The LEYTR Jaunts

The 2011 LEYTR Railrover

2011-07-09T07:27:00.000-07:00

The 2011 LEYTR Railrover was serialised on the main LEYTR Blog on a day-by-day basis. The LEYTR Jaunts repository blog has amassed the seven days' worth of entries into one post and is detailed below.

Day 1 - Saturday 2 July 2011

Greetings from aboard Virgin Trains' 390006 Tate Liverpool, as we head south along the West Coast Main Line. The daily blog entries will consist of a number of photos taken during the day with some comments beneath each - this being the first of the 2011 LEYTR Railrover.

My first trip was from Peterborough to London King's Cross aboard First Capital Connect's 0546 departure. 1P61 was formed by two four-car Class 365s, with 365528 leading and 365511 trailing, though I sat in the latter - in the first class compartment. The Revenue Protection Officer's words when he clocked my All-lines Railrover was: "We don't see many of those!"

In London we boarded the exceedingly busy 1N20, Grand Central's first Sunderland service of the day at 0747. When I say it was busy, it left The Cross full and standing. The guard declassified first class so plenty of people entered. Complimentary refreshments were still offered upon production of our ticket and we had to go to the buffet. Neither m'colleague nor I had ever travelled with Grand Central before and it was a very pleasant experience. There does, however, appear to be ridiculous amounts of time for stations north of York. We waited on numerous occasions at Northallerton and Eaglescliffe. Outside Hartlepool we arrived so early an announcement was made to say we wouldn't be allowed in until our booked arrival time. Even then we had a further 7 minutes to dwell.

So any claim that Grand Central is feeling an adverse effect on its Sunderland-London journey time as a result of East Coast's new ECML timetable is a little off-the-mark as they could take out at least 10 mins between Sunderland and York. The only other niggle I had is that seat reservations were not put out as (and I quote): the train arrived late into King's Cross last night.

We had to purchase a single ticket on the Tyne & Wear Metro. We would be passing through three zones so the fare to Central Station, Newcastle, was £3. Sunderland is a very convenient place to interchange as the Metro uses Network Rail infrastructure. Our train was the 1159 and was formed of 4054 (leading) and 4082. A very enjoyable journey and, as with all journeys so far, bang on time. German efficiency even...

Not long before East Coast's 91126 arrived at Newcastle platform 2, working 1S10. It arrived a little ahead of its booked time (1238) and we left spot on at 1240. A nice scenic run up the northern end of the ECML, with lovely views of the North Sea and the viaduct immediately before Berwick. And before that the tightest curve on the line at Morpeth.

We arrived into Edinburgh 7 minutes early on platform 11 and luckily we didn't have far to go as our ScotRail service to Glasgow Queen Street (then Milngavie) left from 12 - and it was in. Some nice shots of 334018, before it left at 1437, working 2M29 via the new Bathgate-Airdrie link that was re-opened on 12 December last year. It's a pretty nondescript line though - the scenery is nice enough but nothing spectacular - a bit like the Strathclyde Passenger Transport livery First applies to its trains; they don't do the units justice.

In Glasgow it is only two blocks to the hive of activity that is the Buchanan Street Bus Station, so we headed there for a quarter of an hour for some photos. Park's of Hamilton was working a private hire to the Rhineland using a Plaxton Elite. The Citylink Gold colour scheme really is very impressive.

A wander to Glasgow Central and we jumped aboard the 1640 Virgin Trains service to London Euston. 1M17 was formed by 390006 Tate Liverpool and we currently have the entirety of Coach K to ourselves. Just this one journey would cost £207.50 (First Anytime Single, Glasgow-London).

We're staying in London overnight and heading out first thing to North Wales. I'm sure we'll both sleep well!

Day 2 - Sunday 3 July 2011

After an early morning in London - so early that we missed out all-inclusive breakfast at the LSE's Carr-Saunders Hall - we caught Virgin Trains' first departure of the day from Euston at 0810. We left from the same platform that we arrived from yesterday (13), though the Pendolino was different, 390041. It was a very enjoyable run along the increasingly familiar West Coast Main Line. An additional 15 minutes running time has been added to the journey on Sundays, in case engineering work forces it to operate via Northampton, so we flew through Rugby 15 minutes ahead of time. Our guard apologised for us being held south of Stafford and that "it would not have an adverse effect on our journey time". He seemed like a great guy (called Steven), with the voice a cross between 'Brother' Crow and Ray Winston.

We had a quick look around Virgin's refurbished Cheshire Lounge at Crewe station. Very nice it was too. It was a little odd having to show our tickets to a camera before being allowed access though.

Next it was to Platform 12 for a Virgin Voyager - 221113 Sir Walter Raleigh - where we caught the 1042 service bound for Holyhead, though we bailed out at Bangor. On board, the train was very full indeed when we left, even more so at Chester. It was a very pleasant journey along the North Wales coast. A chat with the Holyhead-based guard (who relieved a Scots chap at Chester) was interesting; she was telling us that she sees a fair amount of variation, with duties that take her to London.

Bangor was the location of our first (and penultimate) journey by bus during our trip. Service X32 forms part of the TrawsCambria network and operates between Holyhead-Aberystwyth, though our Sunday journey commenced at Bangor and was operated by Lloyds Coaches. They used LL09 WYN, an ADL Dart/Enviro200 B29F. It was the sort of journey that despite the light loadings, is difficult to keep to time on. We ran a few minutes late throughout and at one time clocked our bus doing its top speed of 57mph along the A487.

Arriving a few minutes late in Porthmadog, we meandered to the Ffestiniog Railway station. It was 1435 and our train wasn't due to depart until 1600. Much to our surprise, an additional departure at 1500 was now scheduled as today's timetable had been disrupted as the result of a lineside fire earlier. Our First Class All-line Rovers were valid in the First Class section at the rear of our train (we checked first), so we sat an enjoyed our wonderful 13.5-mile journey into Snowdonia. Our train was hauled by Iarll Meirionnydd/Fairlie's Patent.

The guard commented that he'd never seen First Class All-line Rovers before in his 10 years at the company yet today we were the second to present them to him.

Our connection at Blaenau Ffestiniog was to be 0:10, but thanks to our bespoke journey from Porthmadog we now had a much more comfortable 1:10. Arriva Trains Wales provided 150262 on their last departure of the day from there at 1730. Whether it is supposed to await the arrival of the Ffestiniog Railway's 1720 arrival or not, we did not know, but were glad we didn't have to find out.

The Ffestiniog Tunnel is one of the first things travellers on the Conwy Valley Line will notice as they leave Blaenau Ffestiniog. At 3522m/3853yds I believe it is the longest tunnel on a single-track line. The train was lightly loaded though at Llanwrst a number of people who had been re-enacting in a field somewhere boarded - their spears and chain mail appeared to weigh them down on this very humid summer's afternoon.

We arrived a couple of minutes early at Llandudno Junction, so we were, for the first time, able to catch a train that wasn't in our official itinerary: Arriva Trains Wales' 1827 train to Holyhead. We'd been booked on the 1924 as we weren't due in until 1829.

Our conductor Joe was very courteous and chatted for some time. He was a bastion of his profession, pointing out places of interest on route, from Snowdon to the barracks where Prince Harry is based. He also gave us some insider information regarding the first train of the day tomorrow. It's an early start so I shall retire to watch Top Gear.

Day 3 - Monday 4 July 2011

Today was the earliest start of the entire week as our first train departed Holyhead at 0532. Known within enthusiast circles as The WAG (Welsh Assembly Government-funded) Express, this is a once daily loco-hauled service between Holyhead and Cardiff Central, timed to appeal to commuters and shoppers bound for the Welsh capital. I conveniently timed return train from Cardiff also operates, worked by the same stock. It is operated by Arriva Trains Wales who refer to it as The Premier Service.

First Class travel requires a compulsory reservation, or so the timetable states. A total of 24 seats are located in First Class and at no point today did more than 13 travel at any one time, ourselves included. We reserved out seats but the depot at Holyhead had run out of reservations slips.

Another very friendly and approachable Arriva Trains Wales guard worked the service, being relieved at Chester. She even offered to photograph us both, spotting we were making the most of the journey. A number of regular passengers appear to travel, with one chap having his coffee poured for him before he took his seat. Service indeed.

Four mk2s were hauled by 57313, which we understand is allocated to Virgin Trains, though the entire set was in Arriva Trains Wales livery. It was a very civilised start to the day and the complimentary three-course breakfast was superb. It was another one of those absolutely faultless journeys.

There then followed a gap in First Class travel for precisely 5:30 as we headed west on one of Arriva's Sprinter services to Fishguard Harbour. The 1057 departure was formed of 150260. The female guard's announcements prior to departing were not what I considered "text book" but they ensured no one was on the wrong train. Sometimes this tack can prevent considerable inconvenience to both passengers and crews alike. Basically, two trains were on Platform 4A about six feet apart and she ensure quite successfully that no one boarded our train by mistake.

We only stopped twice in the 2:28 journey to Fishguard Harbour, with the '150' running at top speed (75mph) at almost every possible occasion. Almost an express service for such a unit.

We arrived early so had longer than the booked 5 minutes at Fishguard Harbour. There's no arrow of indecision noticeable at the station, nor is there any traditional railway-style station name. A load boarded, fresh from the Stenna Line ferry that was berthed opposite and at 1330 we began our return. The train was booked to Cheltenham but we alighted after half-an-hour or so at Whitland.

There appears to be very little to do here so we stayed on Platform 1 and a few minutes ahead of time ATW's 153303 arrived, bound for Swansea. It has come from Pembroke Dock. I didn't consider that it would be a '153'; indeed, I assumed it would be a busy run as in the relatively short distance it had travelled a total of 9 stations had been called at. The train, however, was dead quiet and after a crew change (and reversal at Carmarthen) we arrived early into Swansea.

Next was First Great Western to London Paddington. Our '153' was due to arrive 6 minutes before a London train left so I'd booked us on the one an hour later, but we managed to catch the 1528, formed of 43026 (leading) and 43165 (trailing). The last time I travelled in FGW's First Class was in 2005 and since then the ambiance has been improved no end with leather seating throughout. A problem with the heating in Coach G meant that few people wanted to sit in there so our coach (H) was very busy indeed.

Just outside Didcot Parkway we slowed very quickly indeed and moved onto the Down Main line to pass a failed HST. We believe it was the 1500 Newquay-Paddington. We were incredibly lucky not having to even stop as there are onto two lines along this section of route. The delay was just 13 minutes in total.

Time for our second (and final) bus ride of the jaunt: Stagecoach East London's Service 205 (Paddington Basin - Bow Church) between Piccadilly and Euston. We had 15102 (LX09 FYY), a Scania OmniCity - an integral bus that is rare within the Stagecoach Group (though purchased by East London Bus Group before Stagecoach re-purchased the operation at the end of last year).

I'm typing today's entry up in Virgin's First Class Lounge before we head to Aberdeen using the ScotRail's Caledonian Sleeper service. I'd hoped for a quick photo to upload but when we arrived at 1910 it had yet to pull onto Platform 15. Problems on the MML mean Euston is very busy, with passengers being permitted travel with London Midland and change at Tamworth.

I'll upload the Sleeper shots to the start of tomorrow's blog. There would otherwise be precious few photos of different trains as will become evident...

Day 4 - Tuesday 5 July 2011

Today was the most uneventful of our week-long jaunt as it is the day that we sat on the same train for thirteen hours and twenty two minutes. 1V60 is the headcode for CrossCountry's 0820 departure from Aberdeen bound for Penzance, where it is booked to arrive at 2142. But before that, there is the small matter of last night's sleeper service to comment on.

Platform 15 at London Euston was the place to be from 2030hrs when ScotRail's Caledonian Sleeper began boarding. The service runs six days a week (Sun-Fri) in both directions. A Class 90 hauls the sixteen-carriage train along the WCML to Edinburgh, where it splits into three separate trains, one for Fort William (the front four coaches), one for Aberdeen (the next six carriages) and one for Inverness (rear six carriages). We were headed for Aberdeen so headed to the carriage in which our booked berths were. Although it was Coach B, this was found slap bang in the centre of the train.

The set is stabled during the day at the Wembley depot and as it was humid yesterday the interior temperature was pretty impressive, more so in the berths than the vestibules and corridors. Our host (one per two carriages I believe) assured us that by Watford Junction we'd feel the air conditioning properly. This never happened. Otherwise, it was an excellent journey, as ever. The Aberdeen route is the final sleeper service I needed to 'bag', too.

To say our motive power, 90036, was capable is an understatement. Within 10 minutes we recorded our speed to be 83mph. We spent between 2300-midnight in the lounge car sharing a bottle of wine.

Breakfast was served at 0640 - nothing to write home about, but there were three different types from which to choose - and we arrived in Aberdeen fifteen minutes early at 0720.

Time for a look around the station and to make use of ScotRail's First Class Lounge before boarding the train that was to undertake the 772.21 mile journey to Penzance, calling at a total of 45 places. All destinations were listed on the departure screen at Aberdeen and it took three pages. It is the longest train journey in the UK and can only be undertaken in this direction, since its northbound equivalent commences at Plymouth.

220024 was to be our home for the next thirteen-and-a-bit hours. Despite our seat reservation request saying otherwise, our reserved seats faced backwards so we sought unreserved seats. At 0820 we departed. At no point until our Cornish arrival did we operate in excess of 4 minutes late. It was a journey that even in the bus industry would have been categorised as 100% punctual.

It was, however, a little boring, though less so than our Top 'n' Tail trip during 2009 when we travelled from Edinburgh to Penzance on the erstwhile National Express 336. Back then it formed part of our John o'Groats to Land's End jaunt. This time, however, we were in First Class and being waited on (well, between Edinburgh and Plymouth, anyway). Some said that being on a Voyager was punishment enough, and while I concede that a HST would have been more preferable, the journey wasn't uncomfortable at all.

There were a total of five drivers (they changed at Edinburgh, York, Birmingham & Exeter), six train managers (they changed at Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham, & Exeter), two retail managers (Edinburgh-Birmingham and Birmingham-Plymouth) and three first class hosts (Edinburgh-Newcastle, Newcastle-Birmingham and Birmingham-Plymouth).

Other than us, the only others who travelled anything like the distance we did in First Class did so between Dundee-Bristol Parkway.

We arrived in Penzance bang on time and witnessed the Cornish Riviera sleeper service leave, headed for London.

A tiring day but nonetheless satisfying.

Day 5 - Wednesday 6 July 2011

Morning broke at 0844 when our First Great Western service to London Paddington left Penzance. At the helm was 43139 that was named after Driver Stan Martin who was tragically killed when his train collided with a car on a level crossing on 6 November 2004. At the rear was 43070 The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Travelling in/out of Cornwall by train is something I've done only once before. It is a wonderful experience. While the speed isn't what you'd expect from a HST, the views and ridiculously high viaducts are no less impressive second time round. Although travel yesterday aboard the Voyager was pleasant, it was very noticeably how more enjoyable it was in a leather-seated mk3 carriage.

A mini crisis took hold at Exeter when the hot water boiler failed. We were held at Exeter for 5 minutes while an engineer looked at it but to no avail. This journey heralded my favourite guard announcement of the journey so far: "If you're leaving the train here please ensure you're alighting onto a platform."

Despite the slight delay at Exeter we made good time travelling non-stop to Reading, arriving only one minute late. We didn't have long at Reading so headed to Platform 4A where our next service was loading.

First Great Western operate from here to Gatwick Airport every hour and we were aboard its 1334 departure, formed by 166209. The journey was, quite frankly, rather boring when compared to what we've been used to. But it was very punctual and we arrived at Gatwick Airport on time. I had a mini crisis of my own here when I realised some time after we alighted that I'd left a bag on board. I was so lucky for a number of reasons, not least that the service travelled to some sidings for 10 minutes before forming the 1503 return journey from the same platform, so I was able to acquire said bag from the driver trainer at the front.

The reason for the run to Gatwick Airport was to try and bag a Class 460 Juniper on the Gatwick Express to London Victoria. It, however, was not to be as the one I scheduled us to travel on was a pair of 'plastic pigs', Wessex Electric Class 442s (442421+442410). I rather enjoyed them and had never travelled on one before, though m'colleague assured me they'd been extensively refurbished. He also commented that a '442' holds the fastest speed of a third-rail train, at 109mph.

A very efficient and speedy trip into London and half-an-hour later we were at Victoria. We jumped on the Tube to get to Euston as we were booked on the 1630 Virign Trains 'crack express' to Glasgow Central in their record-breaking journey time of 4:08. This necessitated my first trip on the 2009 Stock, now the sole occupier of the Victoria Line, relieving the remaining 1967 Stock last month. I didn't catch the fleet number!!

Our super-fast Virgin Trains departure at 1630 was formed by 390052 Virgin Knight that carries the name of Alison Walters on the train fronts. We took our seats and at precisely 1630 (and I do mean precisely!) we glided out of Platform 13. Progress was as per the running schedule until an emergency brake application between Hanslope Junction and Weedon. Although it was an emergency brake application, no one came out of their seat and no luggage fell from anywhere in our carriage. Sadly, there we sat for a very long time.

The 1630 Euston-Piccadilly struck what we now understand to be the overhead power equipment which caused it to blow its circuit breakers but this was later changed to the train brought the overhead wires down. We were the second in line as the 1623 Euston-Wolverhampton was between us both. We were the lucky ones as we didn't lose power and after a considerable length of time undertook a wrong direction move back along the Down Main to Hanslope Junction, where we headed via the diversionary route through Northampton. Once we rejoined the WCML at Hillmorton Junction, it was 1908, not the booked passing time of 1716. We ran just under 2 hours late through to Preston, with an unscheduled stop at Warrington Bank Quay so the London-based driver could return to London.

Sadly, a decision was made to terminate our train at Preston and the relief train crew were no longer available. Clearly a decision had been made to schedule this crew to relieve a train that was not as severely delayed as us and, in the cold harsh light of day, it was the right call.

We pulled into Preston a rather impressive 2 hours and 2 minutes late at 2032.

As luck would have it the 1757 Euston-Glasgow pulled onto Platform 3 at 2039 and departed at 2047, with a scheduled arrival time in Glasgow at 2257, precisely 2 hours 19 minutes after our booked arrival. It is 390005 City of Wolverhampton. I'm typing this blog entry up while on this final train - we've just passed the Shap summit (916 feet about sea level, after a 1:75 approach gradient from Tebay).

Thanks to Twitter, Virgin Trains contacted me to say the overhead line problem is suspected vandalism. We understand the 1623 bound for Wolverhampton had to be rescued by a Class 57 and ran almost 200 minutes late. Everything considered, Virgin handled the situation impeccably. Announcements, while taking 5 or 6 minutes to come initially, became regular and contained the 'human' touch - the weren't sterile and emotionless. Forms were handed out for passengers to complete which would be passed to customer relations for their consideration on some form of remuneration. Certainly in my carriage there were no complaints, even when the guard very bravely announced our delay was likely to be around two hours.

There are no complaints from us about the way the incident was handled, though obviously our severely delayed arrival was a clear inconvenience. It is, hand on heart, the only delay in excess of five minutes we've had for the entire jaunt so far.

We get a lie in tomorrow, before heading south and plan to bravely deviate from our itinerary.

Day 6 - Thursday 7 July 2011

Following last night's significant delays, we were made aware that what is believed to have happened is that vandals threw one or more objects from a bridge onto the catenary on the West Coast Main Line, with one missile damaging the overhead equipment to the point that part of the mechanism was displaced and hit by the 1620 Euston-Manchester - the train, ironically, managed to continue in service around one hour later. The 1623 Euston-Wolverhampton was less fortunate and lost power and was rescued by a Class 57. We were very fortunate the signaller sent the stop command to our driver before we entered the damaged section.

We still got a good 8 hours sleep in, though, as our first train wasn't until 1000 - a Virgin Voyager to Carlisle. Before that, however, we had a ride on Glasgow's subway section, dubbed the Clockwork Orange. Last time I visited Glasgow, I undertook a circuit on the inner circle; this time we chose the outer circle, joining at Buchanan Street and doing a loop plus one stop, alighting at St Enoch. Our unit was 126 working diagram 5. The loop took approximately 27 mins, after which we headed to Glasgow Central.

Actually, we cut it very fine indeed, arriving just 5 minutes before 221104 Sir John Franklin departed, bound for Birmingham New Street. As with our last trip aboard one of Virgin's Voyager sets (Sunday, Crewe-Bangor), this was formed of five cars with one being First Class. We made good progress through the edge of the Lake District to Carlisle, arriving on time, and after a very tasty bacon panini.

At Carlisle we had enough time to catch up on all the News of the World gossip from the free papers before our next train arrived: 153359+158855, working the 1155 Northern service to Leeds via the iconic Settle-Carlisle line. I'd not travelled on this section of route since childhood so was eager to include it in this week's itinerary. We departed on time and the train was filled with people with ruck sacks and walking boots and we made steady progress. The weather - having been glorious every single day without exception - looked ominous, with very large, black clouds in our direction.

At 1300 precisely we passed the line summit at Aisgill (356m/1168ft) and soon after through Dent station (the highest mainline station in the UK, at 1150ft above sea level), before crossing the world famous Ribblehead Viaduct - our guard even announced our crossing. Line speed here is 30mph maximum, lending itself to passengers' enjoyment of the view. Many people lost their lives building the line, not least the construction of these enormous viaducts. While I don't consider the 'drop' to be as great at viaducts that litter Brunel's line into Cornwall, the crossing was no less impressive than I remembered. As a child, my first crossing was aboard a loco-hauled train, comprising a very long rake of mk2 coaches, which I vividly remember stopping twice at Settle - once to accommodate the first few coaches and then moved further up for the second half.

Our initial plan was to get off at Ribblhead and photograph the viaduct before returning north on the next available service to Carlisle and then Virgin to London, but we had planned to try and bag a Class 180 working with Grand Central. This we managed by remaining on our Northern service to Leeds (and not alighting at Ribblehead as intended - a good call as it was utter cloud burst as we called there) and catching another Northern service from Leeds to Bradford Interchange at 1453, formed by 158757, bound for Blackpool.

Once at Bradford Interchange we crossed platforms where our Grand Central Class 180 (the company no longer refer to these trains as Adelantes or as we believed they preferred, Zephyrs) was stood. 180104 was our train, looking resplendent in its black livery. Other than the driver, only two crew worked the service, and having only ever caught a '180' once before, while in service with First Great Western a number of years ago, was very impressed with the interior of the train. First Class tables don't have the integral board games, unlike the HST, but everything else is appears fresher and more modern. Leather antimecassars look very swish, too.

We took an absolute eternity to join the ECML, just north of Doncaster. Similar to the Sunderland service, the speed along the non-ECML sections of route is mind-numbingly slow. We waited outside Wakefield Kirkgate for a platform to become available for over 5 minutes yet still had time to kill there before our scheduled departure. That said, it is the direct link the company offer that is a very strong selling point.

Once on the ECML we called at Doncaster and then direct to King's Cross. We ran up to 10 minutes late as we didn't appear to have a very efficient slot. An East Coast '91' overtook us after Doncaster and then we constantly slowed down with this express now holding us up. A Class 91 was noted on Platform 3 at Newark Northgate - diagrammed to be a HST and prior to a very bum decision at the end of last year, would have been headed to Lincoln Central.

We made use of East Coast's First Class Lounge in King's Cross - we planned on using it on Saturday morning but it didn't open until after our first train had departed - before walking to Euston and catching our second sleeper service of the week, this time to Inverness.

Tomorrow is a milestone for two reasons: it is the final day of the 2011 LEYTR Railrover and it also marks this blog's 1,000th post. We're both going to the lounge car to celebrate. Goodnight.

Day 7 - Friday 8 July 2011

I awoke just after 0400 when the Class 90 that had hauled us our of Euston and along the WCML last night, was coupled much nearer to the front of our coach than it had been. When braking it was as if gear changes echoed throughout the sleeper. Not pleasant at all. The Inverness portion of the train - 8 coaches today - is the last to be coupled to a Class 67 on Platform 19 at Edinburgh Waverley. We were supposed to depart at 0424 but did so at 0448, with 67030 replacing 90036 at the front.

The '67' was much smoother and I soon fell back to sleep and awoke when the host brought the complimentary breakfast, featuring what must be the world's smallest bread roll. All free and welcome though. Except for the UHT milk in a stick!

