All posts under the category of rail travel. This also includes posts relating to the planning stages, as well as posts after.
UK rail trip – 2022 Day 8 – 10th April, 2022 Today, I actually had a firm destination in mind. I decided I would catch the train out to the Cornish city of Penzance. Before I made my way to Birmingham New Street, I went and looked for something to eat. Maccas to the rescue, as usual. On the way back to the station, I passed the statue of a bull. A statue...
UK rail trip – 2022 Day 7 – 9th April, 2022 Having finally adjusted to British time, I was up at around 08:00. I checked out, dropped my wristband into the restaurant below (which takes care of checkout in the less busy months), and crossed the street to the local Maccas. After picking up a couple of Bacon and Egg McMuffins, I made my way to Cardiff...
UK rail trip – 2022 Day 6 – 8th April, 2022 The Caledonian Sleeper arrived at London Euston just before 08:00. 11 hours by train from Inverness. There was a different locomotive on the front, compared to the two that pulled the train out of Inverness. This change takes place at Edinburgh. Class 92, number 92020 (Billy Stirling), at London Euston. I...
UK rail trip – 2022 Day 5 – 7th April, 2022 Having not yet adjusted to UK time, I awoke at around 06:30. So, I decided to get up and take a walk around town. It would be a few hours before anything opened, with the exception of the local Co-Op supermarket. As expected, it was quite cold outside. But, as always, the scenery made up for it! The harbour with...
UK rail trip – 2022 Day 4 – 6th April, 2022 After breakfast, my host and I caught the bus into Inverness city centre. Al needed to carry out a few errands, I needed to catch a train to Kyle of Lochalsh. On the way in, I saw a canal with some locks. I made a mental note to return here tomorrow. We parted ways at the next bus stop and I stayed on until the...
UK rail trip – 2022 Day 3 – 5th April, 2022 London King’s Cross (11:59) LNER 8:03 (8:03) Inverness (20:02) 1W16 934 km (934 km) I checked out of my hostel. As I had plenty of time, I decided to walk to London King’s Cross rather than take the Underground. Carrying suitcases up and down stairs isn’t fun. This way, it’s flat and I...
UK rail trip – 2022 Day 1 & 2 – 3rd & 4th April, 2022 Today was going to be a very long day. It would involve flying from Sydney to Melbourne, before flying from Melbourne to London (with a 90-minute stop in Darwin). Even though this is going to cover more than 24 hours, I’m going to cover the entire period in one post to make things simple(r)...
In July, 2004, it was my first real visit to the European continent, beyond a quick weekend to Paris the year before. I spent three weeks, doing a fair bit of trainspotting, from points north to points south. Those that have read my earlier post, A couple of days at Tehachapi Loop, know how much of an interest I have in railways. And then I stopped in Switzerland...