, if not a little unremarkable.
Well that is apart from overcrowding on the Trans-Pennine Express train from Liverpool to London and the highlights at Sheffield of the Sheffield Tap, an old waiting or dining room on the Platform with a wide range of real ales and selection of beers, and a glut of Class 37’s in Derby. I am genuinely surprised to see some many of the beasts still in service. I had no idea!
By the conclusion of the day, I had clocked up a total of 2,283 miles and a general impression that we have a reasonably impressive railway network in this country and one that can be effortless to move around on. Let’s hope this impression remains true over the final two days – both of which are going to cover a fair distance with the final day presenting the most logistically challenging – stay tuned!!
And the ditty at the beginning? Well a fabulous little program called….Chigley. Very cute. Really not sure how it is so ingrained in my memory but there we are and how apt it appears to be 🙂