Realising that the London-bound East Coast HST was due to pass us at any moment, I rushed around to try and capture it doing so. We had stopped at a passing loop and it was the train we were awaiting. Not on my phone but on my main camera, I captured a cracking video of it passing that I'll upload in due course. Elation turned to anxiety when we saw how late we were. An expected arrival time of 0848 was showing on the National Rail website and we were booked aboard the Citylink coach from Inverness to Fort William at 0845. I always knew this would be particularly tight. A simple calculation for the time the HST had taken from Inverness, where I knew it had departed at 0755, to our location revealed that we would arrive at 0839 - tantalisingly do-able yet at the same time worryingly tight.

Our DB Schenker loco driver gave it the beans and we clocked him attaining 83mph at one point. All very welcome, and we arrived, as I'd roughly calculated, into Inverness at precisely 0839. Without hanging about we made our way to the bus station and saw the coach at the stance. It was in Stagecoach livery, 53209 (SV54 EKP), a Volvo B7R/Plaxton Profile, working the 919 to Fort William. The English driver was very accommodating and told us there was no need to rush as he would be delayed leaving as he was awaiting a mechanic from the depot to sort out his wingmirror, which didn't look in a good way.

Can you believe it took 30 minutes for this to be repaired, so we departed at 0915 and the driver drove so hard and fast to make up time that the engine overheated. He stopped at a garage in Invergarry to add cool water to his boiling engine, but the alarm still sounded for the next hour to Fort William. We were both glad to get off for a number of reasons.

In Fort William we had time to photograph the portion of the sleeper train that we were attached to leaving Euston the night before and West Coast Railways' Class 37 before our train to Glasgow arrived from Mallaig at 1140: two ScotRail Class 156s that were heavily reserved: 156485+156465. A load of people boarded and after the ensuing melee, we found a pair of unreserved seats for the lengthy journey to Scotland's largest city. I'd only done this route once before in 2005 on the sleeper service heading north and slept through most of it. It is a very spectacular line, slightly less so than the stretch north of Fort William to Mallaig (which I bagged in 2009), but still very much worth the ride.

Some of the gradients on this section of line are incredibly steep and perhaps more noticeable with our reduced speed. We arrived on time into Glasgow Queen Street at 1530.

Just two platforms away from where we arrived was our next train, the 1545 ScotRail service to Edinburgh via Falkirk. We'd done the reverse journey on Saturday via the recently re-opened Bathgate line so planned the slightly faster and more direct on this occasion. The small First Class section was very quiet, despite the numbers choosing to travel on this train in Standard, and off we went, aboard 170428 - our first Turbostar of the jaunt.

We seemed to run at decent speed throughout and weren't held anywhere but we arrived into Edinburgh Wavereley a few minutes late. Our plan now was to catch the 1700 East Coast service to King's Cross - our penultimate journey of the week. Being Friday evening the train was both busy and, understandably, heavily reserved, especially in Standard, but we managed to get seats in First.

A very enjoyable journey south along the ECML with 91102 propelling us. The loco does look rather tatty, with both GNER and National Express branding still visible under the East Coast names. It's Durham Cathedral name, which was given to it by GNER, was still visible on the loco. Inside, we were served the All Day Offer menu, with a change of crew at Newcastle. Unlike Virgin Trains, East Coast doesn't offer the Evening Meal menu to any journey other than those leaving London from 1700.

43257+43313 were my final trains of the jaunt, working the 2200 East Coast service to Newcastle, though I would be alighting at Peterborough at 2245, where my lift to take me into railway-less rural Lincolnshire would be waiting. We departed on time and despite East Coast having a ruling about passengers in First Class travelling for less than 70 minutes being only offered drinks and biscuits for free, was both offered and took up a main course in the Evening Meal menu. Plus another G&T for good measure. A very civilised end to a jaunt that has seen a personal mileage of over 5,800 in 7 days.

43257 awaits its 'right away' from Peterborough a little later than its advertised 2246 departure

Another Easter Wayfarer

2011-05-01T02:57:00.000-07:00

Once again, a friend and I decided to head into Derbyshire this Easter Monday, making use of the normal daytime Monday service being operated by the trains and the special Sunday timetables being operated by the buses. Owing to the problem last year, where we missed a planned connection and ran so late (when TM Travel provided a 23-seat Optare Solo on what must surely have been recognised as a very busy Peak District-bound journey from Sheffield) that we missed Plan B, C and D's connections. This year I was determined to stay away from similar 'honeypot' bus journeys.

158777 arrives at Grantham

The day commenced in Grantham where our 0845 East Midlands Trains Class 158 arrived from Boston. Normally, this would have been the first departure of the day from Skegness, but with engineering work taking place between there and Boston, replacement buses deputised. The train was very lightly loaded indeed. 158777 worked the service and we arrived punctually in Nottingham at 0920, quite by chance being aboard the second-shortest journey between these two points of the day (35 minutes - only the 2005 beats this, taking 32 mins).

Similar to last year, we both purchased a Derbyshire Wayfarer ticket, offering unlimited travel on the entire county's bus and train network, plus extensions to/from neighbouring towns and cities. A special version of this rover ticket is available from Beeston and Nottingham, which comes at an increased price: £14.80, compared with £8.90 for the main version. Had I planned ahead, I considered pre-purchasing a scratch-off version of the Derbyshire Wayfarer and then simply buying a cheap return ticket for the journey from Nottingham to the first station in Derbyshire through which my train passed, but Langley Mill (the station in question for today's itinerary) only offers an Anytime Return fare of £6, which, when added to the standard Derbyshire Wayfarer fare of £8.90, is 10p more than the Nottingham/Beeston supplement.

Talking of the itinerary, it had been planned as follows:

Nottingham - Sheffield (Northern Rail)
Sheffield - Edale (Northern Rail)
Edale - Castleton (Hulleys Service 260)
Castleton - Hathersage (First Service 272)
Hathersage - New Mills Central (Northern Rail)
New Mills - Buxton (Bowers Service 61)
Buxton - Chesterfield (TM Travel Service 66)
Chesterfield - Nottingham (East Midlands Trains)

And to be fair, everything went to plan.

We boarded the Northern Class 158 that was awaiting departure on Platform 1 at 1015 and headed north-west into Derbyshire. From memory, the ability to travel regularly aboard a direct service between Nottingham and Leeds is relatively new, with this Northern service only starting around 2 years ago. How many actually wanted Leeds is not known to me but as with the first train in from Grantham, the patronage was very sparse!

158907 awaits departure at Nottingham, bound for Leeds

We called additionally at Langley Mill, Alfreton, Chesterfield and Dronfield before arriving at Sheffield, as advertised, at 1115.

We had 59 minutes to kill before our next train at 1214 to Edale, so headed into the city centre to see what was open. Replacement tram services were being operated by Stagecoach in Sheffield (the addition of the word 'in' on its bus fleet has recently been made to the fleet name) and Supertram maintenance cars blocked the tram tracks where work was clearly being made near the Ponds Forge/Fitzalan Square stop. Back to Sheffield for our next train and Pacer 142031 arrived with a Manchester crew and we departed from Platform 8 on time.

Our first Pacer of the day was 142031, seen here at Edale

I always enjoy passing through the Totley Tunnel - the second longest mainline tunnel in the UK (recently knocked off its perch by the Stratford-St. Pancras tunnel, through which HS1 passes). But the real joy for me is the change of scenery. You leave the industrial scenery of Sheffield and emerge a few minutes later in the heart of the Peak District National Park. Our train was a stopping service to Manchester, taking up to double the travelling time of the non-stop services provided by TransPennine Express and East Midlands Trains. We alighted at Edale, which is the station most off-the-beaten-track.

When Stagecoach in Chesterfield reduced the number of contracts it operated in the Peak District, one of the main beneficiaries was Hulleys, with Service 260 being one example

On a normal Monday, you'd probably don your walking boots and go discovering mountains, but with today being a bank holiday, Sunday timetables were in operation on the county's buses and a special Sunday-only service, operated by Hulleys of Baslow, runs between Edale and Castleton. Service 260 has been running for decades and offers a very picturesque view as the bus climbs out of the valley, passing through a gap in the mountains at Mam Tor - the mountain that closed the A625 Sheffield-Manchester road in 1979, following persistent land slides forcing authorities to cut their losses and abandon the route.

The only route into Castleton from the west is the minor road known as the Winnats Pass. Buses, coaches and any vehicle in excess of 7.5 tonnes are prohibited from this meandering route, however Service 260 has permission. The following video is of the Hulleys driver navigating his vehicle down the pass, towards Castleton.

A niggle about the deployment of an Optare Solo on this run is that there is no back window through which to gaze, and as we ascended out of the valley in which Edale sits, the view is spectacular but not visible. The route makes two diversions along its length - the first to the Blue John Cavern and the second to Speedwell Cavern. Only we boarded the vehicle at Edale Station on its 1310 departure and two more joined at Blue John Cavern, though they alighted at Speedwell Cavern. The return journey from Castleton at 1340 was better patronised, though I don't think many people paid, judging by the average age.

Winnats Pass from the bottom looking up from the inside of Hulleys' Optare Solo

I had considered making an immediate return trip aboard the 260, but my friend had never been along Bridge Street in Bradwell, so we waited for First South Yorkshire's Sheffield-bound Service 272, which both arrived and departed punctually. Alternate journeys leave the main A625 to the east of Hope at the tiny hamlet of Brough and head south to Bradwell, where a loop of the village centre is made - one section being along Bridge Street, and is about as narrow as it gets for a double-decker bus in the UK, as the video below shows:

Additionally, the driver then has to make an immediate left turn which is almost as tight as Bridge Street itself. Stagecoach East Midland used to operate Alexander PS-bodied Volvo B10Ms on this route a number of years ago, when they operated the evening service, and with the rear overhang those vehicles have, an Alexander ALX400-bodied Volvo B7TL would be child's play! Still, there's not much room for error.

We travelled back to Brough and then east along the A625 through Bamford to Hathersage, where we bailed out and headed back to the village train station. Having passed through Hathersage by both bus and train on countless occasions, I've never alighted nor boarded any mode of transport here.

Seen at Hathersage is First South Yorkshire's 52-reg Volvo B7TL/Alexander ALX400. It had done in excess of 400,000 miles

The station is to the south of the village and is a very pleasant walk. Curiously, we passed near to what must be unique in the UK - a museum devoted to cutlery.

Our train was the 1432 Northern service to Manchester Piccadilly, though we'd be alighting at New Mills Central, the last stop in Derbyshire (and the last stop where our Derbyshire Wayfarer would be valid). We retraced our steps up to Edale and then continued west through Chinley to New Mills.

The station name New Mills Central conjours up the image of a bustling station in the centre of a busy urban location. Indeed, the fact 'Central' is needed at all implies other stations can be found in this heaving metropolis. Sadly, the small town of New Mills is nothing of the sort, although it does boast a second station and a total of three railway lines! New Mills Newtown is found on the southern side of the Goyt Valley, which the town straddles, and offers trains to either Manchester or Buxton. Pre-Beeching, it was the Midland Main Line linking London with Manchester via Monsal Dale and Bakewell.

Our second Pacer of the day was 142047, seen here at New Mills Central

New Mills on a bank holiday is about as sleepy as it gets. That said, I very much enjoy travelling through here. Subliminally, many a Derbyshire Wayfarer itinerary has seen me pass through. Although not a million miles from Holmfirth, the town has a very strong Last of the Summer Wine feel to it and epitomises a northern town that was deeply immersed in the Industrial Revolution, with cotton being produced here until as late as just a decade ago.

We had just over 20 minutes here before we were to depart, heading south aboard our second Optare Solo of the day, operated by Chapel-en-le-Frith-based Bowers. It was working Service 61 (Glossop-New Mills-Buxton), that offers an alternate route into its southern terminus via the much-less populated Fernilee, rather than the congested A6 trunk road. The views are excellent as the A5004 weaves around the mountain edges that board the Goyt Valley, before dropping down into Buxton.

375 (YJ54 UBH) was the Optare Solo provided for Bowers on our Service 61 journey and is seen here in Buxton Market Place preparing to leave for the journey north to Glossop

The last time we visited Buxton we headed to the water fountain in the town centre, opposite the famous Baths, to fill up a small 500ml water bottle with some infamous Buxton water. Then, we had to interrupt a lady that was filling enough bottles to keep your local branch of Tesco in business for a year. This time a chap was stood there filling up a water cooler bottle (about 18 litres), though as with the lady last year, was more than willing to stop for people who weren't taking the mick!

Buxton was actually very busy indeed, despite most of the shops closing at this time. We managed to make some strategic purchases in Waitrose before catching what was to be our last bus of the day back to Chesterfield - TM Travel Service 66, worked by 1156 (LA02 WMZ), an Optare M920/Optare Solo, new to Nostalgiabus of Mitcham in 2002. A total of five of us were on board as we headed along the A6 before turning off to pass through the very dramatic Millers Dale (only made so because of the double viaduct - over which the Blue Pullman once passed - and through Litton, Tideswell, Eyam and Stoney Middleton to what was our first bottleneck of the day - Baslow. It was only volume of traffic and nothing more serious, and once east of here, we headed unhindered into Chesterfield, arriving as advertised at 1738.

Chesterfield New Beetwell Street is the location for this shot - our last bus of the day

We made our way to the train station just in time to witness a raucous bunch of youths board a Sheffield-bound train (there'd been a football match) but witnessed some congestion for southbound services with our second bottlneck of the day unfolding before our very eyes. A Plymouth-bound CrossCountry Voyager occupied the new Platform 3 and a London-bound East Midlands Trains Merdian was on Platform 2. The XC service hadn't moved in over an hour. It transpired a failed freight train was causing the problem and a number of northbound services had been cancelled as a result.

Everything wanting to travel in the Up direction was held at a red signal. This EMT service destined for London St. Pancras was but one!

Services didn't resume until about 1845, when the XC service left, though altered its destination to Birmingham, and those wanting to travel beyond had to disembark. A later XC service would operate to Plymouth and take those displaced passengers. A very flustered but unintentionally jovial female platform dispatcher earned her money during the melee, it had to be said. After the EMT service had gone, there was a steady stream of trains arriving: a second XC for Plymouth, a second EMT for London and one for Norwich, which we were going to board, but it was packed, so opted for a Northern service that would terminate at Nottingham and were right to do so as not only did it depart on time (1901), it was practically empty.

158906 arrives in a procession of trains. It's only travelling three stops, following a service that was already doing that, so we were right to await this Northern service as there was ample room

As we headed out of Derbyshire and into the neighbouring county, I looked at connection times for trains to Grantham and considered a quick trip on the Nottingham Express Transit (NET). Boasting one of the country's most modern tram networks, my travelling companion had never set foot on one of their Derby-built Bombardier units before. Our arrival in Nottingham was at 1938 and our EMT to Grantham would depart at 2051. Would there be time?

I'd not got a NET timetable with me and the Internet connection on my phone was not reliable enough to start downloading pdfs, so there would be nothing for it but a walk to the Station Street terminus (soon-to-be through station when Phase 2 opens). As luck should have it a tram arrived just as we did and I was comforted to see it was travelling to Phoenix Park - the shortest distance terminus on offer. Perhaps a return trip would be possible?

Timetable information for the NET has always been formidable. I have (I believe) every single version of the NET network timetable ever produced, with the current edition not having been updated since I last visited. Real attention to detail has always been made when designing the to-scale map, produced in such detail that it opens out to about five times the width of the timetable itself. Similar to the Supertram timetable produced by SYPTE in Sheffield, the main body of the timetable reads like that for a bus and I could soon spot (by picking up a timetable from inside the tram) that a trip to Phoenix Park and back would take just under 1 hour.

The Phoenix Park terminus is very convenient for people using the M1 Motorway and has a very large, free car park for tram users

There are a plethora of ticket options for travellers in Nottingham to make use of and the NET timetable (actually more of a tram guide) details them all. We needed to purchase a Day Ticket, costing oh-so-annoyingly a shade less than the cost of two singles, at £3. For an extra 20p users could avail themselves of the city's council-owned bus services, too. Exceptional value.

Easter Monday evening in Nottingham was pretty quiet and the tram didn't get very busy at all. This is just as well as the interior design of these trams is quite possibly the worst in the UK. I've ridden all the networks and my favourite is the Midland Metro, followed closely by Supertram. Sadly the NET design is cramped with very few 2+2. Even the 1+2 are uncomfortable as the floor raises to the outer shell of the saloon at a 45-degree angle, meaning one leg sits a lot higher than the other. They do look very sleek and cosmopolitan from the outside, though - not dissimilar in appearance to those running around Nice. Our tram was 208, named Dinah Minton.

Seen in fading daylight at the Station Street terminus is tram 208. The tram fleet numbering continues from the numbers given to the city's first generation trams

Having ensured my friend had managed to 'tick another transport-related box', we were back at Station Street and went down the stairs to the main station below. Engineering work on the Skegness Branch (as detailed in recent LEYTR Magazines) meant that trains were terminating at Boston. Our 2051 East Midlands Trains service was Skegness-bound (others to Grantham continue to Norwich) and we had a very pleasant ride to Margaret Thatcher's place of birth in an almost-desserted Class 158, which called at a few more stops than the one this morning, and we arrived into Grantham's bay platform (3) punctually at 2132.

Nottingham's bay Platform 2 is often where Skegness-bound departures leave from. Owing to a Network Rail possession east of Boston, this is where 158773 would termiate this evening. The East Midlands Trains livery - irrespective of the train type it was applied to - was in outstanding condition today.

Another excellent day's travelling both to/from Derbyshire and within it. Derbyshire continues to lead the UK in their public transport provision, from the production of high-quality and detailed publications, to bus stop timetable information and subsidised services on Sundays and public holidays. Their management of the Derbyshire Wayfarer should not go without praise, too. Excluding the PTEs, there aren't many counties that offer a ticket that is valid on any bus or train. True integration and competatively priced. And of course this is nothing new, for the Derbyshire Wayfarer has been available since the end of 1984.

Derbyshire Wayfarer information

Gibraltar 2: "Probably nice in the summer"

2011-03-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

It was that time again when myself (one of the LEYTR Editors) and two Associates (one who whom is currently a non-believer!) took a long weekend in one of the UK's colonies - one to which we did venture precisely last year. Read that account here.

We covered many aspects of Gibraltar last year, though their novelty value had not been lost at all, since for two of us it was only our second visit here and the other's first. Last year, I would have been tempted to write that Gibraltar is a little bit of Britain by the Mediterranean. Following our second visit and exploring areas we'd not touched last year, it became clear that this isn't necessarily the case. True Gibraltarians have a natural allegiance to Her Majesty and permit the UK Government to oversee their foreign affairs and because of the history and the political and physical obstructions Spain made by closing its border, the manner in which modern-day Gibraltar has developed has striking similarities to the UK, but their culture and way of life is simply not like that of any British town or city.

Their police force - the oldest in Europe outside London - dress in a uniform that the casual observer would say is identical to that in the UK; the Royal Mail's familiar red pillar boxes are littered throughout; their currency maybe named the Gibraltan Pound but its worth is identical to that of the UK and they accept Sterling on a like-for-like basis; and all the major shops found in the UK are in evidence in Gibraltar. Other smaller similarities include the vehicle registration plate font, the pedestrian crossing 'push' button consoles, road signs and the TV channels offered.

One striking difference is that the colony has its own nationalised bus company, providing an extensive and inexpensive service. Not many of those left in Great Britain!

The Gibraltar Bus Company

This year, with our Saturday easyJet departure being at 0910 it was virtually impossible to travel to Gatwick North by public transport for the time the gate supposedly closed at 0840, so - and with there being a threesome comprising this year's Big Boys' Beano - we made the journey by car. The cost, when split three ways and including parking at the airport, was worryingly cheap when compared to the cost of an advance-purchase ticket by train: £18 compared to just over £40 each by train.

I have a theory about gate closure times that demonstrates why the low-cost airlines in particular receive such bad publicity when someone turns up just 1 minute late and yet they are not permitted access to their flight. Clearly 'rules is rules', but in the countless times I've flown with easyJet, there has never, ever been a case when the gate has physically closed when it is stated to do so, let alone people actually be boarded by then. Human nature being what it is, frequent flyers will know this all too well and so will choose to chance it on many occasions - perhaps with success - but when they come a cropper and that one-in-100 departure actaully conforms, there is a film crew present and Tony Robinson will later narrate the plight of the hard-done-to customer.

I'm not suggesting easyJet change their policy. Delays due to the intensity with which the company schedule their planes is a likely contributor to these incidents and while offering more slack in turnaround times would perhaps remedy a number problems, the company will no doubt say that more planes would then be needed to meet their schedules, the cost of which would be passed onto the customer.

Back to the jaunt and it was at 0500 that we left the LEYTR area and headed south along the A1, A14, M11 and the London Orbital M25. We crossed over the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at Dartford just after the free toll ended(!) and continued clockwise along the M25 until the M23 junction, then south for a junction to the Airport. We were booked in at NCP's Flightpath long-stay car park within the Airport perimeter, for the sum of £30.30 inclusive for three days. Directions here from the M23 Junction 9 were straightforward and we found ample parking, though the automatic number plate recognition did not work and so I would have to visit their customer services office before departing.

The Flightpath's website claims that their complimentary coach transfers operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and that there will be a bus every 10 minutes with a journey time of 3 minutes to the main North Terminal building. We knew there was no chance a coach would be deployed and the journey time was 100% greater than that advertised, but it was free and our Mercedes-Benz O530/Mercedes-Benz Citaro arrived within seconds of us walking to one of the nearby bus stops.

BP08 WND stands here at the North Terminal at 0755 after travelling the mile or so from the Flightpath car park. It offered a smooth ride and was equipped with the usual luggage racks for the suitcases its passengers are likely to be bringing.

New to the Airport Parking Company of Amercia (APCOA) of Uxbridge, the vehicle carried legal lettering for Tellings Golden Miller, who presumably operate Service 74 linking the Flightpath car park with the terminal. It's worth pointing out that APCOA make no obvious reference to their American roots on their UK website, nor do they make reference to what their name actually stands for. Nothing sinister here, it is because the company is also Europe's longest-established parking service provider, whose European base is in Stuttgart, Germany.

Our journey was swift (even 6 minutes is very reasonable!) and we headed straight into the North Terminal and then to security as we had no baggage to check-in and we'd used easyJet's website to check-in many weeks beforehand. Unlike many you see passing through airport security, I fully understand the need for the laborious and tedious process of scanning all items to be taken on board. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. The majority of those on board the London Underground trains during the suicide bomb attacks of 7 July 2005 survived and a number of board the Stagecoach Service 30 bus also walked away; no such comfort is afforded those aboard an aircraft at 38,000 feet!

We boarded our Airbus 319 at gate 57J and although the plane was visible when we got to the gate at 0830, we weren't allowed to board until 0900, though the captain later told us there was an error with one of his sensors and that he believed it to be a computer glitch rather than anything more serious, but an engineer was currently giving it the once over and we would hopefully be on our way very soon.

As it was we departed 30 minutes late at 0940. Taxiing to the main runway took almost 10 minutes. For the first time in many years, I didn't film the take-off. I was situated in an aisle seat and for those a little nervous of flying, I felt this position offered as comfortable ride as possible, with no distractions such as an awkwardly-positioned horizon that can usually be seen from the window when banking at low level.

And then we were all bored to tears for the next two-and-a-half hours (in fact a little longer as we didn't arrive at the airport terminal in Gibraltar until 1332 local time). The descent into Gibraltar was identical to that of last year: we travelled west along the Mediterranean coast until the Rock came into view and then circled it in a clockwise direction before coming in from the west. Quite a strong south-easterly was in evidence and it was a little bumpy on the final approach, but nothing to give nightmares. Once again, the surreal spectacle of passing cars waiting to cross our path was seen as the plane crossed Winston Churchill Avenue before taxiing to the terminal.

Our Cobus 3000 transported us all of 200 feet into the terminal building. Our captain even hitched a lift 'up front' with the driver, though he alighted after just 50 feet. Apparently he wasn't allowed to walk across the runway like the rest of us.

Talking of which, the new terminal building is well underway and looks immense. Dare I suggest a little too large for the likely traffic Gibraltar Airport sees? Not that this is necessarily a bad thing - better build something too large than too small! Its planned opening is for later this year and will herald a new name for the airport: Gibraltar International.

We waited for our delayed flight to leave at 1400. The video below is of the Airbus taxiing west along the runway, crossing Winston Churchill Avenue.

It performs a U-turn at the end of the runway before the captain gives it the beans, heading east for take-off. This is illustrated in the video below. It's worth noting that I was using a new camera, so apologies for the poor focus at the end and the sudden movement immediately afterwards. Despite this, it is a very unusual procedure for an aircraft to undertake in such a populated area.

Once again we crossed the live runway, seconds after a plane had used it, in order to get to the city itself. The congestion created by a take-off is spectacular, with queues to rival the stresses felt by a London driver. Unlike London though, there is no alternative here whatsoever. A number of online sources claim an underpass has often been mooted, though there appears to be very little firm detail if one is ever likely to happen, let alone how feasible it would be.

Apart from the imposing rock casting a shadow, the first thing any motorist notices is the cost of fuel - somewhere that does not charge VAT. Less than £1 per litre of diesel brought a wry smile to my face. I filled up the day before we left and it cost £1.32 per litre.

On this occasion we were booked in at the Bristol Hotel, the city's oldest hotel, according to its website. This wasn't a million miles from where we stayed last year (O' Callaghan Eliott) and while looking a little more tired in places, was about on par with last year.

One of the biggest problems we faced last year was the weather. Day 2 was a monsoon (literally) combined with gale-force winds. This year we hoped for a little better, though the weather forecast for Day 2 was virtually identical to that of the year before, so we made sure we crammed in as much as was possible at the end of today. This involved a trip to the top of the Rock as well as a tour of some of the marinas, that we didn't have time to do last year.

The cable car attendants all seem very jolly and are very much 'up' for some banter. If this isn't forthcoming they get on their two-way radios and have some of their own. The cost for a return trip to the Rock's summit was £9, which had increased since last year. Other options exist, including one-way tickets and combinations to visit the nature reserve in which the famous Gibraltan Apes can be seen in their natural habitat.

As it happened, there appeared to be a free-for-all today and the gate to the nature reserve had been left open, so we wandered in for a look. Despite the constant warnings and notices, tourists do not heed that the apes will take anything they assume to be food from your person and will bite you if you resist. This was demonstrated beautifully by a foreign family into whose open bag an ape delved to take a large chocolate bar and a packet of crisps. We were told last year that the apes aren't thieves, but simply believe that you have brought them food and so relieve you of it.

Top of the Rock. The most northern summit is only used by the British military.

It was blowing an absolute gale at the summit and the weather conditions changed very quickly indeed. At one point you were engulfed in cloud; the next, the sun was out.

From our superior vantage point we could see the terminus of Service 4 at Both Worlds. This was taken using full zoom. We would visit Both Worlds tomorrow and a shot in the opposite direction would be taken.

The Rock's effect on its hinterland was very evident here, too. While the prevailing wind is from the west, the Mediterranean Ocean allows warm, moist air to hit the rock's south-east face, which forces it upwards where is quickly condenses into dark cloud which then hangs over the city and bay for days on end. Today, a depression was sat out to the west and the anti-cyclone ensured that the wind was coming from the south-east, mixing with the local Levanter.

A Rock-shaped cloud hangs over the city and bay. Clear to the south (left) and to the north (right, though out of shot).

This prompted one of our party to come up with the oft-used phrase of the weekend: "This is probably nice in the summer".

Despite the BBC Weather forecast saying otherwise, no rain fell during out first day in Gibraltar and we were able to visit the top of the Rock and meander around one of the marinas that has undergone considerable investment over the last year. No need for an umbrella or to take shelter under a shop canopy. The following day was forecast for heavy showers though.

Indeed, the Beeb got it spot on now and the pitter-patter of rainfall could be heard as we all met for breakfast. It had been a particularly heavy night though, not down to the alcohol consumed (although perhaps this was partially to blame) but because of the food we ate at the very much improved Charlie's Steak House in the Ocean Village complex. Prices are comparable to those charged at a similar UK establishment but the quality seems to be very high as standard. We visited here last year and were suitably impressed and even more so this time. I've never had Death By Chocolate quite like the one served here!

Death By Chocolate at Charley's Steak House. It's not often I photograph my food!

In many ways, an all-you-can-eat Continental Breakfast was most welcome. This is the only breakfast type offered at the Bristol Hotel, whereas last year's breakfasts at the O' Callaghan Eliott comprised Full English. Still, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, ham, toast and juice was just enough on this occasion though you were ready for something to eat by noon! With the rain falling steadily, the prospect of getting out of the hotel was becoming less and less likely. Last year, the rain fell so fast that even using a sturdy umbrella offered little protection as splash back ensured your feet and trouser legs got saturated within minutes.

Whether it was psychological or not, come 1100 we reckoned the rain was getting lighter so headed off into town, with the plan to catch a number of bus services to cover more of the city than we managed to do last time. We'd not made a trip to Rosia Bay and visited the 100 Ton Gun before, so waited at the American War Memorial stop in the city centre for a Service 4 bus headed in that direction.

New bus shelters are being erected throughout the city in time for the summer season, though none carry any timetable information whatsoever. This information was also found lacking in the old shelters when we travelled last time. A helpful lady in the Tourist Information Centre gave me a photocopied selection of timetables and a route diagram that comprised the Gibraltar Bus Company's network and timetables. As with last year, all services have just one timing point - the first one. There are no intermediate timings, nor an arrival time at the ultimate point. I remembered thinking the people at ATOC and Network Rail would have a field day if they were able to instigate something similar on our tracks (some would argue they're already half-way there with their punctuality recording techniques).

Gibraltar Bus Company Routes

Service 2: City Centre (Referendum House) to Upper Town & Moorish Castle
Service 3: Airport & Spanish Border to Europa Point
Service 4: Both Worlds to Rosia Bay
Service 9: Airport & Spanish Border to City Centre (Bus Station)

All services pass through the city centre and weekday frequencies typically range from every 15 minutes (Services 3 & 9), every 20 (Service 9) and 25 (Service 2) with Saturdays and Sundays being slightly less though no worse than 30 mins on any service other than Service 2 which runs a 1-vehicle working to a 40-minute frequency on Sundays.

The only criticism I have with the network bus map is that it is too simplistic and becomes confusing; for example the terminus for Service 2 at Referendum House looks separate from the other routes, but nearer to Service 4, when in actual fact it is on the same road as that used by Services 3, 4 and 9.

The fares had not increased since last year and remain nothing short of astonishing: 60p Adult Single/90p Return; 40p Child Single/60p Return; 30p Pensioner Single/50p Return. Day tickets are available for all three classes, priced at £1.50, £1.00 and 80p respectively. Absolutely excellent value. The fleet of vehicles employed on these nationalised bus services carry the City Buses fleet name and consist of 18 Caetano Nimbus-bodied Dennis Darts, which entered service during April 2004, at a stroke offering 100% low-floor operation to the city, save the Toyota Hiace people carriers deployed on Service 2 to Moorish Castle. Two double-deckers and a coach were spotted parked up at the company's depot opposite the airport, all three vehicles being impossible for us to identify.

G8183A arrived and we purchased our £1.50 day tickets from the driver, who issued them using his Wayfarer ticket machine. The rain had suddenly got heavier and as we meandered our way down to Rosia Bay via some ridiculously narrow and circuitous roads, we opted to remain on the bus and head back to the city centre. Maybe it was because today was Sunday, or perhaps parking is always absolutely dire, but the roads were incredibly narrow and our driver expertly guided his bus through what looked like impossible gaps. We didn't spot any body damage to any of the Darts, so either the company's workforce is very skillful indeed or the engineers are fast to repair any body damage!

Not a great view but at least the condensated windows allowed us to brush up on our naughts and crosses skills

Rosia Bay is as near as you can get to the Royal Navy's base at Gibraltar, though the misted-up windows meant we saw very little indeed. Rather unimaginatively, when we returned to the city centre we alighted at the city's only major supermarket - Morrisons. This is located in what I refer to as the Europort area of the city, which will be quite a shock to anyone who's not visited in the past 15 years or so as everything's either very modern or just been built. While I will now concede that Gibraltar isn't like a bit of Britain by the Med, the Morrisons is identical to the one in Grimsby! And I do mean identical. You would be mistaken for thinking that VAT is charged on items in Gibraltar, too!

The weather is another similarity with the UK in this photo, not just the supermarket.

Our first bus of the day. We'd been from the city centre to Rosia Bay and back, alighting outside Morrisons.

Next, we headed back to the bus stop outside the supermarket and awaited the following Service 4 bus to Both Worlds. Our plan was to get to the east of the Rock to see whether or not the prevailing conditions were any better. The timetable had an error in it and the 30-minute frequency offered by this route on a Sunday was actually a bus every 40 minutes, which we spotted when we alighted at Both Worlds after having stood in the pouring rain at Morrisons for a considerable length of time. Our driver showed us his hand-written duty sheet which clearly showed a 40-minute frequency. The bus shelter for the stop at Morrisons had yet to be erected, with only the roof in evidence, lying on the floor!

The roof of the new bus shelter outside Morrisons can be seen here, awaiting legs on which to rest.

Remember this shot from yesterday? Well this was taken from the bus terminus at Sandy Bay looking up.

Hopefully you can make out the overhanging viewing platform. If not, the photo below may assist you.

The rain here wasn't as bad as that felt leeward of the Rock, though matters still weren't what you'd call pleasant. A driver change took place here, too, with a relief arriving in a company Toyota pick-up truck. Our new driver departed at 1440 I seem to remember and we alighted at the American War Memorial in the city centre. Our bus since Morrisons was G8181A. I'd worked out that if we hung on here for about 10 minutes, we'd be able to catch a Service 3 bus to Europa Point, the southernmost tip of Gibraltar, where we wouldn't be able to see Africa!

A driver changeover taking place at the Both Worlds terminus.

G8169A arrived punctually (if that is possible when there is no timing point) and off we went. Last year I remember Europa Point being very breezy but the visibility was OK. This year, the wind was blowing with such force that it was potentially umbrella damaging! Our driver didn't disappear for his 15-minute lay-over like last year, and parked at the temporary terminus, allowing his vehicle to be used as a waiting room for intending passengers. Construction work is taking place here, specifically to the viewing area, so we were unable and unwilling to cross the mud and cones to see waves crashing onto the foreshore. A quick photo of the bus and it was back on board!

We travelled the full length of Service 3 to the Spanish Border, known as the Frontier. This is the stop at which passengers for the airport would alight, such is the proximity of everything in Gibraltar. I was a little alarmed to see that the colony had not received a single flight today, with the two flights due to have both arrived and taken-off by now being diverted to Malaga. A security guard told us that the weather was so bad and the strong, eddying wind so volatile that planes were diverted on safety grounds. You may recall this video from last year's write up!

The 1900 arrival of a Monarch Airlines service was shown as taking place though and the wind appeared no worse than yesterday when we landed. We were heading back the following day and ideally none of us wanted to have to go to Malaga first, though I've never travelled on a Spanish coach before, so perhaps there would be a silver lining.

Next, we chose to pay the princely sum of 60 new pence to travel on a Calypso Transport service from the Airport to the Coach Terminal. G1782B was our vehicle, a Neoplan convertible open-top double decker, one of the largest buses in the city.

The plastic seats first raised our suspicians that this ex-German Neoplan 'decker's roof would detatch, when the season dictates. We spotted the joins around the edges afterwards.

Calypso Transport is the face of entrepreneurialism in Gibraltar, and operates Service 10 from the Airport to Morrisons and then the city centre via the Coach Terminal. They are not to be confused with Calypso Tours and Calypso Travel, both being part of the MH Bland Travel Group, founded in 1810. Calypso Transport was once part of the same group, but not anymore.

En route to the city centre, Calypso Transport's Euro Hoppa drops off at Morrisons. Note the destination is many years old, claiming the bus calls at Safeway.

Calypso Transport name their Service 10 the Euro Hoppa. Today it was operating to a 30-minute frequency with two buses, but at busier times up to 4 buses an hour can operate a 15-minute frequency. The company operates double deckers in a red livery, synonymous to many tourists of those seen on the streets of London. The similarity ends there, though. Most of the vehicles operated by Calypso Transport are ex BVG of Berlin, one was seen in that company's yellow livery, presumably awaiting re-paint before entering service. Their fleet is parked in the Coach Terminal and it was possible to have a meander through.

The only bus route none of us had done (as we'd not had chance last year) was a trip to Moorish Castle using Gibraltar Bus Service's route 2. Last year, Toyota Hiace people carriers were used, though this year a couple of new-looking Unvi-bodied Mercedes-Benz minibuses were deployed. They carry 15 passengers and the rear section is for a wheelchair user, with its own dedicated door.

And what a route this vehicle took! Moorish Castle is clearly visible from the city centre so we knew we'd be heading uphill, but the journey was hair-raising to say the least. The clearances on both sides were down to inches in many places, yet the plucky driver continued apace. Just when you thought a turn couldn't get any sharper, the bus came across one even worse; when you thought the gap between the house on the left and the parked cars on the right couldn't get any narrower, it did. There are a good deal of one-way streets in this area, for very good reason indeed! The terminus is on Willis's Road, just down from the castle, and we congratulated the driver before heading off to see what the view was like from part-way up the Rock.

I tried my panorama setting out on my camera to good effect here. The rain had stopped, too. Umbrellas were no longer needed. We had a 40-minute window to take pictures from this excellent vantage point and reflect on the journey up here.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

The journey back, while having gravity on our side, was no less surprising. At one point, the road was so narrow that the window shutters of residential properties had to be negotiated very carefully to prevent them from being ripped off their hinges. The return route is slightly different to that of the outward as the Flat Bastion area is served. When we joined the main Europa Road, which was like the M1 Motorway in comparison, the turn was so tight and the camber so adverse that the rear of the minibus actually grounded. This was of no surprise to our driver who slowed down immediately before the metal-on-concrete sound was heard.

We alighted in the city centre at the route's terminus and headed back into town for an evening meal of local cuisine in Pizza Hut (where unlimited refills on soft drinks does not apply!). Throughout both our visits to Gibraltar, no mention of a service charge has been made on our bills - be our meal in a traditional restaurant or one of the larger chains. Not even a suggestion is made at the foot of the bill, nor are 'tips' jars left visible. I know us Brits aren't known for our generosity in this way when holidaying abroad (though arguably with good reason) so it is something that I've always noticed.

Casemates Square - the social hub of Gibraltar's tourism. It has been kitted out for much warmer climes than those to which we were subjected this weekend!

There'd been a Premiership football match on this afternoon and the two main pubs in Casemates Square (the focal point for tourists) were full of very drunken Englishmen. In one establishment vomit was clearly visible on the floor. Yes, it felt like home now, yet door staff were not in evidence at all. No blood was shed either. Smoking is still permitted within pubs in Gibraltar, in stark contrast to Spanish law as well as that here in Blighty. I always view a law as being worthwhile when you become completely unaware that it is in force until you go elsewhere and realise how much you've unwittingly benefited. The UK's strict no smoking legislation is one such beneficial law (for me, anyway).

Plenty of familiar sights in Gibraltar

Sunday night in Gibraltar was like the flip side of Nottingham, where men strongly outnumbered women by at least 3:1. Both pubs had either a disco or a singer on and the drunken lads seemed to be lapping it up. We, on the other hand, had to fly back in the morning so had a wander around the Old Town area. Although the temperature was a measly 14C, it felt far warmer than the same value back home. We didn't see any further bus services operate, as last departures are disappointingly early: 2100, 7 days a week.

Taken from Moorish Castle, the Unvi-bodied Merc used on Service 2 all day can be seen crossing Corral Road using the bridge on Smith Dorrien Avenue

Monday dawned and we headed straight for the airport after our breakfast. Again, no public transport required as the walk took all of 15 minutes. Gibraltar's airport was heaving, though. Not only was our 1110 departure to Gatwick due, but two Monarch Airlines flights to Luton and Manchester were due within the space of 5 minutes of each other, 50 minutes after ours had departed.

The wind had subsided and our flight was shown as punctual. We initially joined a ridiculously long queue for security, but a local worker called easyJet passengers forward into a dedicated queue, away from those queuing for both Monarch flights. The departure lounge, which most definitely will benefit from becoming larger when the new terminal opens, was full and the queue for the departure gate snaked half-way round the room!

Click to enlarge.
Panorama shot from my new camera. easyJet's airbuses aren't the most luxurious of planes, but for a 2.5-hour trip they're more than adequate.

On my easyJet boarding pass, no mention of a passport is made. That is, only photo ID is required for the flight I was about to make. As my boarding pass and passport were being checked, I asked the security man whether or not my UK driving licence - endorsed with the EU flag - would be acceptable as it bares my image. He said not and that only "authorised" photo ID is accepted, but didn't go on to state what exactly that is. As one of our party later said: "If your UK driving licence isn't authorised, what is?"

Unusually, we were one of the last to board the plane and I assumed that we would not be able to sit together, though fortunately this was not the case and a central row of three seats presented themselves. I videoed us taxi across Winston Churchill Avenue, though haven't uploaded that to YouTube since the shot from the road itself far better demonstrates this, though have uploaded the U-turn our Airbus A319 made at the western end of the runway, with the bay on all three sides.

And of course the take-off itself.

The captain gave us plenty of information throughout the flight and one of the most interesting was to be able to catch a glimpse of Jersey around 35,000 feet below. I know its not exactly Australia, but I always imagined Jersey to be larger than it appeared from this height.

We touched down in Gatwick a few minutes ahead of time, though at the South Terminal, so it was down to National Express-owned Airlinks to transfer us to the North Terminal. The bus of choice was in evidence again - the Cobus 2700 was used and it was in much better condition than those used in Gibraltar, where masking tape holds bumpers and body parts together!

We didn't travel on a Merc to the North Terminal. Airlinks has a very impressive fleet of nearly-new Citaros.

We were waiting only 2-3 minutes for our 'bus' at the courtesy 'coach' pick-up point and headed back to the Flightpath car park.

I headed to the customer service building at the car park and witnessed a queue longer than that for check-in!! Luckily, my problem was easily remedied. We'd discussed this problem at a recent LEYTR committee meeting, would you believe. The automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) equipment used by these parking companies struggles to differentiate a '4' from an 'A' when it is the last digit. My car registration ends in '4', yet the ANPR believed this to be an 'A'. Next time I may consider deliberately changing it to end in 'A' when booking online....

Summary

Yet another excellent long weekend in one of the UK's most high-profile colonies. Colonialism is clearly in evidence to a massive extent, though not so much to drown Gibraltar of its individualism. Seeing a palm tree outside the Norwich & Peterborough Building Society is one such facet that always brings a smile to my face. Our plan is, should we visit again, to fly there during late-summer as Gibraltar most certainly has much more to offer when the sun comes out. Many summer months see no precipitation at all, making for quite an arid climate.

The colony's public transport network is absolutely superb, with all populated areas served in all terrain! The Gibraltar Bus Company's fleet of Dennis Dart/Caetano Nimbus low-floor midi buses and their new Mercedes-Benz/Unvi accessible minibuses look resplendent and are immaculately turned out, both inside and out. For value, the fares charged rival those on offer in any town or city here in the UK.

We mustn't forget easyJet, either. Our flights cost just £44 return each - the return leg was just £14.99. We had no hold luggage so only incurred the debit card payment fee (none of us possess a Visa Electron, the only card not to incur the fee). Personally, flights to/from Stansted Airport would be more convenient than Gatwick, though Monarch fly from Luton and Manchester airports and there's always BA to consider, too. None offer flights as low as easyJet - no matter what your opinion of them.

They're a bit like Marmite: you either love them or loathe them.

The entire three days - petrol to the airport, parking, flights, accommodation and breakfast - totalled £125.05. It costs more for a First Class single on East Coast's London-Leeds train service when purchasing your ticket on the day of travel. There is no need to convert any money so, importantly, travel agents make no commission and sudden financial downturns do not have a negative impact on exchange rates, with the Gibraltan Pound being accepted on a like-for-like basis with Sterling.

A European Jaunt

2010-09-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

Warning: this blog entry contains numerous references to Australianisms, befitting the company I've been keeping recently.

Ripper, mate! The day had finally arrived: a European Jaunt, travelling in a manner befitting the wily old desperadoes that we are when it comes to splashing out a few quid on hotels and such like - the posh man's backpacking holiday, using coach travel from city to city.

A LEYTR associate is the employee of one such purveyor of transport throughout Europe and we enquired with a little insider assistance as to what the score really is. We were both very impressed and chose to take the plunge. We'd be travelling for five days in total, making use of three coach rides and passing through five countries. We'd reside overnight in accommodation recommended by the transport provider and, when this was unavailable due to insufficient rooms, we would stay in nearby establishments of similar standing.

Busabout

This European transport operator has been around for quite a while now. Owned by Holland-based Atlas Reizen, Busabout's sister operator may be a little more familiar if you've ever travelled abroad: Contiki. Both operate city-to-city coach journeys. Contiki provides all-inclusive holidays, while Busabout refer to their product as being for the 'independent traveller'. They provide the transport and will recommend accommodation, but you can simply use them as a stepping stone for your own planned itinerary. They're two very established models and business appears to be doing well.

Concentrating on Busabout, their website is the place to go to find out more about the company. Their vehicles are based at Atlas Reizen's depot in Stellendam, Holland; their administration centre is in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland and, presumably because their currency is Sterling, their financial address is in Guernsey. They employ mainly British coach drivers, though a splattering of English-speaking Europeans and Australians are also on the books, and each coach has a guide - virtually all of whom are either Australian or from New Zealand.

The Busabout website is very upbeat and well presented, though you do have to do some digging for the nitty gritty

It's no coincidence, then, that Busabout's staple diet is backpackers from Australia and New Zealand. Mainly the former. It's effectively an Australian company in Europe catering mainly for Australians and anyone else what wants to make use of their services. This should in no way put you off. Australians are some of the most easy-going people in the world and very easy to get along with. During our trip, we'd mix with more Aussies than ever before in our lives and everyone - guides and passengers - reaffirmed the very positive stereotype we have of them.

The Coaches

The Busabout fleet consists of ten VDL SB4000/Marcopolo Viaggio C51F coaches, all built and delivered in 2005; this is their sixth season and they are, apparently, to be replaced next year, forming part of a recent order with VDL for some Berkhof Axial-bodied vehicles. Both inside and out, the current fleet is spotless and the driver's cleaning routine is as extensive as any operator's here in the UK. They each have a 715-litre fuel tank, independent front suspension, measure 12 x 3.8 x 2.5m and have engines rated at Euro 3 standard. They are equipped with a crew seat and dashboard fridge as well as two TV monitors and a DVD/audio entertainment system. They have Sutrack Tropical air conditioning and were delivered new with a chemical toilet.

They've been tailored for the work they undertake with a whole host of technical items and cleaning utensils beneath the saloon. They do seem to have poor luggage provision for a rear-engined coach, though. Although a toilet is fitted, this is sealed off and not referred to, as provision for emptying it each night is simply not possible. Regular stops are made at motorway service stations for passengers to use the dunny and have something to eat.

The Diagram

Busabout's network comprises three loops - North, West and South. The drivers undertake a diagram that encompasses all loops, while guides, who are not restricted to the EC Drivers' Hours Regulations, work slightly differently: they generally do a couple of circuits of each loop before going onto another. Below is the 18-day vehicle diagram with estimated mileage (km):

Lauterbrunnen - Munich (445)
Munich - Paris (850)
Paris - Amsterdam (525)
Amsterdam - Berlin (670)
Berlin - Prague (350)
Prague - Vienna (350)
Vienna - Munich (450)
Munich - Venice (550)
Venice - Rome (550)
Rome - Florence (285)
Florence - Nice (425)
Nice - Barcelona (660)
Barcelona - Madrid (620)
Madrid - San Sebastian (485)
San Sebastian - Paris (850)
Paris - Lauterbrunnen (640)
Lauterbrunnen - Nice (550)
Nice - Lauterbrunnen (550)

With the exception of two legs, drivers do the entire journey each day. The Munich-Paris and San Sebastian-Paris legs are both 850km and a driver changeover takes place at Stuttgart and Bordeaux respectively. With rest periods included, it can take at least 24 days for drivers to complete a circuit. I think you'll have to agree, as far as coach diagrams go, few can be more extensive and encompassing! Coaches depart each location on alternate days, requiring a PVR of 9 in total, with the tenth spare.

With such an extensive route and the knowledge required to operate it professionally, a fair level of training is given to new recruits - both drivers and guides. This takes place during March and April and lasts for six weeks. At each place the coach calls on the route and/or point of interest, the guides leave to research the area/place en masse, while the drivers take it in turns navigating their way in and out, before picking the guides up a couple of hours later. It's no mean feat, sounding very much like a genuine busman's holiday - one which many younger coach drivers prefer to bombing up and down the M1.

The final thing to mention at this stage, before our jaunt continues, is that the simplicity with which Busabout operate their services. At the start of the day, all coaches depart the pick-up point at 0800hrs. No exception (save legal ones - if a driver has not yet had his 9 hours daily rest, for example). Busabout benefits from all countries through which they operating being in the same time zone, too.

Flying out

We flew from Stansted Airport to Nice (Côte d'Azur) with easyJet, though beforehand travelled to the airport by train as we'd not be returning here, so did not make use of a car. The weather was cold, grey and dank. We'd been assured by our LEYTR associate that coats and fleeces would not be needed since it was positively tropical along the Mediterranean Coast right now.

We shivered all the way to Stansted Airport, where we arrived a couple of minutes late aboard our CrossCountry Class 170 'Turbostar'. We'd been as punctual as the Japanese Bullet Trains up until the last junction, where we were held for two minutes for a Stansted Express train from London. By now it was raining quite heavily and in our summer wear we ran inside the airport terminal from what was the platform furthest from the station canopy.

We had no luggage to check-in, just very well-packed backpacks, so headed for security and passport control. This all went fine and before we knew it our departure gate had been released.

Second-from-top is our flight, EZY3103 at 1245hrs to Nice, departing from Gate 15

To get to it required us using the free transit service, which was all new to me. The two-car, driver-less electric trains operate every two minutes and connect Gates 1-39 with the terminal building. We alighted at the first stop (Gates 1-19) and the train continued completely empty to the second stop for Gates 20-39.

Getting a clear photo of one of these very dull-looking, driver-less trains is easier said than done. At the terminal stop, I managed this shot of one that was heading in the opposite direction, passing us on a loop. As you can see, rain was still falling.

When I've travelled with easyJet before, after your passport has been checked at the departure gate, you then head down to the tarmac only to be penned into another room and called in a vague order. On this occasion, it was a free-for-all, which ensured passengers were drip-fed onto the tarmac as fast as the dude checking the tickets could muster.

I always enjoy filming take-off; initially I did it to take my mind off all that could go wrong, but now it's kind of a ritual for me. I'm one of these people who'll quite happily travel anywhere at any time and by any mode of transport, but I find air travel the least comfortable of all. Banking at low level is my worst experience on board a plane - landing at Inverness Airport was the worst I've ever experienced; it was if we were going to loop-the-loop.

However, once you're at 37,000 feet (as we soon were), it's all rather boring and you're looking forward to landing to get it all over and done with. Our plane was one of easyJet's Airbus A319s and was fully loaded, seating 156 people.

The Airbus A319

We had two pilots and 4 members of cabin crew. Take-off speed was at 150mph and cruising speed was likely to be 500mph - something that would make even travelling in the cab of a 'Javelin' train seem slow. The plane's range was 3000 miles and the crew had already done an outward and return trip that day so far, with no break. Jetting off to Nice or Cannes is not something families with young children often do - even in August - (and especially not with easyJet) so it was nice not to hear outbursts of screaming and shouting or toddlers crying. There were 26 children on board in total.

By chance I photographed a blob of land that turned out to be the landing strip at Nice Airport. We touched down using the one to the left as the following YouTube clip will show

Landing in Nice was even more surreal than Gibraltar; well, from my side of the plane anyway. At least with Gibraltar you knew you were heading towards land. Sat facing south as we headed in from the west, all I could see was water until the very last minute.

Leaving the plane took ages as we were only permitted to disembark through the front doors into one of those suspended walkway things. As we left the cabin, for the first time in my experience, the First Officer was stood there, next to a member of cabin crew, wishing everyone bon voyage, even outstretching his hand to anyone who wanted to shake it. A very nice touch indeed.

You know when you walk into a shop in the town centre on a cold winter's day and you feel a warm jet of air blowing from above the doorway? Well I felt exactly that, though soon realised it was the 27C air temperature. Yes, fleeces would have been very inappropriate!

Our short-wearing LEYTR associate met us and we made our way to the terminal's bus station, where we'd catch a bus to the centre of town. We were to stay in Hotel Baccarat, virtually opposite Nice Ville station, on Rue D'anglaterre. Despite its name, it was in fact a hostel, something which neither of us had stayed in before. It wasn't a particularly cheap one either, though we expected it to be reasonably pricey since we only booked the jaunt half-a-month beforehand and this is Nice in August afterall. €32 was the price each and we'd be in a dorm with four other people; as it would transpire, all of which would be Australians.

Before all that, we had to sample a local French bus service. Trams and buses share the Ligne d'Azur name, currently operated by Veolia (though without reference). The company is branded as a community transport provider, who offers integrated ticket options and a €1 flat fare for as many trips as you like within a 70-minute window. It's around three miles from the airport to the central station, making out trip incredibly cheap indeed.

The bus we wanted was No. 23 to Bella Vista

The bus appeared to have an air-con pod on the roof but it wasn't turned on. Either the driver preferred to drive in a mobile sauna or the unit had malfunctioned. What made matters worse was the windows being jammed shut, as opening them would "prevent the air conditioning from working properly." It wasn't the best of welcomes, but we didn't grumble much as it was a very cheap journey indeed. We alighted on Boulevard Gambetta and walked along Avenue Thiers to Nice Ville station, checked-in to our hostel and headed into town.

Trams are very frequent in Nice. They have the look of Nottingham's units, though were built to blend in with Nice's archietecture. They were initially operated using third-rail technology, but have since been converted to overhead wire operation

Day 2 dawned at 0700 when we awoke following our first night's sleep in a hostel. It had gone better than we'd expected. We'd been nattering to our fellow dwellers before heading to sleep the night before. All Australians appear to either have relations in the UK or have visited London and seem reasonably knowledgeable about the city's transport and the Oyster card.

Breakfast was not offered at the Hotel Baccarat, so we headed round to corner as we knew there were a couple of small supermarket-type shops opposite Nice Ville station, which is where our Busabout coach would depart from at 0800. Unlike London - and indeed any UK city or large town - these newsagents were not open at 0730. Nor did they open before we had to jump aboard our 51-seated VDL SB4000/Marcopolo Viaggio coach.

They're not the most attractive coaches in the world and we understand Busabout will receive Berkhof Axial-bodied coaches next year

The Busabout guides do not check passengers on using a sheet of paper. They use an 'ipaq', which connects to the Internet through their company-issued mobile phones. It all seems very progressive and enables the driver to concentrate on, well, the driving, though first he has to load the luggage. We only had seventeen aboard our coach today. We were travelling to Lauterbrunnen in the Swiss Alps, via Milan. The journey time was between 10-11 hours, with a number of stops en route at various motorway services.

The stops are all prescribed and approximate timings are given. Our driver, Simon (British) and our guide, Dave (Australian) had both returned to work today, following two days off in Nice. They'd both popped to Cannes and had watched Inception at the cinema there and both were still talking about it this morning. Simon's day had commenced at 0600 when he'd left the Busabout accommodation and headed to the No. 23 bus stop with his suitcase to get to the coach park, which was just under 2 miles away. There, he'd done all the checks required of him before driving to the pick-up point, opposite Nice Ville station.

Initially it seems strange to seem all the controls on the wrong side, but you soon get used to it. Our driver said he and all new Busabout employees receive a week's training at Stellendam, learning to change gear right-handed and to get used to driving on the 'European side' of the road

Owing to the EC Drivers' Hours Regs, he needed to take a 45-minute break at the pick-up point to then enable him to drive 4.5 hours, taking a 15-min break at the first service stop and 30 mins at the second. Consequently, he was parked in the centre of town at 0720. The guides do not conform to such guidelines (and consequently do not appear to generally receive such generous weekly rest periods). Their days do start later than the driver's (and don't finish as late, either), with Dave arriving at 0745 and he got to work loading passengers while Simon packed their suitcases in the boot.

Newcomers to Busabout are issued a lanyard and credit card-sized I.D tag that they need to put round their neck while on board. Existing people, i.e. those who've travelled in the past few days, simply present these to be checked-off on the ipaq. It's all very straightforward. A large number of those on board had travelled with Busabout recently, so Dave only had to issue a couple of lanyards/cards out to the newcomers. Most of our contingent were travelling through to Lauterbrunnen, with a couple choosing to leave us at Milan.

This was the scene the following morning in Lauterbrunnen, though the same occurred in Nice today, with Simon (in orange) seen loading luggage while Dave (stood at front in black) loads passengers. It's a lot calmer than the scene in London Victoria Coach Station

Busabout's advantage over equivalent European operations is that if passengers wish to change their travel plans and, say, remain in Nice another couple of days, they simply inform the guide who'll book them on the coach in two days' time at no extra cost. Likewise, if someone booked to travel in two days decided they wanted to leave Nice early, they simply turn up at the coach and the guide amends their requirements for immediate travel. No amendment fees of any kind are charged. The only risk is that your desired service may be full, but for delayed journeys, once the guide books you on using his ipaq, you're then guaranteed a seat.

Also departing from Nice Ville was a Busabout coach heading to Barcelona. This, said Simon, is one of the lengthiest journeys drivers are required to undertake in one day, and also sees some of the highest exterior temperatures, too. "It was 40 degrees Centigrade the last time I was in Madrid," said Simon, "which made cleaning the coach out - even with the climate control on - quite a challenge!" Apparently the heat is so intense that cleaning the windows becomes almost impossible, with the water drying as soon as it's applied. The Barcelona coach was fully booked and left a minute before us.

We headed out of Nice, due east, slowly climbing and following the coast road (D6007) through to Monaco. We saw a very bad accident just a couple of miles outside Nice, which involved a Mini Cooper and three motorbikes - one rider had been 'covered up' by ambulance crews at the scene. It brings it home to you just how dangerous these meandering roads can be, with their sheer drops and tunnels. Also pointed out to us was the spot where in 1982 Grace Kelly came to her death - her car plummeting off the cliff top into the sea below. As a result of this very high-profile accident, the road now dissects a chunk of rock, rather than skirting round it.

Monaco, one of the world's smallest countries, where an application to become resident will cost €1 million. Since the application is just that, there's the possibility it could be turned down and refunds are not offered

Having skirted Monaco, we joined the A8/E80 into Italy. Two things caught our attention here. The first was that it was just before 0900 on a Friday morning and the dual-carriageway was very quiet indeed; there was barely a vehicle to be seen. Crossing into Italy actually took place in a tunnel, with just the change of brickwork the only noticeable sign until the official Welcome sign once the other side. While the Italian scenery differed not one jot to that of the French, the second observation was the one addition to the landscape: greenhouses - hundreds of them. Dave told us (in what Australians refer to as knowledge bombs) that within them are flowers grown for the perfumeries that sell their fragrances around the world.

Italy was also the location of our first motorway services stop, at Cireale Sud, just short of Genoa. The service area belonged to the Autogrill chain of companies, who appear to have Italy all sewn up. They don't, though, appear to offer any kind of grilled food. The situation within the establishment is not straightforward. For those requiring food, you enter the restaurant area and look to see what's on offer beneath the glass counters. You then cross to the other side of the room, to the tills, and order/pay, before taking your receipt back to the counters and presenting it. Your food is served as soon as they get round to you.

This was the case at the second services, another Autogrill, at Dorno Est, just south of Milan. The route taken between services was north, along the A25/E25, then east on the A7/A26 and then north on the A7/E62 to Milan.

The most attractive thing in Milan was our coach, parked at the only YMCA used on the Busabout network

Milan, despite it's place in the fashion history books, it has to be one of the most dour-looking cities Europe has to offer. Those planning on leaving the coach here were not impressed with what they saw either, so, mid-journey, amended their requirements and continued with everyone else to Lauterbrunnen. It's worth stressing again how convenient this can be. No fee was charged for choosing to alter their journey plans, even mid-route. Amending your plans on Eurolines, for example, necessitates a fee and simply cannot be done at all once a coach has departed.

This section of route had been the most uninspiring. The dramatic coastal scene had long since left us and we were now heading north inland with scenery that, quite honestly, could have been stolen from Lincolnshire. The weather was nice and the climate control being set to 22C was ensuring no one was becoming too hot. While Nice was hovering around the 30C mark today, northern Italy was a more comfortable 23C.

In Part 1 we mentioned that luggage provision wasn't as comprehensive as that you'd expect from a rear-engined coach. Seen here is the luggage of 17 people, taking up most of the front locker while boarding takes place in Nice

By mid-afternoon we came to the Swiss border and our coach's Swiss road tax sheet needed renewing so Dave went off to do that while we observed the Swiss border control officers dressed in blue t-shirts and automatic machine guns stopping car drivers in a parallel queue. As soon as Dave returned, we were away, with no one wanting to check the coach, its passengers or their passports. This also marked the point where the scenery improved considerably: mountains lay ahead.

Simon told us that we'd be passing though the St. Gotthard Tunnel, which is one of Europe's longest. He also dropped the bombshell that overhead signs were stating there was a 10km queue for entry. There's no toll to pay, just traffic lights which regulate the entry of vehicles that slows things down considerably. However, he and a number of other drivers, had concocted a short-cut that saw a good deal of the queue omitted. We left the A2/E35 (our road of choice since Milan) at Junction 42 and followed a parallel road to Airolo. Here we rejoined the A2/E35 right at the front of the queue for the tunnel, saving at least one hour's worth of queuing. We were all very impressed.

Measuring in at 10.5 miles long, the St. Gotthard Tunnel is the world's third longest road tunnel, opening on 5 September 1980. Significant congestion is generated as only one tunnel bore is used, with traffic using one lane in each direction and entry is regulated using traffic lights on an overhead gantry, which permits just half a dozen cars in every 30 seconds. The speed limit within the tunnel is 80km (50mph), and it took us 13 minutes to pass through.

Simon told us that sometimes not only can the weather conditions be completely different upon emergence, but the whole climate can change. You're now in an Alpine region with some of Europe's highest mountains. Snow is still visible on the peaks of some of them. It's amongst this very dramatic scenery that our third service station was to be found, at Gotthard-Raststätte, still on the A2/E35. Free Toblerone was being offered and we changed our appearances slightly to avail ourselves or more than just one morsel (which worked), before buying some traditional Swiss chocolate for the remainder of the journey.

What I hadn't realised is that the Toblerone logo was more than just a random mountain - it's one that contains the image of a bear, chosen because Switzerland's capital city, Bern, is Swiss for 'Bear'. Can you see it?

As with virtually every establishment we'd visited so far, English was spoken very well indeed. Switzerland was the first country in which we'd travelled that offered another currency. While they accepted Euros, your change was in Swiss Francs; and with the prices all being in Swiss Francs, a calculation was needed to ensure you tendered as accurate a denomination of Euros to limit the number of Swiss Francs in your change as possible. To be honest, the chocolate on offer here was not wildly different from that on offer at any Tesco back home, though perhaps the range of flavours may be a little greater.

Knowledge bomb time again as Dave told us why cars from Switzerland have stickers with CH on. GB, of course, means Great Britain; E meaning Espania; IRL for Ireland etc., but why CH for Switzerland? It's because the official title of the country is the Swiss Confederation, which was translated from Confœderatio Helvetica in Latin and abbreviated to CH for cars identification within the EU and web domains. Wikipedia offers an in-depth entry on why Switzerland is known as Helvetica. Incidentally, the word Helvetica seemed to resonate for another reason. In a knowledge bomb of my own, I can reveal that it's one of the standard fonts offered with Microsoft Word.

Our service station stop just north of the St. Gotthard Tunnel was nothing like Toddington on the M1!

Dave rang ahead to the Lauterbrunnen accommodation - a site called Camping Jungfrau, which describes itself as being "located at the feet of the world-famous mountain giants Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in the valley of the 72 Waterfalls. Even Johann Wolfgang von Goethe referred to the beauty of our valley in one of his poems" And we were not to be disappointed. Lauterbrunnen has to be one of the most spectacular places I've ever visited by coach. Before that, there was the small matter of the Brünig Pass to negotiate, which elevates to road to 1,008m above sea level.

A stop for photos was made as we meandered our way through the Brünig Pass

It was all very spectacular and our coach managed well through the winding roads and steep hills. Simon said that sometimes he could do with a little more power, but wasn't too concerned since their arrival was not timetable to-the-minute. Our arrival was expected, however, following Dave's phone call, and Lauterbrunnen is also Busabout's administrative centre. Upon our arrival, lots of Busabout people emerged from the woodwork (literally - wood cabins aplenty) and greeted the driver and guide. Moments later the coach from Paris arrived so there were double the hugs and handshakes.

No one on board our coach was leaving here the following day, except us. Being Australians, they all wanted to be far out and indulge in some very respectful paragliding and tandem skydiving from planes. We much preferred an evening of Swiss beer and cheese fondue before turning in for the night - to our individual wooden mini Swiss cabins - our feet always firmly on terra ferma. Incidentally, I can heartily recommend the cheese fondue - it was so strong, it reminded me of Vodka!

Day three broke with Australians shivering. Yes, it was an Arctic 10 degrees Centigrade in Lauterbrunnen, in the heart of the Swiss Alps, and a climate that the visiting Aussies had never experienced before. M'colleague and I, however, we more than happy to wander around in our short-sleeve tops commenting on how like London in the summer it was. Okay, it was perhaps a little chilly to have your arms on show, but it most certainly was not the dawning of the next ice age!

It was a little warmer once we'd left the Alpine region. Here the coach is seen parked at Rheintal Services on the A13/E43, adjacent to the Principality of Leichtenstein

Two coaches were parked overnight in Lauterbrunnen, at the Camping Jungfrau site, with ours heading north-east to Munich today (via Lucerne) and the other due south, bound for Nice. Both driver and guide were Simon and Dave - the same today as yesterday - and both commented how unusual it was since driver rest periods are usually taken here with it being the Busabout admin centre and with slightly more amenities for employees than elsewhere. However, at 0800, Dave greeted us all aboard our coach and Simon started the engine.

Our journey mirrored the end stage of yesterday's, as we retraced our steps along the A8 through the Brünig Pass and onto the A2 to Lucerne. It was here that those leaving the coach were escorted on foot by Dave to the accommodation. Simon, meanwhile, undertook guide duties of his own by escorting everyone else to a shop run by a dude called Harry, down one of the town centre streets. Harry is a purveyor of, amongst other things, Swiss Army Knives, where (knowledge bomb time) non-red variants can be purchased. Only in Switzerland can you officially by a purple knife, for example.

A reasonable amount of banter had taken place upon our arrival at Lucerne and it was now, while holding a small bag containing three sausage rolls, that Simon told us both what had happened. Apparently a neighbouring shop to that of Harry's sells something of a rarity in Switzerland: sausage rolls. Some guides reveal this in their spiel on Lucerne and before the driver can get into the shop to buy some, the passengers have purchased them all, so there was an agreed omission from the welcome-to-Lucerne speil as both driver and guide were feeling mighty peckish.

Parked at Lucerne

The Reuss River passes through the centre of Lucerne and is incredibly fast flowing. You'd not survive very long if you fell in. I quite liked Lucerne, though not sure that there'd be enough to occupy me for a couple of days, which is when the next coach would depart.

Back on board, we needed to take another stop before 1230, which is when Simon's 4.5 hour driving stint would be up, and so opted to take it at a service station backing onto one of the world's smallest countries - Liechtenstein. While we didn't enter the country, it was one that had always stuck out in my mind from geography lessons at school. The number plates carried by cars registered there look like those issued pre-1960 here in the UK, being white-on-black, both front and back.

Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein is seen here, clinging to the mountainside

Liechtenstein is something of a tax haven, perhaps best illustrated by the fact that it has more registered companies than citizens. They, like Switzerland, have made attempts during the past few years to prosecute money launders, though this has proven far trickier than had initially been envisaged. There were no knowledge bombs regarding Liechtenstein, but a quick Google provided a couple of my own: it's the world's largest producer of sausage casings and false teeth. It's also a German-speaking country which does not border Germany.

Back on the coach and we were told that the option of a guided tour around Neuschwanstein Castle, in south-west Germany, was on offer. The price would be determined on the number of takers and, in the event, 15 (of 15) wanted to undertake the tour, so a price of €9 was quoted. While the tour was underway, Simon would re-fuel the coach at a nearby BP garage (Busabout only use BP stations, with drivers issued with fuel cards). Neuschwanstein Castle, like so many, has its own story from inception to completion, though is relatively rare because, for a castle of its relative young vintage, it was never completed. It's also the castle on which the Walt Disney emblem is based.

"When you wish upon a star...." is the tune played at the end/start of most Disney productions, with a shooting star passing over an emblem of a castle (below). The castle was based on Neuschwanstein

We arrived at the foot of Neuschwanstein Castle at 1430 and had a look around the gift shops until 1500 when we re-grouped for a walk uphill to where the castle was perched, overlooking the valley. It's not a walk for the faint-hearted. Well, not at speed anyway. Since the remainder of our contingent were Australians and 'uber-fit', it was quite a feat maintaining pace. Though being British, neither of us were willing to lose face by dropping back! Oh know. The most excruciating part was that everyone else not only walked faster and more effortlessly to the top, along the 1.25km road, but that they did so in flip flops!!

However, once at the top, the view was very impressive. A further walk was needed to a vantage point (even higher) in the form of a bridge spanning what must be a 1,000ft drop to the valley floor below. We did it though, and to be honest, ignoring the initial breathlessness, recriminations, painful chests and foot ache, we both enjoyed the walk and soon recovered.

We visited the bridge spanning the narrow but incredibly deep canyon before our tour of the castle. The bridge affords visitors an exceptional shot of the castle in the foreground and most of lowland Germany in the distance

Our tour was a 1555 and we had to queue below a digital display that showed our tour number. While the castle was an impressive sight, the completely human-less and automated start to the tour was not. Where was the warm, friendly welcome? Where were people checking tickets? Where were people offering free advice on where to wait and what you can see from the courtyard? There was none of that. It was, perhaps, clinical German efficiency at its best/worst. When the digital display showed your tour number, you inserted your ticket into the barrier (identical to how you'd gain access to the Underground network in London) and then meandered your way (as you would in a lengthy queue at the local Post Office) through the remainder of the courtyard until you entered the building.

Clinical. Queuing for entry to Neuschwanstein Castle can be likened to the cheese counter at Asda

Full details of Neuschwanstein Castle can be read here. It's a fascinating story, but one our castle guide did not tell in full. Partly because some of it does not conform to the image the Germans want to portray (why, for example, was the Walt Disney connection never uttered, when Disney is known to virtually every child on earth) and partly because the tour is, well, a complete swizz: your guide does not deviate from his/her set speech whatsoever and in rooms where echoing is problematic, his/her speech is not altered to accommodate this. You're also guided through only five rooms, with the remainder done on your own. Photography is not permitted either, which incensed one tour member to exclaim: 'sacré bleu!'

The castle is a dominant feature of the landscape and I particularly enjoyed viewing the enlarged photos that showed it being built, with scaffolding clinging to the mountain sides. The views were superb, as was the walk downhill.

There was something of a rush back to the coach, though, as we'd been told 1700hrs and the guided element of the tour lasted 20 minutes (so, on paper our tour was between 1555-1615), but some people took longer than others and there was the 1.25km walk back to the coach. Another 30 minutes could have been afforded quite easily, but we suspected that both driver and guide wanted to push on to Munich as soon as possible.

And this we did. Having briefly passed through Austria when heading to Neuschwanstein Castle, we were now to remain solely in Germany, heading north along some unclassified roads before the B17 and A96/E54 to Munich. The drop-off and pick-up point here is down what you could be forgiven for thinking was a one-way street, with cars parked on both sides of the road. It is in fact a two-way road, just incredibly narrow. Senefelderstraße is the name, and the associated accommodation arranged for anyone who requests it is called Wombats.

We managed to secure a ride to the coach park and passed the site of Oktoberfest, which was in the process of being accommodated for, with a plentiful supply of marquees and stages being erected. Our driver told us that he would be double-manning a coach to Oktoberfest from London during mid-September, which he was very much looking forward to since he'd not been back in Blighty since leaving on 15 May. Upon arrival at the coach park, we both witnessed first-hand the extensive cleaning process that each coach undertakes daily:

All carrier bags attached to aisle arm rests are either emptier or replaced
Windows cleaned throughout
Coach floor swept and mopped
Carpeted area at front removed and cleaned
Seat upholstery checked and cleaned if required
Seatbelts checked
Dashboard polished
Exterior windows cleaned, involving the use of a huge wooden pole, at the end of which sits a blade
Exterior bodywork cleaned
Windscreen cleaned
Wheel trims cleaned by cloth
Security measures taken to ensure coach is as safe as possible parked overnight

As you can imagine, it's quite a lengthy process and one in which the guides have no role to play. While this is taking place, they are still working - checking travellers into the accommodation and letting them know what there is to do in the area that evening.

While the coach was being cleaned, another Busabout vehicle arrived, this one from Vienna. While the driver of that coach was getting to work polishing his wheel nuts, we headed into the city centre, making use of the U-Bahn. We walked about 3 minutes to an S-Bahn station called Heimeranplatz, though Simon said that the fare was cheaper to Hauptbahnhof from the S-Bahn equivalent, so after videoing two trains (see below) we headed to the subway station.

From here we paid €1,50 for a single fare into the city centre, with the Hauptbahnhof stop virtually opposite Senefelderstraße, down which was located our accommodation - The Euro Youth Hostel (we had a room each tonight). This establishment, incidentally, 'boasts' a 40-bed dormitory. Surely not for the faint hearted!

An evening stroll around Munich was in order, though after partaking some local cuisine, in the form of Wiener Schnitzel (chicken breast in breadcrumb) with chips and a splodge of what looked to be strawberry jam on top of a slice of lemon. It was delicious and what we both refer to as 'safe' foreign food.

Wiener Schnitzel

Munich is a very nice place to be - certainly the city centre. Although the evening was upon us and it was getting dark, we managed to see many of the sights on display, from the story-telling town hall clock to the infamous Hofbräuhaus, where Hitler made a speech in 1920 that effectively re-united disaffected Germans following their defeat in WWI to ultimately form the Nazi Party. Up until 2006, the Hofbräuhaus held a baby photo of Hitler. We headed inside for a pint but the row was such that you couldn't hear yourself think. There also appeared to be very few seats. Revellers were certainly in full swing. Well, it was a Saturday night and much the same occurs in the UK's city centres.

Munich is certainly a place we'd return to - not only to sample its light rail network, but to take in more of the sights. Sadly, this wasn't to happen on this jaunt as tomorrow we'd move onto our last call - Stuttgart.

Day 4 was Sunday 15 August and did not dawn well. The weather was dull, dank and wet. It was that "fine rain that gets you really wet" and photographing even the now customary adjacent sex shop to our accommodation seemed like a chore as neither of us had bothered to bring an umbrella.

Nil desperandum - today's sex shop photo comes courtesy of that opposite our hotel in Stuttgart

Over the past two days aboard Busabout coaches, we'd travelled exclusively with the same driver and guide and aboard the same vehicle. Of Busabout's batch of VDL/Marcopolos, ours had been 2505 (BR-BX-39). Simon, our driver, told us that the batch is numbered: 2501-10 (BR-BX-35-44). The fleet number's second digit belies the year of manufacture. The existing Busabout fleet is numbered 250x, with the '5' standing for 2005. This morning, three coaches were parked outside Wombats youth hostel in Senefelderstraße - ours, which would again be 2505, 2508 (BR-BX-42) and a newer Berkhof Axial-bodied VDL coach in the base livery of sister company Contiki, but with Busabout vinyls. This was numbered 2807 (BT-XT-58), and was only 2 years old.

It was pouring down as this shot was taken, showing the Busabout line-up for the morning. The first and last coaches were bound for Venice, while the middle one was for Paris via Stuttgart

While there were three coaches, only two routes would be operated: ours to Paris via Stuttgart and the other to Venice. The Venice route was proving so popular that 2807 was operating a duplicate service to the main coach, 2508. Our service would be far less populated, departing at 0800 with just 17 people on board. While the coach and driver remained the same, our guide did not. We bid farewell to Dave, who'd provided sterling service from Nice, through Milan, Lauterbrunnen, Lucerne and Neuschwanstein, and welcomed Amy - another Australian.

With the safety spiel completed, most Aussies fell asleep, the manner in which found both driver and guide chuckling as legs and other body parts lay strewn across the aisle. Being British and made of stronger stuff, both m'colleague and I stayed awake throughout our relatively short distance to Stuttgart. Simon told us that on a good day, the non-stop journey along the A8/E52 can be completed in less than 3 hours. And today must have been a good day as we rocked on in at a shade before 1100.

We were the only two alighting at Stuttgart, with both driver and guide warning us that the town was closed on Sundays. Simon, our driver, knew this especially well since he was also alighting and would be here for 48 hours before taking over the next coach in the same direction on Tuesday morning. There were none to board, but the coach, with its new driver, awaited its departure time, before continuing to Paris. A very long day lay ahead for the passengers, as the Munich-Paris journey is one of the longest on the Busabout network and ends with a mini tour of the city. "It's very rare you finish at the scheduled time," Simon told us, "and the following morning is when departure at 8am can be delayed by the delay incurred arriving the night before".

Stuttgart drop-off/pick-up point, adjacent to Olgaeck U-Bahn station

The Hotel Espenlaub was to be our accommodation for this last night in mainland Europe, and it was the most reasonably priced of the lot. £21 for a double, en suite room each with breakfast the following morning? Ripper, mate!

Busabout tries to situate its pick-up and drop-off points as near to the associated accommodaton as is practically possible, which is a massive bonus since everyone has luggage. Seen here nestled behind the grey building is the coach we just left - which brought is all the way from Nice two days ago, as a passing tram comes into shot

The Busabout guides, while all singing from the same song sheet, add different elements to your experience on board their coaches. While Dave had been very good indeed, his mannerisms and general aura was different to that of Amy. With the Australians always able to laugh at themselves, engaging in English-Aussie banter was always very easy to do. During the 3-hour journey this morning, Simon, Amy and I discussed at what point a bridge becomes a tunnel and what the first letter of the word pterodactyl is (okay, the latter doesn't work when written down). It would appear the Australians didn't do dinosaurs at school!

Back to Stuttgart (or should that be Pstuttgart?) and the rain had now stopped and the sun was shining. M'colleague and I headed into the town centre to have a look at all the closed shops. We made use of the U-Bahn tram network, a stop on which was located immediately outside the hotel. We had a very nice meal in the Bier Garten, with live English language music sung by a German band. There was a bit of a breeze, but not enough to cause problems with crockery disappearing. It was a nice time to reflect the different places we'd briefly visited.

With so little to do in central Stuttgart on a Sunday, we headed to the tourist information centre (which was open) and enquired whether or not there was a cinema showing movies in English near by. We were pointed in the direction of a U-Bahn tram to Vaihingen Schillerplatz, where 100m north there'd be a cinema. Neither of us had seen the recently released The A-Team movie, so we thought we'd give that a go.

It's a tram but it's also underground. The Stuttgart U-Bahn network is more intensive and far-reaching than any location in the UK of similar size benefits from. We made five trips by tram in Stuttgart and one by faster S-Bahn train

The U-Bahn light rail network was very frequent indeed, with trams on most lines operating at least every 10 minutes and with many different routes sharing the same metals, there seemed at times to be a continual stream of spacious trams - all this on a Sunday when everything is closed. Ticket options appeared a little limited when compared to those available on the London Underground, though their value wasn't too bad. The biggest problem was identifying which zone your destination was in as the network map did not show this. Tickets were purchased from the ticket machines located on each platform and then validated on board. Minus the validation requirement, the nearest UK system I would liken it to is Manchester's Metrolink.

We caught the U1 service from Staatsgalerie and were most impressed with the acceleration and lack of noise made by the tram. A feature existed where the doors opened before the tram came to a complete standstill; it was by the same fraction of a second each time, so we assumed that health and safety hadn't been overlooked when the door mechanisms were fitted and that this was just the way they operated. Seating within the trams was 2+2 throughout (Nottingham Express Transit should taken note!) and while minimalist in design, wasn't very comfortable. The ride quality was okay, just the lack of padding beneath the moquette made you numb.

With the exception of riding aboard a Netherland-registered coach, driven by a Brit working for a company based in Switzerland and administered in Guernsey, this had been our first sample of European transport during the jaunt. The trams were all spotless and bore no signs of graffiti or vandalism. They arrived when the screens said they would, were incredibly frequent, reasonably affordable and did not come with gangs of 'disaffected yoof'. In fact, spotting anyone aged between 10-25 years was very unusual indeed.

My father has a 'special adjective' for Germany: civilised. I completely agree.

There were only two screens within this cinema and ours was Kino 2, that seated up to 120 people.

The movie was a hoot and at a cost of €7,50 represented excellent value for money when compared to UK prices. There were no subtitles or voiceovers, the movie was shown in its original sound track and I'm pretty sure we were the only English people in kino 2. Everyone we dealt with in Germany spoke very good English indeed. Subway, the sandwich shop, was just round the corner from the hotel and while the opening hours and health & safety signage was in German, the full menu was in English and this included phrases like "make it a footlong for €1,50 extra" and "Sub of the Day". It seemed almost wrong for a Brit to ask, in English, for a meal that was advertised in English within a German establishment, surrounded by Germans, in Germany, who, incidentally, were all speaking German.

Consequently, I do not now agree with people who bemoan us Brits for not speaking the same plethora of languages as our continental counterparts. We're just fortunate to speak a truly global language. Anyone into global pop and rock music, fashion and football simply has to deal with the English language whether they like it or not. Imagine the world's major brands suddenly abandoning English for German and it being impossible to walk into a McDonalds and reading the menu in English. We'd soon all start to learn German, and this is essentially what's been happening for years and years in non-English speaking countries.

Day 5 was to be our last, as we were booked aboard the 1020 Flybe plane to Birmingham International. On the day we were to return, this was the only UK destination from Stuttgart. Getting to the airport involved getting a U-Bahn tram from opposite the hotel to the central station, and then a S-Bahn train to the airport itself. A single Zone 1-3 ticket sufficed and at 0820 we were stood at the Olgaeck tram stop awaiting the first of our transport modes back to Blighty.

Our U7 tram, comprised of two, two-car units approaches Olgaeck

We actually arrived at Stuttgart Airport over 5 minutes late. The S-Bahn train arrived at Hauptbahnhof behind schedule and never made the time up. However, we'd allowed plenty of time before the gate closed and so weren't constantly clock-watching.

Stuttgart Airport might look a small affair from outside, but it was quite a bustling place indeed. Security was as arduous - but necessary - as ever and then we were twiddling our thumbs until the departure gate was shown. A good hour before departure saw this be revealed, but unlike UK airports, you have passport control to go through literally at the departure gate. The queue for both booths was very long indeed and it took a good 20 minutes to negotiate. The departure gate we'd been sent to wasn't where our plane would be and we were bussed to it - located at one of the far-flung corners of the terminal.

Inside the bus

The buses - Cobus 3000s - reverse to the departure gate doors and have ambulance-style rear doors that are the same width as those of the terminal. They both open and passengers board. Once the quota is on board, you're driven to your plane. There really was a lot of activity at Stuttgart Airport, with these transfer buses darting about all over.

Our plane - a Bombardier-built Q400 Dash 8 - was the smallest aircraft I've ever been in. We knew it would be a small plane as Flybe don't go in for jumbo jets on account of their business model being to link the smaller, regional airports around Europe. A total of 26 soles were confirmed as being on board and our two cabin crew made the necessary safety announcements. Flybe offers, for €8,00, the facility to book your seat on the plane. We didn't bother as looking at the plan saw that no one up to one week before departure had bothered. Due to the size of the aircraft, you're allocated seemingly random seat numbers when you check-in. In the event, the allocations are anything but random. They allocate seats on quieter flights like this one to ensure passengers are as spread around as possible, to aid buoyancy.

I hadn't realised that Flybe stands for Fly British European. Anyway, a little behind schedule, our twin-PW150A engines fired up and we taxied to the runway. This took an eternity - worse than Heathrow T4.

Take-off felt a little more intimate than before, on account of this being a much smaller 70-seater aircraft and the smallest plane either of us has flown aboard being an Airbus A319/320. Cruising altitude was reduced to a maximum of 27,000ft, but the captain announced that we'd not exceed 25,000ft. This was a bummer because we were firmly located within cloud. Of Bombarier's Dash range of aircraft, ours - the Q400 - was the newest to enter service, with the first being built in 2000. It was also the middle-sized plane used by Flybe. It had grey leather seating and offered a level of comfort that was deceptive as you entered.

We touched down over 20 minutes ahead of our 1145 local time arrival and as we were sat in the first two seats by the front door, were first off. We'd never landed in Birmingham International Airport before and managed to tick another box through doing so. The journey was also the loudest we'd partaken, both during this journey and since we've been flying. The first video below shows the view from our window, where unusually in our experience, the wings are higher than the cabin. The second shows touch down in Brum.

From here, we'd travel to New Street station and connect onto our respective trains to differing parts of Lincolnshire. M'colleague was to be bound for Skegness via Lincoln, while I was to end the journey aboard the same service that had commenced it four days ago - a CrossCountry Class 170, though bound for Stamford rather than our Peterborough (so a full round trip was cut short by 10 miles). The XC trains departed New Street at xx22 and with an 1145 arrival, I knew the 1222 would be a very tall order, not least due to the journey in from the airport takes a minimum of 10 minutes.

Despite the location of the rail-air link being a closely guarded secret, I like Birmingham International. It's a small affair and with only two terminals nothing's too far away. Except the train station. And Birmingham!

Now for the biggest headache of the entire journey: finding the train station from Terminal 2. Unusually we'd not researched the transfer beforehand, after learning there were just two terminals. As Clarkson would say, how hard can it be? I defy anyone of sound body and mind to find the station from Terminal 2 arrivals in under 10 minutes. The standard signage at Birmingham is all ceiling mounted and in a uniform font. This details everything but 'trains' or 'rail link'. Separate, stand-alone boards that are left on the floor state TRAINS and guide you out of T2 and left towards T1. They then direct you to the most easterly extremity of T1 before pointing within the terminal and them completely ending.

We didn't know it at the time, but we'd need to make use of this: the rail-air link

We'd travelled through five countries in five days and had no issued of any kind - much of which being down to the planning made by Busabout, but now we were on home turf and lost. I refused to ask anyone. I was now a Brit back in Britain and typically refused to ask for help! The indignity of it all. It was causing a little concern for me rather than m'colleague, since our 1125 arrival made the 1222 XC train from New Street now a real possibility, but here we were lost in Terminal 1.

Good old dependable NX West Midlands came to the rescue. Popping to the opposing bus station shone light on the matter - excellent publicity at each of the shelters not only showed departure times of local bus services, but maps of the airport and we soon spotted a rail-air link to the east. It became clear that we needed to go up a storey within T1 and this we did - despite no sign telling us to - and hey presto signage resumed. The rail-air link was similar in design to that at Stansted Airport, but far more user-friendly.

We were the only two people in the front car of our two-car vehicle as it departed within 30 seconds of us boarding. We were elevated and travelled for perhaps just under a mile to the train station, passing over the main entrance and exit for road traffic and seemed to weave between hotels and business units. Music was played while travel took place but this reminded me of being on hold to BT. It was, however, a seamless transition 'twixt air and rail terminals and was clearly a very efficient way of moving large numbers of people with minimal effort.

At Birmingham International train station, we had to wait for a London Midland train to New Street, which would depart at 1204 and this was performed by a very punctual Class 350 Desiro. We arrived in the soon-to-be revamped New Street station at 1218 and I shot across to Platform 10 for the XC service to Stanstead via Stamford. I'll not be sorry to see the current interior at New Street go. Like its former coach station counterpart, the platforms themselves are just awful - dark, dingy and depressing.

Summary

While Busabout describes itself as the provider of European bus travel for independent travellers, in effect most people who travel with the operator appear to be anything but independent. They take full advantage of the associated accommodation rather than simply use Busabout as a stepping stone between two cities and this is because Busabout's big problem is that you need to commit to more than just one single journey with them to be able to travel. They prefer you to undertake at least one of their three loops or purchase a Flexiride ticket for one-way trips that take in numerous locations along the way. You can't, for example, use Busabout to travel solely between Stuttgart and Paris or solely between Nice and Barcelona. Adopting a truly flexible ticketing policy would surely open up their network to more people.

However, since Australians and Kiwis are the company's staple diet, they are at least tailoring their product to their current clients' needs. No Kiwi backpacker just wants to visit one city in Europe. Guides appear to be backpackers themselves, who love it so much in Europe they don't want to go home. Their love for the outdoors is truly infectious and the enthusiasm is just what Busabout's very active clientele wants to hear. Busabout's lack of amendment fee for on-the-spot changes to people's itineraries is very commendable and is an aspect that could be promoted more.

Their coaches are spotless and the extensive cleaning policy ensures they'll be an excellent purchase for whoever they are sold to by parent company Atlas Reizen next year. The training process for new drivers and guides was described to us by all we spoke with as 'epic' - six weeks, covering all routes, rules and regulations. Drivers tend to be British, though a number of global nationalities are on their books. We both felt the lifestyle Busabout's drivers have is very privileged, but weren't sure if we could stick it for six months. We weren't given even an inkling of their wage as they all, apparently, 'don't do it for the money'. Turnover - based solely on our observations - seems to be high so driving one of these VDL/Marcopolos is clearly not everyone's cup of tea, though Simon seemed to enjoy it, telling us on more than one occasion, he's only ever wanted to drive coaches throughout Europe - most certainly a dream come true.

We believe you'll most appreciate what Busabout has to offer if you're either Aussie or Kiwi. You'll not cringe at all the references to brain farts, fair dinkum, blitzing everything, rocking on in to everywhere and all sentences being spoken as if they're questions. It's all good fun though and we soon learned our guides were more than willing for a bit of mutual mickey-taking. We'd never heard of Busabout before our LEYTR associate mentioned it to us. We're very glad we sampled their wares and look forward to returning next year to brand new Berkhof Axial coaches. They're certainly doing a ripper job promoting Europe to non-Europeans.

A Farwell to Lymmington's 3CIGs

2010-05-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

The title of today's entry was uttered by the South West Trains (SWT) guard as he checked mine and m'colleague's tickets as we headed south-west from London aboard the 1035 Class 444 'Desiro' train to Weymouth. And those fond of SWT's 3CIGs will also, by now, have guessed our intended destination.

Our day started at England's largest station - London Waterloo - where out ten-car SWT '444' loads passengers on Platform 11, bound for Bournemouth and Weymouth

For Saturday 22 May was the final day's service for these 1963 stalwart electric multiple units (EMUs). Designated as Class 421 mid-way through their introduction, they are probably best known by those perhaps less enthusiastic of the railways as the 'slam-door electric trains that ran into London from the south'. Built between 1964-72 at British Rail's (BR's) York factory, the trains, known as 4CIGs initially, ran exclusively on the Brighton Main Line, linking the route's southern-most terminus with London. They were also later to be seen running to/from Portsmouth.

If you're still not sure the traction type to which we refer, hopefully this will make things a little clearer. 1497 approaches Lymington Town from the Pier station on her final day's work

Their original title - 4CIG - derives from the manner in which British Rail's Southern Region named its traction types. In the case of the slam-door EMUs, 4 referred to the number of units/carriages and CIG stood for "Corridor BrIGhton Stock". This type of train, however, eventually became synonymous with commuters in the south of England. Privatisation and the influx of newer trains with electronically controlled plug doors eventually sealed their fate.

I'd assumed patronage for Saturday's last-ever day's service would be high and I wasn't disappointed, with the numbers in attendance to mark the passing of a fairly large chunk of British railway history. Here 1497 arrives from the SWT depot ready to relieve sister 1498

During 2005, a decision was taken to remove all slam-door electrics from passenger service in the UK, though SWT received a special dispensation for their 5.25-mile Lymington Branch, linking the main London Waterloo-Weymouth line at Brockenhurst with the idyllic marina town of Lymington. The branch line's existence relies heavily on the ferry service between Lymington and Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, and to this extent, the small town boasts two train stations: Lymington Town and Lymington Pier.

Special headboards had been made and were worn at both ends by both 3CIGs

M'colleague and I first travelled on the line soon after its outreach from the 2005 Class 421 cull had taken into effect. We were mid-way through our 2005 LEYTR Railrover jaunt and travelled north from Lymington Pier to Brockenhurst thence to Pokesdown. On Saturday, almost five years on, the traction type's reign here was at an end: SWT have now withdrawn both specially-converted EMUs and have started operating Class 158 diesel multiple units (DMUs) along the branch on weekdays and '450' EMUs at weekends.

Many will undoubtedly knock SWT for their withdrawal - especially along a fully-electrified branch line when they're to be replaced by DMUs - but travelling on the trains revealed how tired and worn they are now looking. As we both arrived at Brockenhurst, off an immaculate SWT Desiro, we were lucky enough to see both units in action - 1498 'Farringford' had worked all journeys up until its arrival into Brockenhurst at 1224 and 1497 'Freshwater' would then take over for the remainder of the day.

Here we see 1498 'Farringford' after completing the morning shift. The driver was shunting her to the Up sidings where she would be stabled until the ceremonious journey back to the depot attached to 1497

While both trains - named after two vessels that sailed for many, many years between Lymington and Yarmouth - are still officially Class 421s, they're now referred to as 3CIGs on account of both units losing a carriage when they were removed from main line service and prepared for their retirement along the Lymington Branch. Both now comprise three carriages - one of which being First Class compartments - another being Standard Class seating and the central one being part-Standard Class, the guard's compartment and an area housing wheelchair users and parents with buggies.

Look familiar? The memories of this type of interior, while being consigned to yesteryear, quickly provoked many memories

Both trains have worn heritage liveries since they were saved from the scrap yard. 1497 'Freshwater' carries BR's blue and grey livery, while sister 1498 'Farringford' wears BR's all-green livery.

You might assume the timetable would reflect the relaxed operation these two 3CIGs were clearly undertaking. Actually, they increased their daily exercise considerably since being allocated here. While they don't exceed 60mph at any point along the 10.5-mile round trip, they are expected to undertake a tireless 10-min drive, 5-min turnaround for over 16 hours (0559-2224). In fact, the operation is so intensive, SWT had to overcome problems it identified with running DMUs with such fast turnarounds.

Despite the 3CIGs now having gone for good, the new '158' DMUs appear to require additional running time - 1 minute in either direction. It says much about both the diesel engine over electric motors and new over old that a vehicle less than two decades old requires extra time to cover the same distance a vehicle more than twice its age could manage.

You could, therefore, quite rightly ask SWT for the reason why it decided the withdraw the trains. They cited the necessity for another complete overhaul, both mechanically and internally and the level of cost this would levy, as the prime reason. As we mentioned, both trains weren't in the best of states and while we understand they could have continued running for another year or so, a decision was taken - be it for better or worse - and D-Day was on Saturday.

Some of the design features that have been lost with modern trains were in evidence on Saturday as we both made numerous trips along the line. Firstly, door width is something that has become a lot more generous over the years. The end Standard Class carriage has three doors - one at either end and one in the middle - all of which are incredibly narrow by today's standards and the central one features passengers sat opposite each other as you board. While this was always the case, the ambiance afforded the new generation of EMU and DMU has seen passenger seating well away from the much wider entrance doors.

We both jumped aboard Freshwater's second journey of the day, departing Brockenhurst at 1259, and I soon cottoned on to the fact that in order to take photos and video, we really needed to board as late as possible and immediately close the door behind. The sliding window could then be lowered for photography. Normally, the loadings along the branch aren't anything to write home about, but today saw a plethora of photographers and families using the line, in addition to tourists heading to/from the Isle of Wight. SWT had laid on activities at Brockenhurst station and so too at Lymington Town.

Look how new the platform is, here at Lymington Town. Major alterations were required for DMUs to operate along the branch

Within a mile after leaving Brockenhurst, the line branches off the main Waterloo-Weymouth route and becomes single-track. We head through the southern reach of the New Forest and this is the stretch that sees the trains running at their fastest. We clocked ours, using a GPS device, touching 60mph. Braking for Lymington Town and a number of curves brings up another aspect of modern-vs-old train operation: the burning smell of the air brakes. This was accompanied with the familiar grinding noise, in direct correlation between the driver pulling his lever and the brakes grinding against the wheels. Today, everything is operated electronically and you seldom find a train that allows you to stick your head out the window while in motion.

After 4.75 miles, we arrived at Lymington Town. The platform looked almost new and this was due to the work required in readiness for the DMU operation. As we exited, we saw a selection of awnings in the station car park with a live band playing in front of the Wilts & Dorset bus depot. Food was on offer (though not as cheap as that being sold in Tesco in the town) and the weather was exceptional - 27C and blue sky as far as the eye could see.

It's not often you see a live band performing with the backdrop of a bus depot, though this is exactly what was on offer at Lymington Town

We wandered into the town centre where there was a market in full flow along one of the main streets. A number of Wilts & Dorset vehicles passed us, from East Lancs-bodied Volvos to Optare Solos. Having taken brief refuge from the temperature in a cafe that served reasonably-priced milkshakes, we headed back to town and caught the 1416 train north, back to Brockenhurst. At the terminus we stayed on and sat in the familiar BR seating for the return trip. It was very hot indeed and judging by those aboard, around 80% of travellers today were here to say goodbye to the traction type.

Once again we left Brockenhurst, passing 'Farringford' that had been stabled along the Up sidings, and south to Lymington. On this occasion we stayed on to the Pier station terminus. The drivers were constantly asking photographers if there was a special number they'd like displaying on the two-roller number blind. Unless a specific request was made, either 91 or 97 was displayed. SWT had a number of staff at all three stations, ensuring everything went off smoothly. They all seemed happy to converse with the enthusiasts and one nice gent told me that both 3CIGs would be coupled together at the end of the day and sent off to the depot at Bournemouth. This would have made an excellent and very rare shot, since usually only one EMU is used on any one day.

Back at Lymington Pier, our 30 minutes was utilised by witnessing the Wight Link car ferry from Yarmouth arriving, disembarking and then heading back across the Solent.

There's a fair amount of walking required for drivers on the Lymington Branch. Every 15 minutes they are required to walk the full length of their train. Here the driver of the 1446 ex Lymington Pier awaits the right away from his guard

Trains depart Brockenhurst at xx29 xx59 past each hour, arriving Lymington Town at xx07 xx37 and Lymington Pier at xx09 xx39. They return from Lymington Pier at xx44 xx14, Lymington Town xx46 xx16 and arrive Brockenhurst at xx54 xx24. The first train is 0559 ex Brockenhurst and the last is 2214 ex Lymington Pier - that's 32 round trips per day.

We caught the 1514 from Lymington Pier the half-mile to the Town and hopped off. The weather was very hot indeed and while we knew the '444' back to London would be air conditioned, still felt the urge to stock up with supplies. We jumped on the service 30 minutes later back to Brockenhurst and then onto our punctual 5-car 'Desiro' at 1615 to Waterloo.

But what now for the two '421' 3CIGs that were retired on Saturday? One consideration was that both EMUs would pass to Knights Rail Services of Eastleigh, where they'd join a 4CIG being prepared for mainline service. However, the proprietor sold his 4CIG recently to the Brighton Belle Project for them to use as spares for their 4CIG, which they're fundraising for to enable it to once again return to the main line. It may be that Freshwater and/or Farringford could be returned to their 4-car formation and continue in service, albeit in a wholly preserved fashion.

An Easter Wayfarer

2010-04-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

The last time m'colleague and I ventured into Derbyshire, to avail ourselves of the transport network therein, our trip had gone less than well: we left a train at Derby and went outside to catch Trent Barton's Transpeak service to Buxton - it arrived from Nottingham with standing room only. We both squeezed on to Derby city centre where the queue of 40+ people was left behind. We ran progressively late until our itinerary had to be drastically altered. Both Plans B & C went to pot as non-operational bus services formed the day's staple diet. In the end, we caught Hulley's Service 172 from Matlock to Bakewell and back, before returning to Derby with our tails between our legs.

That was May Day 2008, could Easter Monday 2010 be any better? In a word, yes.

One of the advantages of a Bank Holiday Monday, for those who live a fair old distance from the Peak District and Derbyshire Dales, is that train services ostensibly run to a Monday timetable, while Sunday timings are used for bus services. Bus routes on the Sabbath vary considerably in Derbyshire, accommodating the thousands of tourists who descend on the world's oldest National Park.

We left Stamford aboard a CrossCountry Class 170 'Turbostar' at 0805, bound for Birmingham New Street, though alighted at Leicester. To my eternal shame, the line from Peterborough to Stamford, thence Oakham, Melton Mowbray and Leicester is one I've never travelled before, so Stamford was our Lincolnshire starting point on this occasions for precisely this reason. The three-car Turbostar, 170639, was immaculately turned out and very quiet indeed. So quiet that we accidentally stumbled across a young mother breast-feeding in Coach B.

170639 departs Leicester, bound for Birmingham New Street

There was insufficient time to venture into Leicester city centre and, besides, the ticket gates often concern me - do they know a break in outward and return journeys are permitted with an Off-Peak Return? Will they retain my outward portion despite the outward journey not having been completed yet? Leicester, despite it being relatively early on a Bank Holiday, was a hive of East Midlands Trains (EMT) activity, with three Class 222 'Meridian's and a couple of HSTs passing through within the 20 minutes or so that we were there. Our next train was operated by EMT and was bound for Sheffield. Meridian 222002 arrived punctually at 0904 and we were soon speeding towards Derby.

222002 departs Derby after transporting us from Leicester

Once home to the railways, Derby's station had become a bit of an eye sore until recently, when it's undergone a face lift. Very nice it looks, too. Our outward tickets were retained as we passed through the barriers in order to purchase a Derbyshire Wayfarer (DW) ticket, which would enable us virtually unhindered access to all buses and trains within Derbyshire and to/from certain locations beyond the boundary. The DW costs £8.60 for 1 adult+1 child or dog but a group ticket is less than double this, at £13.70 - and there's no requirement to travel with children, so m'colleague and I always purchase this Group version. All mainline stations in Derbyshire and a couple outside the county sell the DW, as too do the larger bus operators.

The DW is laminated in a special wallet, so you need to grab the attention of one of the station staff manning the barriers in order to pass through. We were to catch the 0950 EMT service to Matlock. For the past year or so, all journeys on this service now commence at Nottingham; hitherto it was a shorter Derby-Matlock service, requiring people for Nottingham to change. A Class 158 is a frequent performer on here and we weren't to be disappointed as 158783 arrived in good time. The Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) had undergone its refurbishment at Delta Rail - just down the road, coincidentally - and now sported the red moquette and very high-back seating. No longer do EMT's '158s' offer bucket-type seating. In fact, so substantial are the new seat backs, it makes visibility virtually nil.

158783 is seen here at its terminus in Matlock. Pre-Beeching, trains such as the Blue Pullman, would pass through en route to Manchester via Bakewell, Monsal Head and Millers Dale

Our journey north from Derby is an all-stopper, calling at Duffield and Belper on the Midland Main Line, before branching off at Ambergate - where once there stood a station whose platforms were laid out in a triangular fashion, though today just one exists on the branch line. Whatstandwell soon followed and this is a location I holidayed at regularly with my family. We then passed through Cromford - where avids of Michael Portillo's Great British Railway Journeys would know stands the world's oldest factory - and onto Matlock Bath, which I see as a seaside resort that's missing the sea, before onto the line's terminus at Matlock. Despite efforts at the less-popular stations to restore signage and general presentation to that of yesteryear, both Matlock and Matlock Bath station signs carried British Railway's 'Regional Railways' logos.

As detailed below, Matlock's former bus station is now referred to as Bus Stands C & D, yet is more substantial than the new one opened next to the train station

Our tightest connection was now - 1035 Service 17 to Chesterfield, operated by Stagecoach in Chesterfield. Matlock now has two bus stations, dissected by the River Derwent. Derbyshire County Council refer to the original station as merely 'bus stands' today, and they're located a good 5 minute walk from the train station. Stagecoach often deploy Volvo Olympians to Service 17 and the route is superb when seen from the top-deck of a vehicle of this type. Initially, the circuitous Lime Tree Hill with its 1-in-7 gradient poses a struggle for many vehicles and then a few miles further, the much more linear Slack Hill offers spectacular views across the valley. Aboard a bog-standard ADL Dart/ADL Pointer, 35261, YN56 SGZ, it has to be said, the experience is somewhat diminished.

Stagecoach Service 17 sees alternate Summer Sunday journeys extend beyond Matlock to Ashbourne, though ours was one of the 'shorts'

A brisk walk was needed now to Chesterfield train station to board our third EMT service of the day - this being the 1137 to Sheffield, formed of two 5-car Meridians (222023+222019). There was more than ample space inside as the 10-car formation headed north through Dronfield to its Sheffield terminus. I'd never travelled aboard a two-unit Meridian before and while it was clearly not needed for this journey, I assumed operational staff had calculated it would operate a busy service later in the day.

Seen at Chesterfield is our train to Sheffield, formed of two Meridians 'kissing'

In Sheffield, the train's length is best depicted here

At Sheffield, by chance, we bumped into an LEYTR Member who's a train conductor for Transpennine Express and had a nosey round the cab of one of their Class 185 'Desiros', before heading to the Interchange to catch our next service - TM Travel's 218 to Buxton.

Back-in-the-day, this service was operated by Potteries Motor Traction (First PMT) and linked Hanley with Sheffield via Leek, Buxton, Bakewell, Baslow and Totley but reliability issues and tachograph requirements saw the service split at the equidistant locality of Buxton: First South Yorkshire would provide the re-numbered 218 between Sheffield-Buxton and First Potteries would provide the Hanley-Buxton section. First South Yorkshire, however, lost the contract to operate the service to TM Travel, who now provide the eastern section; D&G now operate the western section, numbered 118.

Have Optare at any time produced a Solo with fewer seats than 23? Seen here in Buxton Market Place is our chariot from Sheffield, which arrived too late to connect with First Potteries Service 118 at Hanley, inconveniencing a handful of through-passengers

There were a good 30 people at Bay B6 within Sheffield's spotless, award-winning Interchange as we joined the end of the queue. Our vehicle was visible in a parallel lay-over bay, the driver (we presume) having his lunch. We were scheduled to depart at 1230 and so you could imagine our dismay when the 23-seater Optare Solo pulled up at 1229. I couldn't help thinking that TM Travel badly underestimated the popularity of this run. There are only 3 on a Sunday, this being the middle one. A 23-seater Solo was woeful, especially since the service passes through the honeypot of Bakewell on a Bank Holiday Monday.

Deary, deary me

We departed 7 minutes late and the elderly Optare Solo - W286 EYG - really struggled on the gradual inclines through Totley. I tried to keep an eye on the time, but when we joined the queue for Bakewell two miles before the first house, I knew our 15-minute connection at Buxton onto Bowers' Service 61 at 1400 would not be made. It took us just over 30 minutes to traverse Bakewell. Our Solo, with around 40 soles on board, sold 6 tickets to fare-paying passengers. What shocked me was when a very elderly man asked if I knew the times of the buses back! The free bus passes have taken social mobility and inclusion to ridiculous levels! Never mind the overload, people over the age of 60 just simply hop on a bus to somewhere nice without researching the times of buses back!

Changing subject, here's a shot of Bridge 86 at Chesterfield station; or more accurately, here's a shot of a sign stating Bridge 86 at Chesterfield station. As part of the station's renovation, a footbridge was removed here, though its sign remains in situ

Unlike our May Day 2008 experience, no one was left during this Wellglade-operated journey, and once beyond Bakewell, our driver 'gave it the beans', though a diversion was required as the A6 is currently closed between Topley Pike and Buxton due to a landslide. This means all vehicles have to operate via Brierlow Bar and the A515. My Plan B was to catch the 1430 Northern train to New Mills Newtown and then walk to New Mills Central to catch the 1511 Northern train to Grindleford (the latter always being the aim). We arrived in Buxton Market Place at 1414 and saw a queue had formed for Trent Barton's Skyline 199 to Manchester Airport, due out at 1415 - passing the train station, which was a good 10 minutes walk otherwise.

Trent Barton's vehicles are always well-presented, though the row this Scania made was very noticeable. It's seen here on its inbound journey, before turning and departing for Manchester Airport 10 mins late

What to do? Hope the Skyline 199 would arrive, load and leave in time to deliver us to the station punctually enough to enable us to catch the 1430 train, or just walk to the station and chance that it can be done in time? We both elected to remain in Buxton Market Place and wait for the 'really late bus company', departing as we did at 1425. Traffic was very slow as we headed to the station and there was no train visible as we passed at 1432 so, instead, we remained on our consecutive Wellglade-operated service to Newtown. Our vehicle was a Scania/Wright Eclipse Solar 644, FN04 HSC, that, if we're both honest, sounded as rough as old boots!

As we headed north from Buxton, we passed Trent Barton's most northerly depot at Dove Holes. Seen outside is a Plaxton Premiere Interurban-bodied Volvo B10M, wearing Transpeak livery

There was no chance of catching the 1511 Northern train to Grindleford now, so I concocted a plan to return to Buxton using Bowers' Service 61 via Fernilee - a delightful run. We were 17 minutes late alighting Trent Barton's 199 at Newtown and in just over 15 minutes, at 1525, the Bowers service would depart the town centre. We had time to partially wander downhill towards New Mills itself, passing the Swizzles-Matlow factory which, when conditions are right, emits the aroma of Refreshers (or at least used to - can you still buy Refreshers?). Bowers operate Solos on the 61 and this was to be our newest so far - YJ54 UBH, though its saloon heaters were stuck on hot, making for a particularly uncomfortable, if incredibly scenic, journey back to Buxton.

We both recommend Service 61 between Buxton-New Mills-Glossop to anyone wanting a day out in the Peak District. During the High Season, the service extends over Holme Moss to Holmfirth, which is an exceptional run. Seen here is Bowers' Solo operating the service heading towards Buxton Market Place after we'd alighted at the Spa

Had we stuck with the original plan, we'd've caught TM Travel's Service 215 from Grindleford Station to Bakewell and then Hulley's Service 170 to Chesterfield. As it was, we now were back in Buxton and boarded TM Travel's Service 66 to Chesterfield, which departed at 1630. Yet another Solo was provided - YN56 AHY - and the driver kindly allowed us to board a good 10 minutes before departure time, affording respite from the biting wind. It was in an all-over red livery and during the week is used on services acquired with the business of Thompson Travel in 2005. Today, however, we were treated to the very scenic journey to Chesterfield via Millers Dale, Litton, Tideswell, Eyam, Calver Sough and Baslow.

Another red Solo, this time operating for TM Travel as we head to Chesterfield

I can't help thinking that despite the capacity of some Solos rivalling that of a low-floor Dart, they're just not proper buses for riding these routes. Time was when these services were operated by Alexander PS-bodied B10Ms or ex-London Darts/Alexander Dash for Stagecoach - even TM Travel initially used DAF/Optare Sigmas and Hulleys operated Lynxes. Drivers cite the appaling steering lock and lack of front overhang as attributes that ironically make the Solo more difficult to drive than a full-size bus, but I'm not sure if I agree.

We caught a CrossCountry Voyager, new to Virgin, from Chesterfield to Derby. The vehicle's fleet number is awkward to view on XC trains - it's right at the bottom of the front panel in white

Back in Chesterfield, we made our second stroll to the train station and boarded a journey earlier than planned - a CrossCountry Class 220 'Voyager' - 220018 - at 1807, so that we could arrive in Derby with sufficient time to see the city's long-overdue bus station that opened a week ago. A separate blog entry will be made next week on this subject. Our trip back to the station aboard one of Arriva Derby's nearly-new Scania Omnicities was interesting though. I've been on Nottingham's examples countless times, but Arriva Derby's have a different rear-end layout. They certainly look the business.

From having a tired, ageing fleet five years ago, Arriva has transformed its Derby operation, spending millions rejuvenating the front-line vehicles. Seen here is a Scania Omnicity outside the train station

We headed back to Leicester at 1918 aboard an EMT Meridan, 222012, bound for London St. Pancras and from there a CrossCountry Turbostar, 170397, to Stamford, arriving precisely at the booked 2100.

I'm sure we've all had horror stories to tell, travelling by train over a Bank Holiday weekend, however, this jaunt saw the train services flying the flag, with EMT supplying additional resource and every single train journeys being accurate (rather than punctual, which can see trains arrive 8 minutes late and still be considered 'on time'). TM Travel let themselves down by not supplying a vehicle with adequate capacity for a journey from Sheffield into the Peak District (a decision clearly within their control) and their driver not loading up until 1 minute before departure time. Had we arrived Buxton 7 minutes earlier (1407), we'd have walked to the station for the 1430 train.

The last photo of the day was of our EMT Meridian after dropping us at Leicester in order for us to catch our last train to Stamford. It was 8pm by now and we were very much enjoying the longer days!

Despite this glitch, which prevented us a ride along the Hope Valley Line, the day went very well and was much improved from our last trip. We both heartily recommend the Derbyshire Wayfarer ticket for anyone visiting Derbyshire (not just the Dales and Peaks), which offers unsurpassed value for money.

Derbyshire Wayfarer info

At the sharp end

2010-04-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

We are both delighted, nay, excited to bring you details of an LEYTR Exclusive - a cab ride in a Class 395 'Javelin', operating along HS1 at speeds of up to 140mph. We were given unmetered access to the cab environment and undertook a journey between London and Ashford alongside the driver. For obvious reasons we can't divulge dates and times since cab rides are frowned upon nowadays.

From December, train operating company Southeastern introduced a fleet of Hitachi's high-speed electric multiple units, running to a new, frequent timetable and attracting headline-grabbing top speeds of 140mph. These new dual-voltage, six-car trains - the product of Japanese precision engineering - are referred to as Javelins and have been categorised as Class 395 trains.

A total of 28 are used to operate the new London-Kent services, radiating from the impressive London St. Pancras International station. They all operate using the Channel Tunnel Rail Link - colloquially referred to as HS1, or High Speed 1, passing through Stratford International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International. It is here that the Javelins switch from 25kV overhead electricity supply to 750V DC third-rail operation, continuing their journeys using the classic lines within Kent.

Two Javelins stand at their elevated platforms, to the east of Eurostar departures at London St. Pancras International. They have the look of Japan's Bullet Train, though what you're actually looking at is nothing more than a pair of DVTs.

There are three routes, all commencing at St. Pancras. Two per hour operate opposite each other to create a thirty-minute headway to Ashford via Stratford and Ebbsfleet; one then operates to Dover Priory, while the other terminates at Margate via Canterbury West, Ramsgate and Broadstairs. The other route operates half-hourly at opposing times along HS1 to Ebbsfleet, thence Faversham via Gravesend, Gillingham and Sittingbourne. This gives an evenly-spaced 15-minute service from St. Pancras to Ebbsfleet.

At no other point on the National Rail network on mainland Britain is it possible to exceed a speed of 125mph. We'd both travelled along HS1 before, with Eurostar, and their Class 373s are permitted to travel at 300kph (186mph) - the maximum line speed, though in typically British fashion, our Javelins are limited to 140mph. We would witness this on numerous occasions (though displayed in kilometers per hour - boo! hiss!) as well as capture a very unique perspective of the UK's most talked-about railway line.

We met our driver (an avid blog reader, you might guess!) on Platform 12 around 20 minutes before departure. He walked us along his train, formed of six cars - two Driving Van Trailers (or more precisely, a Pantograph Driving Trailer Standard Open, since simply refering to them as DVTs could give the impression passenger seating is not available) and four standard motor cars. He explained that the motorised cars are the four central carriages and that those either end (where the driving is done) are the DVTs. Each train will seat 352 passengers, hold 2 wheelchairs and accommodate 508 standees. They look resplendent in their all-over dark-blue livery and Southeastern has gone all-out in advertising the train's main attribute: 'high speed' vinyls are prominently displayed on all carriages.

Southeastern has chosen to promote the route's credentials over its corporate identity

We entered the driver's cab through the front passenger door, and were met with a scene that truly emulated that from the Starship Enterprise. I defy anyone to liken driving a train with that of a bus after standing in the Javelin's cab. Rows upon rows of buttons, gauges, screens, monitors and cupboards ensconced the driver's seat. Wow. Becoming au fait with this traction type takes a little longer than a month in a classroom, primarily due to the unique signalling that can be found on HS1. Save departing St. Pancras, there are no other lineside signals until Ashford. Instead, permitted line speeds are shown on the driver's dashboard and flash when they are expected to reduce. Drivers identify each section using marker boards at regular intervals along the route. This is known as the European Train Control System (ETCS) and 7kph above the permitted line speed will see an emergency brake application. The specific cab signalling system used in the Javelins is called TVM 430.

Complex, very complex. You'll note that despite the futuristic design, a phone is still an essential component

Our train was bound for Dover Priory and we were 'given the road' (green signal) one minute before our departure time. The public address system can be heard in the driver's cab and following the automated announcement we then heard the train manager repeat it all (it's a requirement)! The driver had undertaken a brake test soon after entering the cab and had received a phone call from the Train Manager, informing him that he was on board and preparing for a punctual departure. Departure from St Pancras is controlled by platform staff using what is known as CD/RA (Close Door/Right Away) indicators. At departure time, CD is shown by means of an indicator near to the signal. This tells the driver to shut the doors. Once this has occurred and all yellow body side indicator lights are out, the RA - 'Right Away' is given and this gives permission to the driver to start the train.

Off we went. Within seconds a myth was busted - that pedalled by the press in the run-up to the full timetable's implementation, which claimed drivers were asked to travel along HS1 at the more sedate 125mph, as opposed to the headline-grabbing 140mph. Our driver told us that he'd never been requested to do anything of the sort and cited the timings as so tight that if you weren't running at near the maximum speed you'd soon get very late indeed.

The last traditional signal before Ashford is seen here, as we enter Tunnel 1 immediately after St. Pancras

To get us going the driver applied full power straight away. Speed quickly rose to the permitted 40kph (25mph). The signalling system uses traditional colour light signals between St.Pancras and the entrance to Tunnel 1, however it is under the KVB system, where speed is control by beacons, so care must be taken to avoid speeding or an emergency brake application will result. After we round the curve towards HS1, power is applied again briefly and shut off. We enter Tunnel 1 doing around 55kph (34mph) with speed increasing on a downhill gradient. The TVM 430 signalling system arms and shows 80kph (50mph). We continue to coast downhill and shortly after it increases to 160kph (100mph). Full power is now applied and acceleration is rapid. The TVM updates further to 200kph. Unfortunately there is a neutral section and the driver is forced to shut off power for this while doing 120kph (75mph). Full power is re-applied and we easily reach 175kph (110 mph) when the TVM changes to a flashing 225kph for the approach to Stratford station. A flashing indication means a reduction of speed is expected and our driver slows the train as the system shows 200, 160, and finally 100kph for entry into Stratford International. The platform is not on the main line, allowing Javelins to be held here during busy periods to allow Eurostars to dash past at the 230kph (143mph) line speed.

Preparing to depart from St. Pancras, we see an inbound Javelin arriving from Faversham

No sooner had our eyes become accustom to the light, we'd arrived at Stratford - 7.5km (4.7miles) in 5 minutes. From London Victoria, National Express coaches take 45 minutes to reach Stratford. On the approach to the station, Eurostar's Temple Mills depot could be seen and accessible spurs noted; Westfield shopping centre was to our right and the Olympic Village to our left. This stretch of line will be instrumental in conveying spectators to the Olympic Games in just over two years' time. Southeastern has said that the frequency of trains along this section of route can be summarised in seconds rather than minutes.

Despatch from Stratford is Driver Only Operated (DOO) and 24 cameras allow the driver to do this safely. Once the blue door interlock light is lit, full power is applied and as we accelerate there is a hissing sound as the doors are shut tightly against their seals to avoid uncomfortable air pressure changes. Although the TVM system is showing a permitted 100kph (62mph), our driver applies full power straight away and shuts off the power at just 60kph (37mph). This is to avoid overspeeding and heading towards 100kph (62mph) as we enter Tunnel 2. We are still coasting with speed increasing on the downhill gradient at 85kph (53mph) when at last the TVM display updates to 160kph (100mph) and full power is applied. There the lever would stay until we attained our full speed of 225kph (140mph). Note the actual line speed is 230kph (143mph) for Eurostars. The gradients in the tunnels are not level and after our descent towards Redbridge the line climbs steadily at a gradient of around 1 in 240 towards the tunnel portal at Dagenham. However speed is still increasing we just attain 200kph before the steep 1 in 45 gradient robs us of a few kph as we emerge into Essex.

HS1, by this stage, runs parallel to c2c's Tilbury Line and passes Ford's Dagenham plant. Also at this stage I was getting very annoyed by a seemingly random alarm bell that sounded. Our driver told me this was his vigilance alarm, which would sound randomly, requiring him to either move his dead man's pedal, on which his foot was placed, or to move the Traction/Brake Controller. This prevented him from simply placing his bag on the dead man's pedal; he was required to make a physical movement.

Stratford International's Down line, as seen from the train driver's perspective

The cab smelt new still, and while this wouldn't ordinarily be worthy of note, is impressive since the Javelins have been in service for almost a year. They'd been ordered in 2004, with the first arriving in August 2007, with a drip-fed shipment thereafter for two years precisely. A preview timetable between London-Stratford-Ebbsfleet(-Ashford) commenced in June last year, with enhancements added in September when some classic line-operation took place. The trains are maintained at Hitachi's purpose-built £53 million depot adjacent to Ashford station, with a number of sets stabled overnight at both Faversham and Ramsgate stations.

We left the action having emerged from Tunnel 2 and were currently running parallel to c2c's Tilbury Line. Our speed was increasing now to the fastest we'd attained so far. Our driver said that under normal circumstances, the first opportunity to reach the top speed of 225kph (140mph) is as the train passes the Wennington Crossovers. Our driver duly obliged and we were now hurtling along HS1 covering 1 kilometer every 15 seconds. I even managed a crafty shot of us travelling at 226kph (141mph), and afterwards asked our driver what the situation is with overspeeds. Apparently, up to 3kph over is acceptable, though any more is recorded and the driver is required to explain all to his manager. 7kph over and an emergency brake application is made.

Top speed + 1

It had taken us 12 minutes to reach our maximum speed and while part of me was a little disappointed we weren't cruising at 140mph sooner, we had made a stop at Stratford. Our driver said that the Javelins aren't as powerful as he'd hoped and on some inclines he needs to have the throttle open fully and despite this, progress is painfully slow. He was also of the opinion that the trains performed better when drawing their power through overhead lines rather than the third rail, used on the classic lines. On paper each motor car has 4 motors and there are 4 motor cars rated at 210kW. This is a total of 3360kW or 4500hp. This gives 16.3hp per ton making this train the most powerful EMU in Britain. By comparison Virgin's Pendolino trains have 14.6hp per ton but don't have to deal with long gradients of up to 1 in 40 on HS1.

It now began to rain and the double wiper blade came into its own. When travelling on a bus, averaging 20mph, rainfall always looks more severe owing to the manner in which the bus is driving into it; travelling many, many times faster than this sees even the lightest shower pummel the windscreen to the point that visibility is significantly reduced, and a second wiper blade, mounted to the same arm but parallel to the existing blade, ensures as much rain water is removed from the windscreen per wipe. It seemed very effective.

Our speed was now reducing as we approached Tunnel 3 - Thames Tunnel, the other side of which is Ebbsfleet station. From here connections are possible using the award-winning Fastrack bus services. With the Dartford Road crossing visible to our right, the TVM beeps and flashes 200. Our driver applies the brakes are as we enter Thames Tunnel, approximately 2.5km long. There is a 1 in 40 descent into the tunnel followed by an equally sharp ascent which aids our braking down to below the 100kph required for our approach to Ebbsfleet. We pulled in just 17 minutes after departing St. Pancras.

These almost-unthinkable journey times are what high-speed train travel is all about; they are what spur the political parties on - all clamouring to offer this revolutionary mode of travel within the next generation. Unlocking the commuter potential in this part of Kent - where commuting has taken place since year dot, but now revolutionised (at a cost, it has to be said) - is nothing compared to the possibilities of linking much larger settlements with London. Thousands could conceivably commute to London from Manchester each and every day. We were both now witnessing first-hand just what a revolution High Speed is - even to a small, densely populated island such as ours.

Welcome to Ebbsfleet

Our driver checked the 24 CCTV cameras that covered the carriages as well as offering vision of those boarding from the platform, before closing the doors and proceeding. The door system is identical to that in use on the Japanese Shinkansen or Bullet Train and has over 40 years of operational experience and development. Conveying large numbers very quickly has overridden aerodynamicity here, too, with the doors not flush to the outside body shell, but set back slightly in order to slide open and close as fast as possible.

The top monitor controls all CCTV cameras and the driver and switch between all

We've covered the downgrading of a guard/conductor on this route in a previous blog entry, and even managed to publish a Train Manager's opinion of it all in the subsequent days. To those outside the rail industry, £25k a year to just check tickets with no worries about anything else could seem a very cushy number; to others - namely existing guards/conductors - it's the start of a slippery slope, that will see many similar moves be made to downgrade their roles and to make them no longer safety-critical. ScotRail faced strikes last month over this very issue.

As we gained speed with gusto, I remarked that we'd not passed any Eurostar trains so far. Our driver explained that between 1200-1400 there is a purposeful lull in these sub-Channel services, known as a 'white period' that enables engineers to check the line. Obviously this period has been made a little bluer now, with four trains per hour in each direction being added to the mix.

Incase a reminded is needed, drivers are made aware of the maximum line speeds along the sections of route operated (CTRL = Channel Tunnel Rail Link, aka HS1)

Ebbsfleet is 20 minutes away from Ashford, which is where we'd be leaving the service. South of Ebbsfleet is also one of the steepest gradients on the line, and running at maximum speed, our Javelin - 395114 - laboured up the incline, seeming to level out at 170kph (105mph), rising to 196kph (121mph) by the top.

Our restart from Ebbsfleet is rapid. Full power is applied to 95kph and not long after the TVM shows 160 and full power is applied again. The line now rises steeply - initially at 1 in 60, increasing to nearly 1 in 40 as we approach Singlewell Freight loops. The gradient eases here to 1 in 260 and allows our speed to reach 175kph (110 mph). Incidentally, we had just passed Southfleet junction where Eurostars are permitted to increase speed from 230kph (143mph) to the full line speed of 300kph (186mph). Our speed increased dramatically after the apex had been passed and we shot up to the maximum 140mph almost immediately. We literally flew across the Medway Viaduct, parallel to the M2 - this decline (Blue Bell Hill) enabled trains to increase their speed by 10kph without any need for additional acceleration. We were drawing 2000 amps of current at this stage and shot through (what I refer to as) Tunnel 4, the North Downs Tunnel.

Crossing the Medway

We now cruised just under 140mph while alongside the M20 and we both received a reality check of the speeds at which we'd been travelling. Facing forward never affords a traveller with the same experience of speed as facing sideways. While stood next to the driver was an amazing experience, I personally hadn't fully appreciated travelling at twice that permitted on our motorway network. To our right we say Porches and BMWs travelling at half our speed. The sight of a Eurostar travelling at 186mph along this stretch must make motorists feel even more impotent.

We passed through Boxley Tunnel - an unnecessary structure, built as a result of wealthy land owners' fears about the blighted landscape they could face. Hansard reading from 1994 illustrates this well. The 70km milepost passed us by and we'd covered the distance in 20 minutes. This translates as an average speed of 129mph. Eurostars are expected to travel at the line's maximum permitted speed here - 300kph (186mph). This marker also heralded the beginning of the longest, flattest section of HS1, where the Javelins would be brake tested when new. Trains departed Ashford station, headed for London, and would attain their top speed as soon as possible before all brakes were applied along this stretch. Trains would stop after 48 seconds and over a distance of 1.5km (0.9 miles). While a mile may seem a very long period in which to bring a train to a standstill, we both felt it impressive, considering the speed travelled and overall weight of the train.

In a rather macabre fashion, our driver said that with the stopping distance being such, if he saw anything on the track while travelling at 140mph, he'd simply apply the brakes and pull down his sun visor so he wouldn't be able to see the point of impact. The Javelins don't have the luxury drivers are afforded in Class 185 Desiros, that sees their cab door open, enabling the driver to run out of the cab into the main carriage, should he spot a disaster ahead. Staying in this melancholy vein, we now passed under Westwell Leacon Bridge, the scene of HS1's only suicide fatality to date.

We began to slow in order to leave HS1 for Ashford. We were shown Platform 5 routing ahead and as we moved onto the spur line, our driver said that only on one occasion so far had the points been set incorrectly and a Javelin headed in the direction of France, though this was not the fault of the driver! At the top of this branch is where the Electronic Train Control System ends and signals are given by the more traditional lineside structures with their coloured lights. Overhead line equipment is still required as we pull into Ashford station, with the switchover to third rail operation taking place at the station itself.

We ascend the spur that heralds the end of pantograph operation and commences that of third rail. Lineside signals also recommence, too, with Ashford station in the distance

We arrived at Ashford International precisely 37 minutes after departing St. Pancras - perfectly punctual. It was a very memorable experience and despite not gaining a special High Speed tie, neither of us left downhearted. Obviously we'd like to thank our anonymous driver (who continued to Ramsgate) and look forward to undertaking another journey in the future.

Gibraltar

2010-03-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

You could say that ever since the town of Gibraltar was captured in the name of Archduke Charles, back in 1704, the Province was always likely to be on the LEYTR Editors' 'places to do' list. For since then, the town of Gibraltar, famed for its 1,400-ft high rock and Barbary apes, has remained a dependant territory of the UK. We have always been fascinated that there can be such a British state situated in the hinterland of the Mediterranean, availing itself of all associated with such a prized location.

Having never really researched the rocky road (sorry) that shapes the present-day Gibraltar, we had wondered whether or not we'd be in for many shocks and surprises once we landed. We knew that the main road into the peninsular crosses the Province's runway; that the Police wear a uniform identical to that seen on the streets of the UK; that traditional red pillar boxes, served by the Royal Mail, are used throughout; and that a near-identical currency is employed: the Gibraltar Pound. We also knew that Gibraltarians remain fiercely loyal to the UK (though this may be since the only alternative sovereignty is Spain) and that the Province has been - and continues to be - a real source of diplomatic tension between the UK and Spain.

With temperatures here in Blighty having been so low for so long, and with the 2009-10 winter being recorded as the coldest in 30 years, the prospect of a few days' worth of relatively milder weather, coupled with an excellent deal from airline operator easyJet, helped make our minds up!

And so it was that, last Friday - 5 March - m'colleague and I boarded the 0610 East Coast service from Peterborough to London King's Cross. It's such a shame that an earlier departure from within Lincolnshire to the Capital isn't possible. Happily, though, we were able to cadge a lift from the mother of an LEYTR Associate. I'd not been on a train since last October, on a day when I caught this self-same train to London, in order to review the new West Coast Main Line route, courtesy of Virgin Trains. I may well have ended the longest period of my adulthood without having stepped foot on a train!

East Coast is both the name of the franchise and the name of the operating company while under state control. Richard Branson's Virgin Trains looks likely to be the first to show its willingness to bid for the franchise when invitations to tender are requested in the summer.

As with my last journey, today's 0610 departure from Peterborough travelled empty from East Coast's Bounds Green depot in North London, arriving in very good time so that it conveniently dwells to enable a drip-fed style of boarding. It was very civilised and convenient last October and I'm please to report it was today, too. Today was also the first time we'd both travelled on the nationalised East Coast rail franchise, managed by the Department for Transport's Directly Operated Railway company.

We departed punctually and were soon trundling through Holme (the lowest point in Britain) and headed towards Huntingdon. With spring approaching, the lighter mornings really make a difference. Despite the temperature hovering tantalisingly close to freezing, the prospect of three days in temperatures in the region of 18°C really lifted our spirits. Our journey was punctual throughout and we arrived at London King's Cross a minute early.

The walk between King's Cross and St. Pancras International can be done without the need to go outside, though as we had time to kill we traversed the streets of London, capturing the frontage of St. Pancras basking in glorious morning sunlight.

We did witness a new request from the guard, though, which was to ask all passengers in Standard Class not to walk through First Class in order to alight at King's Cross. Apparently, passengers in Cattle Class (paraphrasing sentiments made by Anne Widdecombe this week) make their way into First long before the train has arrived at King's Cross in order to alight nearest the concourse. First Class coaches always face London on the East Coast franchise and accordingly passengers therein have less far to walk. So high are the numbers of displaced passengers that the on board crew have problems setting up for the next journey, so now First Class cannot be used as a time-saving method.

Our journey had been propelled by the only Class 91 electric locomotive to have gained the erstwhile National Express East Coast livery - on this occasion being 91111.

Our flight to Gibraltar departed from Gatwick North at 1000, with departure gates closing at 0930. Since neither of us were travelling with luggage for the plane's hold, we weren't too bothered about arriving with hours and hours to spare, so opted to travel to Gatwick Airport using the Thameslink route, rather than the more expensive Gatwick Express service. That said, once on board the 0748 departure from St. Pancras' Thameslink subterranean station, I soon mused that the end-to-end journey time was comparable with that afforded by the Gatwick Express - especially when the requirement to travel from King's Cross to Victoria was factored in.

Seen here at Gatwick Airport is on of FCC's Electrostar '377s'. Luggage provision isn't anything to write home about, though when faced with the thousands who use the service to commute into London from either Brighton or Bedford, it's not a high priority.

Although we crossed the Thames at 0800, our Bombardier-built Class 377 'Electrostar' was very lightly loaded and had been as it arrived at St. Pancras. A fair few had left here, but the journey was far from the nose-to-arm-pit standee experience I'd been expecting. St. Pancras International's platforms for Thameslink trains has been built with the route's upgrade very much in mind - 9-car trains are dwarfed by the platform length. The platforms are very deep, too, and while we were there the spaciousness this created was very calming - you'd never have guessed that it was bedlam above.

We did realise, though, that by catching the 0748 First Capital Connect Thameslink service, with its 0840 arrival at Gatwick, we probably didn't want to be cutting our arrival at the departures gate any finer than we already were. I'd Googled the transportation means between the South Terminal (where the train station is located) and the North Terminal, and found that the usual inter-terminal shuttle train was out of action while it was being overhauled as part of a package of improvements to both terminals totalling £1 billion. Instead, a shuttle bus service would operate and 'around 20 extra minutes' needed factoring into our transfer.

Normally the inter-terminal shuttle service links both North and South terminals, though this is currently undergound overhaul and upgrade and is due to re-open during August.

Though in the event everything went as smooth as it was conceivably possible for it to be. Our journey from home to the airport was absolutely flawless. Signage was both obvious and plentiful in directing passengers to where the shuttle buses leave from and once here (the South Terminal bus station - just down from where NX coaches leave) there were people on hand to ensure efficient use of the vehicles. It really was a model trip by public transport - and so far, we'd both paid £17.85.

There were three Dennis Dart SLFs parked at the South Terminal, awaiting passengers to transfer to the North Terminal. Having never flown from the latter, we were both very impressed with the welcome and ambiance.

And things continued in the same, impressive vein throughout the embarkation process onto one of easyJet's Airbus A319s, docked at Gate 106. Our departure was at 1000 and in keeping with easyJet's check-in policy, the departure gate would close 30 minutes before this time. Gatwick North is very much newer than its southern counterpart and more spacious - this vastness never more in evidence than when actually walking to a departure gate - especially number 106. It was displayed at 0918 and off we all trundled along a corridor, headed in that direction; however, it took two slightly unfit adult men, both devoid of luggage, save a ruck sack each, nine minutes to reach the departure gate - and this saw us take full advantage of the travelators.

The two Virgin Atlantic planes in the background are actually docked at the South Terminal - such is the expanse of both North & South that they meet. In the foreground is the wing of the plane on which m'colleague and I were sat. A plane can be seen coming into land in the top right-hand corner.

Technically, then, we arrived at the departure gate three minutes before easyJet could officially deny us access and yet made our way very briskly and without hindrance the second the gate was displayed. As it was, we were about mid-way in the queue once we arrived and around 70-or-so people congregated behind us. Check-in didn't start until 0930 in any case.

It was the first time both of us had flown from Gatwick North and the same for boarding an easyJet plane using a proper, enclosed bridge. So often boarding an easyJet or Ryanair plane is from the tarmac. Boarding via a standard bridge appears to be the norm at Gatwick North, and it was very welcome. Once inside, we had a choice of seats - 156 to be precise - all arranged in the standard 3+3 formation. I chose to have a window seat on the outward journey and m'colleague elected to have one when we returned.

A very unusual experience is shown here - all eastJet flights from Gatwick North use movable bridges to load and unload passengers. Normally you walk onto the tarmac in order to board.

easyJet's boarding policy has altered slightly since November 2008. Previously, those who'd booked Speedy Boarding were allowed to board first, followed by those in boarding group 1 and finally boarding group 2. Boarding group 1 comprised the first 34 people to check-in, of which the majority were those without hold luggage, and boarding group 2 was everyone else. During 2008, Speedy Boarding Plus was introduced, which offers travellers a dedicated check-in service at many airports used by the company. Now, Speedy Boarding and Speedy Boarding Plus travellers are checked in together (including travellers with children under the age of 5) and everyone else is allocated boarding group 2 status.

I've never really had any cause to complain about the level of service I've received by easyJet, and I assume its sister no-frills airlines have near-identical operational protocols. All stewards/stewardesses are incredibly friendly and polite - though not to the point that sycophancy creeps in. Who'd have thought that bright orange shirts would look reasonably trim and, dare I say it, fashionable! Having taken our seats, we were given the full safety drill - unbelievably while the young woman sat next to m'colleague was texting her boyfriend - and at 1002 were we began taxiing to the runway.

The take-off is an experience that I very much enjoy. It's one that many people detest, though. There are lots of anxious faces as the captain engages maximum thrust and you're sent hurtling along the runway at 160mph. I've flown on five occasions - Alicante, Almeria, Belfast, New York and Inverness - and never tire of the experience. I've grown accustom to looking out of the window 20 seconds or so after take-off and witnessing the horizon at 45° and not being unduly alarmed, though one thing I find very awkward still is when a turn is made - especially at relatively low altitude. I vividly remember my descent into Inverness Airport requiring a very low-altitude 180° turn over the Moray Firth. Course, m'collaeage isn't affected by this one jot and found it all most entertaining.

The Airbus A319 is the plane of choice for easyJet, who in 2003 placed an order for 120 of these planes, which was seen as the largest plane order in modern times. The company has 107 in service today, with an order for a further 227 ongoing. easyJet also operates the highest number of this type, with US Airways coming in second-place having 93 operational and 114 on order.

We flew west from Gatwick and while over the New Forest headed south and left Britain over a very familiar coastline, that of Sandbanks and Brownsea Island. In the distance the peninsular linking Portland Bill to Weymouth was also visible. During 2007 m'colleague and I visited a bus rally in Weymouth and made a visit to Portland Bill aboard a number of vintage buses. So far as I'm aware, Portland Bill is the name of the lighthouse, which sadly was unrecognisable from this altitude. From here, we headed over northern France for a time and then Guernsey before the Bay of Biscay. We then headed over northern Spain and then south-east over Malaga before bearing west along the Costa del Sol, where Gibralta came into view.

Sandbanks - reputedly the most affluent area in England - can be seen at the end of the peninsular on the right. To the left is technically the mainland, too, though travels right the way round Poole Harbour, which can be seen in the background. A chain ferry links both Sandbanks and the Studland area opposite and a tiny white speck can be seen in the gap, which I believe to be the ferry itself.

Here is Portland, at the end of the Portland Beach Road peninsular. The lighthouse is situated at the far right of the photo - the southernmost tip - though can't be seen.

Prevailing westerly winds are the norm along the Mediterranean, though owing to the 1,400-ft grantic mountain that overwhelms Gibraltar, the winds can, at times, be from a different direction. Strong, eddying currents can be found directly over the Province's runway, and I'm glad I didn't spot the following video before travelling!

Today, then, an easterly wind was being felt and so we had to land into it, which meant heading in from the west, so we circumnavigated the rock, turning tightly at low altitude (wonderful) before coming to land on the runway - which is an experience like no other. The close proximity of the plane to, well, everything - cruisliners, hotels, cars, water - is such that it provides real insight into how the captain has to get everything precisely right! From my research, I knew Gibraltar's runway was actually longer than the land on which it was built, so overhangs into the bay somewhat. I also knew, that at the opposing end (due east) was the Mediterranean Sea, so wanted to ensure we stopped as soon as possible!

An aerial shot of northern Gibraltar, where the Province's runway can be clearly seen to be longer than the land on which it is built is wide. We landed from the west. The yellow crossing the runway is in fact Winston Churchill Avenue, the main road in and out of Gibraltar.

Just when you think that the most surreal landing you're likely to endure is over, you notice that on either side of you are cars queuing at red and white barriers, waiting to cross! The reality of a road - Winston Churchill Avenue (no less!) - crossing a live runway was very evident now. And how odd it was! The advantage of the runway (and airport's) proximity to the population meant that walking into the centre of town was no problem at all. Unless you're headed to Spain, you have to cross over the runway in order to do so and first-time visitors are identifiable by their willingness to pose next to the skid marks left by a Boeing 737.

Wonderful signage can be found along Winston Churchill Avenue!

As you leave the airport, you are stood opposite Gibraltar's bus station. It is comprised of a large, deep bay with two bus shelters. Publicity is not the Gibraltar Bus Company Limited's strong point. A linear-style route map is produced, but precious little else. Most shelters we found displayed the map and details of bus service operation on Boxing and New Years Days 2009, though one did display what we assumed to be an up-to-date timetable, albeit crudely stuck to the shelter with super-glue. More on this later.

A Caetano Nimbus-bodied Dennis Dart MPD is seen here in Gibraltar's bus station, conveniently located opposite the airport and adjacent to the Frontier (Spanish border).

Five bus routes operate in Gibraltar - four are run by the state-owned City Buses (Gibraltar Bus Company Limited), Services 2, 3, 4 and 9, while the remaining Service 10 is operated by Euro Hopper (Calypso Bus Company Limited). The City Buses fleet comprises 18 Dennis Dart MPDs with Caetano Nimbus B27F bodies; a couple of Toyota Hiace minibuses are also used on Service 2 and we also spotted a coach and two elderly double-deckers parked at their depot, which is behind the bus station. There is no travel office. Calypso's Euro Hopper service operates just one route between the bus station (airport/Spanish border) and the coach park to the west. This company has a fleet of ageing double-deckers from Germany - a couple were Neoplan Starliners in a red (London?) livery. Calypso is the face of entrpeneurism in the Province.

During our time in Gibraltar we made use of a number of bus services and took full advantage of the very low fares - a single fare on either operator's services is 60p; a day ticket on City Buses is £1.50 (4 routes) and on Euro Hopper it's £1.20 (1 route). Throughout our time in Gibraltar, we only ever saw City Buses operate their Darts, which were introduced on 10 April 2004. The entire fleet of 18 Dennis Darts was introduced then, providing 100% low-floor operation throughout the Province in one fell swoop. They replaced much smaller, Transit-style buses and were a much-needed improvement.

City Buses uses Wayfarer ticket machines. One of our day tickets is seen here - a great buy at just £1.50.

Until October 2001, Gibraltar's vehicle registration plates all began with a G followed by up to five digits. Now, they continue to start with G, though followed with a number from the range 1000-9999, followed by a letter. 'A' is allocated to the first batch from 1000-9999, 'B' for the second, and so on. During our time there we spotted registrations such as G 8622 C, but never any ending in D, so the Province hasn't exceeded issuing 27,000 registrations just yet! The City Buses' registrations all ended in 'A', so form part of the first 8,999 to be registered when the system was introduced. Although the Darts don't carry a visible fleet number, they appear to be referred to as the four-digit number in their registrations.

The nationalised bus network in Gibraltar. We made use of all routes, except Service 2.

There is no railway in Gibraltar and those without a car either arrive by coach, plane or ship/boat. The harbours are numerous, though most cruiseliners bringing day-trippers dock at the main ferry terminal, nestled just south of the runway. An alternative location for the even larger vessels bringing tourists is the Gibraltar Cruise Terminal to the far west. Those affluent enough to own their own boats and yachts make use of two docks - the Queensway Quay Marina and the Marina Bay. One thing Gibraltar has proportionately less of is beach. Four main beach areas exist, though all are limited: Eastern Beach starts where the easternmost edge of the runway ends; a little further down is Catalan Bay and then Sandy Bay. Major building work is taking place in these areas, with new hotels and holiday apartments being added. They offer excellent views of the Mediterranean and Costa del Sol, though have the 1,400-ft rock in their back gardens. This side (east) does feel a little more cut-off from Gibraltar than elsewhere.

It is impossible to circum-navigate the rock by road. City Buses' Service 3 operates to the most southerly point - Europe Point, from where Morocco and Tangier can be seen across the Strait of Gibraltar. There are a couple of very tight turns along the route south, most notably when turning left from Main Street into Govenor's Lane. Any bus larger than this would simply not be able to undertake such a tight turn. City Buses' Service 4 links the eastern side of the Province with the far west, which is where the greatest concentration of English can be found. It is also where Gibratar's only supermarket - Morrisons - is located. The route passes the coach terminus, home to Calypso Travel, where their fleet of ex-German double-deckers is housed - along with some open-top examples, though inoperable in March.

One of a number of ex-German double deckers operated by Calypso Travel under the Euro Hopper name. Only one route is operated by this company, linking the airport with the coach park for 60p single, 90p return or £1.20 unlimited. Their service would be the route of choice for hardened bus enthusiasts as they still employ a Leyland Olympian.

City Buses operate a couple of Toyota Hiace people-carriers on Service 2, which links Moorish Castle with the city centre.

Two ageing double-deckers can be seen here. They didn't move all weekend, nor did the coach in the background.

A trip to Gibraltar is nothing without meeting the Barbary Apes at the rock's summit. There are in fact two summits to the rock - the most northerly houses military equipment and is accordingly off-limits; however the southern peak is where tourism flourishes. A cable car links terra firma with the top. We made use of this 1960s installation within hours of arriving, as we knew rain was forecast the following day. The fare was £8 return, though £10 if you wanted access to the nature reserve at the summit. We were both willing to forgo nature for a £2 saving - and in any case, no sooner had we stepped out of the cable car, we were greeted by the apes. The implication on the ground is that the apes are only visible in the nature reserve. This is not the case.

There are two cable cars running at any one time, travelling almost to the 1,400-ft summit. We felt the £8 return fare was reasonable. Taxi drivers offer a more personal service for £20.

The Barbary Apes have popularised Gibraltar because they are unique to Iberia. They are not the only troops in the world though. Detailed descriptions of the main apes are to be found in frames on some of the visitor centre's exterior walls, where we learned the Barbary Macaque is native to Morocco. The views from the top of the rock are excellent. We could see for miles despite there being an annoying haze. The rock's military summit would regularly be engulfed in low cloud, though only for a minute or two before clearing to reveal the Spanish horizon in the distance. Neither of us really knew what to expect at the top of the rock and can happily report that anyone uneasy at the prospect of being in close proximity with the apes should rest assured: they're very dosile and just don't seem interested.

The Barbary Macaque are not afraid of hights - below is Gibraltar and in the distance, some 1,400 feet below, is Spain.

We returned to Blighty on Sunday afternoon. We conveniently walked to the airport, though had visited there earlier in the day to witness a Monarch Airlines plane take-off from this truly fascinating and unique locality. Our easyJet plane departed at 1510 and the departure gate closed at 1440. Due to a delay earlier in our plane's schedule for the day, we were delayed by 1:05. There wasn't much to do once airside. Luckily Gibraltar's staple TV stations mirror those here in the UK, with the addition of some Spanish ones at the end of the list, so a repeat of Only Fools & Horses on UK TV Gold was in order.

A completely unassuming airport is to be found at Gibraltar. A new terminal building is currently being constructed next door. Plans are also well-advanced for a road underneath the runway, too.

I absolutely love watchin human behaviour when at airports. Normal, respectible, well-mannered people can turn into selfish, desperate lunatics. The concentration of people sitting down was heaviest near the departure gate. No sooner had the first people caught sight of our plane landing, everyone stood up to form a queue. By chance, we were both sat in this area anyway, so joined the queue and eventually those with Speey Boarding et al were called forward. They were afforded a bus to themselves, which is fair enough. The next 60 or so were then loaded onto the next bus. Clearly, the driver knew how many he could fit on, but those already inside wouldn't move down. There was stalemate. A broad Cockney accent could then be heard exclaiming "Cor, I fink we're full up, mate". It fell on deaf ears. A lot of intense staring took place and those in the aisles finally realised that it was they who were holding everything up and begrudgingly moved down.

There are two airport shuttle buses at Gibraltar. Seen here is the scrum for the second one.

From here we were taken to the plane and I could see men in suits ready to pounce as soon as the doors were opened. I even told m'colleague to look at how a couple of people reacted once they were allowed off. The most undignified spectacle of ageing, flabby men with suitcases bolting off the bus and running as fast as their legs would carry them was what we witnessed. It was so funny. There was also a point when regular fliers realised that it might actually be quicker to run to the back of the plane and climb aboard there.

The scrum for the plane calmed while on board one of the shuttle buses. It soon resumed when the doors opened.

Once enconsed within easyJet's Airbus A320, we awaited further passengers before we finally began taxiing for take-off. The terminal is to the east of the road and with an easterly wind blowing today, we had to taxi across the road to the furthest point west before turning 180 degrees and then the captain gave it the beans. Similar to the Monach Airways plane, the point at which we took off was as we passed the road. Once airborne, we were informed that the Senior First Officer was at the controls.

Flights from London to Gibraltar take about 2:45. You lose an hour flying out, but gain an hour returning home. Although temeratures in Gibraltar hadn't exceeded 14C all weekend, they were a far cry from the 1C we experienced in London. Another experience we endured was that of an American lady projectile vomitting at 36,000ft. Apparently, the desire to be sick came on so suddenly that she had no time to reach for the sick bag. The smell was quite something. However, amidst the ensuing hoo-hah, the dedication, patience and skill of the stewardess in dealing with it all was exemplary. She took her time with the ill lady, to ensure she wasn't suffering from any other unwanted effects and then helped her bag up all her soiled items. She then spent 40 minutes with antiseptic gel cleaning everything.

After the American lady was taken ill, this was the only view I had so was able to watch the stewardess work tirelessly for 40 minutes, making matter right. An excellent job was done.

From memory she was called Kerri (or 'kerri' as easyJet insist their name badges should look) and worked tirelessly througout. Unlike our southbound trip, we had only 3 members of crew - one less. Aviation law dictates that there must be 1 member of crew per 50 passengers. Our Airbus A320 had 156 seats, so 4 crew are needed; however, easyJet had 'taken out' six seats, lowering the aircraft's capacity to 150 passengers and thus only 3 crew were legally required. Before the vomit incident, service was fairly slow, though for the 40 minutes during which time our dedicated stewardess was on her knees scrubbing away, only 2 members of crew were serving the 140+ passengers. Neither m'colleague nor I purchased anything, so weren't affected directly.

M'colleague made a shrewd (cheap) purchase before we travelled - and look at the expansion of said item once we were airborne. I told him to open the bag gingerly as a bang or pop could give the impression of a terrorist attack!

I did think our landing at Gatwick was going to be decidedly bumpy, though in the event, it was very smooth. I made use of the biometric passport control when passing through customs. My passport was placed on a reader, which opened a gate into a holding area; I was then required to look at a camera, which compared the eyes on the passport photo to my own and I was then released. On this occasion, m'colleague's more traditional passport control experience was faster than mine, though when there's a queue and those with a biometric passport know the drill, it will be a massive boon. Within a decade, biometric passports will be the norm.

We returned to St. Pancras using a First Capital Connect Thameslink service - this time a Class 319, which looked a lot more modern inside than its exterior appearance would suggest - and then made use of the Euston Flyer public house on Euston Road before out 2130 East Coast train to Peterborough left. One comparison that needs making is the cost of beer in Gibraltar compared to the UK: since there is no VAT in the Province, two pints ALWAYS totals less than £5; the Euston Arms charged me £9 for two pints and two packets of crisps - that's 100 pennies more than a year's LEYTR subscription!!

We both said we'd return to Gibraltar again, though at a different time of year. Neither of us wanted to go when it was even cooler, nor did we want to go in the height of summer when temperatures can reach 35C+. One thing we did both agree on is that it is a truly unique locality - from geography lessons at school, I remember Gibraltar being a pink speck on the world map, a reminder of the former British Empire. It continues to be a pink speck on the world map, though now a much more vibrant - almost flourescent - pink. (GL)

A trip along the upgraded WCML with Virgin Trains

2009-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve wanted to travel on the West Coast Main Line ever since its £9 billion upgrade was finally completed, late and massively over-budget. What fascinated me the most was not so much the thrice hourly London Euston-Birmingham and London Euston-Manchester journeys Virgin Trains introduced as a result, but the end-to-end journey time between the two points furthest apart on their line: Euston and Glasgow Central. Typically, the time taken to travel between the two stations is now a shade over 4½ hours, though the best attained is the 1630 weekdays departure northbound, which calls at Preston only and manages the fastest-ever journey time of 4:10. This equates to an average speed of 96.3mph and from December comes down to four hours and 8 minutes.

Thanks to the nice people at Virgin Trains, I was recently given the opportunity to undertake a return trip between Euston and Glasgow, for the purposes of this blog. I opted to travel on trains that offered the Breakfast and Evening Meal menus. Having travelled for the first time aboard a Virgin Trains' Pendolino during the 2005 LEYTR Railrover with m’colleague, I was staggered to see that every item of food and drink is completely free of charge to those travelling first class. Having grown up on the other side of the country, where Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) and now National Express East Coast (NXEC) operated my Anglo-Scottish train service, the only gratuities those travelling in first class were afforded comprised biscuits, Pretzels, fruit, tea/coffee and bottled water.

It's incredible to think that the London terminal shown here can be linked with Glasgow Central in just 4:10.

As a leisure traveller on Britain’s rail network, I am quite happy to travel the longer way round if it means I’ll enjoy my journey more. As I see it, for the additional money paid to travel first class, the more freebies you receive the better. If you live in Grantham and want to travel to Edinburgh on business, quite frankly my requirements won’t feature and you’ll consequently pay NXEC ’s fare for a direct train journey between the two places and simply appreciate what you’re offered for free while travelling in first class.

Of course gluttony was not my sole reason for undertaking this journey on Thursday 15 October. I’ve only travelled on a Pendolino twice: firstly a return trip between Euston-Manchester Piccadilly that formed part of our Railrover trip and secondly a single trip between Euston-Birmingham New Street in March 2008. I particularly enjoyed the ambiance within the first-class carriages, with their airline-style narrow windows and free radio channels. Bringing things up-to-date, free wi-fi is now offered to first-class passengers, so too are free papers on weekdays, along with the Breakfast and Evening Meal menus.

A statue of Robert Stephenson, son of famed George Stephenson. Robert was chief engineer for the London & Birmingham Railway and was responsible for building the main line into Euston back in 1833. His statue stands proud on Euston Square.

I remember reading Barry Doe’s column in RAIL a few months ago in which he promoted rail travel exceptionally well over all other modes. Unlike a plane, coach, bus or private car, train travellers can be incredibly productive with their time; they can leisurely stroll around the carriage; can stop off en route (with the correct type of ticket) to meet friends or take in an impromptu meeting; can make phone calls and connect to the Internet; can decide to make a last-minute trip with seconds to spare and generally do not have to travel miles outside of towns and cities to board their service.

Having been given the ‘green light’ for my expedition, I visited the excellent NXEC website to look at ticket options to get me to London. My northbound Virgin Trains service departed Euston at 0930, so I’d need to arrive in King’s Cross right slap-bang in the middle of commuter time. This would mean cheap, advance-purchase tickets would not be available. I was right. After the 0610 ex Peterborough, the next 7 NXEC departures only offered a Standard Single fare of £43 as the cheapest; by contrast, setting my alarm to sound at silly o’ clock in order to catch the 0610 (first non-stop service of the day) would see me only be charged £9.35.

Looking at returns back to Peterborough later in the day, I was very pleased to see that NXEC’s 2200 ex King’s Cross was showing a £9.35 single, too. I think it’s worth pointing out that £9.35 is currently the cheapest Advance Single NXEC offer and has been at this level for almost two years. Consequently, I booked both tickets and effectively paid £18.70 for a day return fare between Peterborough and London, or 12.3p per mile. Exceptional value.

What first struck me was the hive of activity there was to be found at Peterborough station shortly before 0600. The city famous for its ‘Posh’ football team, its celebrated nineteenth century poet John Clare and having produced the co-founder of Rolls Royce, seemed to be experiencing a mass exodus of people travelling to London. Commuters here have two train services from which to choose: First Capital Connect’s (FCC) stopping trains and NXEC ’s direct services. Obviously, the latter’s services transport you to London in around 50 minutes and so are that little bit more expensive (about £2k more p/a for a season ticket), though first and last departures aren’t as early and late as FCC’s.

The 0610 is NXEC’s first of the day, and this morning was formed of a Class 91 that had travelled empty from the company’s Bounds Green depot in North London. The train was on Platform 2 ready and waiting long before I made it onto the platform with a good fifteen minutes to spare before departure. The nine-car train was very well loaded, too, so I was shocked that with less than four days to go before I booked my tickets for today, a £9.35 fare was still offered.

We departed punctually and arrived into London King’s Cross three minutes ahead of schedule, at 0657. I now needed to walk to neighbouring Euston station, further west along the busy and congested Euston Road. I’ve made this journey on a few occasions but never timed it. I comfortably arrived at the ticket hall in Euston 12 minutes after leaving my train at King’s Cross. I’d not realised the close proximity Euston has with King’s Cross, and especially St. Pancras International, which is even nearer. The localities of the three terminal stations does lend itself to some quarters in the rail industry who believe that a high-speed rail terminal in central London could be based underground and linked directly to all three stations. Throw in a few travelators and this could cut interchange times by at least half.

Something else you don't get free on other operators' services: spirits. Here is my first gin & tonic of the day - a double measure being as standard on Virgin Trains. You'll notice the clever product placement - their V-Mix indian tonic water.

There was some confusion initially over the tickets I’d come to collect from Virgin Trains at Euston. The ticket clerk who initially dealt with my request seemed a little agitated and refused point-blank to make eye contact throughout our brief discussion. With no tickets to be found, he sent me to the main station reception, where the chap manning the desk therein would presumably look in the same place as my clerk had been looking to see if he could spot something the first chap couldn’t. Happily, all was sorted in the end and the tickets were handed over.

With over two hours until my 0930 train to Glasgow, I made haste to the First Class Lounge located on the first floor of the main station concourse. It was here, back in 2005, that m’colleague and I had chosen to undertake a Top Gear-style race from Basingstoke. I’d opted to stay on the then-named Virgin Cross Country service we’d boarded in Bournemouth to Reading, where I’d change onto a First Great Western ‘Adelante’ to Paddington and then Metroline’s Service 205 bus to Euston. M’colleage had other ideas; he caught a South West Trains' service to Waterloo and then the Northern Line to Euston, where annoyingly he beat me to our rendez-vous point – the First Class Lounge – by seconds. He tells a slightly different story to mine: that he’d been there ‘literally hours’, but I know a breathless LEYTR Editor when I see one, nonchalantly sipping a gin and tonic while trying to hide his burn-out at having ascended the steps at a fair old lick!

And what a difference the First Class Lounge continues to make to the rest of the station! It’s undergone a massive re-vamp since 2005, reopening in May this year, and looks a lot brighter, lighter and more airy. With the time being 0730, light breakfast nibbles were on offer: three large trays, each offering a pastry of some sort: mini butter croissants, mini pain au chocolats and mini fruit croissants. Tea, coffee, orange juice and hot chocolate were also on offer and it was a case of simply helping yourself. I picked up a copy of The Times and sat in front of a huge flat-screen TV watching BBC Breakfast.

Virtually everyone in the lounge was male – a good 50% of them were in pin-stripe suits, too, catching up with the news of the day over a coffee before their train took them north-west for a meeting or two. By comparison, I was dressed in jeans (Levi 501s – thought I ought to make the effort!), had no laptop, no briefcase full of important documents, and had surrounded myself with as many freebies as looked plausible.

Having started my third cup of tea of the day and having read that WH Smith had posted very good trading figures for the last year (their first store opened in Euston), word reached me that the later, more expensive NXEC trains arriving from Peterborough were, well, not arriving, since there had been a ‘major signal failure’ in North London and delays of an hour were being experienced. Not in a very long time had I been so pleased of sleep deprivation the night before!

The first WH Smith store was founded here at Euston. The station currently boasts two examples.

Shortly before 0900 I left the opulence I’d called home for the past ninety minutes and headed into Euston Square to take some photos of the station entrance. On the last occasion I’d had time here, one of the new air-conditioned ‘S Stock’ Tube trains was ‘parked’ on the lawn, showing off its modern credentials. I remember reading that the order placed for 191 of these trains (or 1,395 individual carriages) was the largest-ever order for rolling stock made in the UK. They’re due to roll out from next year, replacing all Underground trains on the Metropolitan, District, Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines.

Platform 12 stables my Pendolino: 39023 'Virgin Glory'.

Back to my journey and around twenty minutes prior to departure the platform for my train was announced. The journey passengers here have to make to their chariots is not a pleasant one. Narrow, dull surroundings and an undercover platform don’t make for a good comparison to adjacent St.Pancras International, or even King’s Cross. The exterior of Euston station is very unimposing. Not so, prior to its renovation during the 1960s, when the dominant Doric Arch stood proudly before the station entrance. Only cost precluded developers from moving it to another site in the area - £12k to demolish compared with £190k to move and re-erect. It was therefore knocked down and dumped in canals in the area.

Having passed through the ticket checks and onto my platform I walked the full length of Platform 12 and took some photos of trains stabled here. I even managed to get a Pendolino to yawn for me!

The penultimate time I left from here was during the 2005 LEYTR Railrover when we both boarded the First ScotRail Sleeper to Fort William. I was allocated the first birth in the first carriage of the 13-car train, hauled to Edinburgh by an EWS Class 90. Had much changed I wondered? To be honest I had no idea – it was over 5 years ago. Acting as a reminder to that very enjoyable week-long holiday, the Sleeper train was visible, stabled in the easternmost platform.

I hadn’t been given a reserved seat and so chose to sit in Coach G on an individual seat, facing forwards. All tables had been laid with a china mug sat on a small plate-cum-saucer, with a selection of cutlery wrapped in a napkin, along with a condiment container and menu. The menu was dated September-November 2009 and detailed all meals offered, even those not available on certain trains.

The Breakfast Menu consisted of fresh orange or grapefruit juice, selected cereals, items from the Bakery Basket and then one of the main breakfast dishes: Great British Breakfast, vegetarian breakfast, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, fresh fruit bowl and three different types of hot breakfast roll. On the rear of the menu was the drinks list and while alcohol wasn ’t available on trains offering the Breakfast Menu, everything else was. My 0930 departure was the last northbound train of the day to offer the Breakfast Menu. In total 4 departures to Scotland exEuston serve breakfast: 0547, 0730, 0830, 0930, with 4 departing north from Birmingham New Street: 0617, 0719, 0820, 0920. Southbound trains offering breakfast are all departures up to 0840 and also the 0940 ex Glasgow.

The arrangement on all tables in first class is identical to this. Very welcoming.

The 0930 ex Euston is booked to attain a journey time of 4:31 to Glasgow Central and calls at Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Penrith, Carlisle and its scheduled arrival at Glasgow Central is at 1401. The fastest section appeared to be the first, between Euston–Warrington: 182 miles in 104 minutes, equating to an average of 105mph – and we almost achieved this, though unfortunately pulled into Warrington 1 minute late at 1115. We’d slowed while passing Stafford bang on time at 1045, though slowing again at Crewe at 1101, when we were booked to pass two minutes earlier.

By now I’d had some toast, orange juice and a very nice cup of tea. I remember not too long ago that ‘train tea’ used to taste dire and that it was always more hygienic to drink left-handed out of the cup for fear of catching some nasty disease. Nowadays – and for some time – crockery is spotless, cutlery glistens and UHT milk has been banned on virtually all trains offering first-class meals and drinks. During the Railrover 5 years ago, I can’t remember drinking any tea made with generic UHT milk; instead that stuff in tiny cartons beginning with M was used – still UHT but without the nasty taste it leaves. I ordered the Great British Breakfast almost as soon as we’d departed Euston. A member of crew walked through first class asking everyone which option they’d like. The breakfast itself wasn’t as substantial as I’d been hoping, though I did turn down the tomato in favour of additional bacon.

Free-range and Fairtrade items are used extensively throughout Virgin’s menu and they should be congratulated for this. While many of us are guided by price – more so now than a few years ago – Virgin have remained true to their brand and carried on regardless. I understand Stagecoach chief executive Brian Souter, whose company holds a 49% stake in Virgin Trains, has been keen for Virgin to adopt the rationalisation measures his rail companies have introduced and that thus far this has been resisted. It would be so easy to purchase the cheapest bacon and sausages for use in its Breakfast Menu, just to save a thousand pounds or two a year, but this wouldn’t be reinstated as quickly as it was lost.

First class feels that little more exclusive inside a Virgin Trains service. The company still offers everything from its menu completely free to first-class ticket holders.

We had a crew change at Preston, with a Preston crew leaving us for a mixture of Scottish and Lancastrian accents. We were 5 minutes late leaving Preston (1200) and ran our latest by Penrith – 6 minutes. This was the first time the train manager made reference to a delay, apologising for any in convenience this may have.

By now the crew was busy offering items from the Light Bites Menu: either a coronation chargrilled chicken roll or a Wensleydale and caramelised carrot roll, followed by either a Chocolate Indulgence slice or seasonal fresh fruit. I opted for the chicken roll and Chocolate Indulgence slice. Both were very nice indeed; the chicken had the edge in the taste stakes; the chocolate slice tasted like a generic chocolate chip-infested sponge. Both were very nice though. Since the Breakfast Menu had left the train with the first crew at Preston, alcohol was now on the menu and the drinks trolley was soon passed through. It seems almost unnatural to choose absolutely anything in sight, though I soon got over my apprehension and asked for a gin and tonic. All Virgin’s spirits come in double measures; again, as with the free-range and Fairtrade breakfast items, it would be so easy to half the spirit bottles to save a couple of grand a year, but Virgin has resisted. I suspect such large quantities can be ordered at excellent prices and that halving the quantity may not halve the price.

Breakfast was very tasty though not as substantial as I was hoping.

Visitations by the drinks trolley and the tea and coffee jugs were very frequent indeed throughout the rest of the journey. The staff were all pleasant and polite and seemed genuinely contented in their work. Meanwhile, we were meandering through the eastern outreaches of the Lake District after passing north of Lancaster – with John Shaw/Travellers Choice’s yard immediately to the east of the WCML at Carnforth. For much of the rest of the route, the line is hugged by the M6 motorway and the speed my Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ is travelling at is only now truly understood. That said, it is this section that sees the average speed of 105mph between London-Warrington reduce to the overall average of 88.8mph for this specific journey (401.25 miles in 271 minutes), although the scenery makes up for the reduction in speed. We were still travelling at almost 20mph faster than vehicles on the M6 are permitted.

At this point I tried to detail on my trusty notepad my overall thoughts of the service thus far. Initially, the Virgin employee in the ticket hall hadn’t been as helpful as he could have been and I had the impression he’d just wanted to get rid of me to the main station reception. I wasn ’t expecting eye contact, though it is often a sign that you’re at least engaging properly with the person you’re speaking to. The First Class Lounge had been excellent – relaxing and pleasant. The boarding procedure had been faultless and Virgin can’t really be blamed for the perceived dowdiness of Euston’s boarding gates. I wasn’t actually welcomed to my seat and only spoke with a member of crew when asked what breakfast option I’d like. First-time travellers in first class won’t know the procedure and it wasn’t explained to me about the options available in the menu, though I soon spotted what to do.

Crew members regularly patrolled the carriages and announcements were clear, if a little rushed at times. I hope residents in Warrington really appreciate the service they now receive – next stop London at 105mph, every hour, is effectively what they have. I know it’s been a long time coming and that problems still occur on the line with Network Rail struggling to get to grips with the upgraded route, but it is a truly excellent service between these two points. Should High Speed 2 get the go-ahead, average speed is likely to be around 186mph, meaning this would potentially see Euston–Warrington in 59 minutes (though Warrington won’t feature on HS2).

In what seemed like no time at all, though the equivalent of two feature-length movies, we were slowing on our approach into Glasgow Central station. Our 1401 arrival was beaten by two minutes, though only as far as the train was concerned; the doors weren’t unlocked for another minute, making the time precisely 1400 as the first passengers stepped on the platform. I felt a strange sensation: refreshed yet incredibly bloated through the quantity of food I’d gorged. I wandered against the tide of passengers to the ‘blunt’ end in order to photograph the train with the easternmost canopy that forms part of Glasgow Central’s impressive train shed basking in glorious autumnal sunshine.

39023 on Platform 2 in Glasgow Central. The sunshine had stopped. Clouds had gathered but any rain forecast held off.

Having walked onto the station concourse, I realised that I hadn’t actually been to Glasgow Central station before. I’d not really thought about it until now. The station itself is very grand, and recently been awarded the prestigious title of 2009 Major & Overall Station of the Year Award at the National Rail Awards ceremony held on 17 September. The station dates back to July 1879 when it was opened by the Caledonian Railway. Today, the station is the busiest outside of London, handling over 21 million journeys every year. The ease at which access is gained to/from the main city centre streets is what impressed me most about the place. You can clearly see the main platforms from the adjacent streets, and access is relatively straightforward since ticket barriers have not yet been installed.

Very impressive - Glasgow Central is certainly not as unassuming at London Euston!

The other aspect of the station that immediately struck me was the number of places served from here. Local suburban First ScotRail trains depart from all platforms, including the low-level ones, while NXEC and Virgin’s long-distance routes are also thrown into the mix. Add to this the First ScotRail sleeper services and the station must boast one of the most extensive lists of places served in the UK.

My return service departed at 1640, though I spent my time productively, photographing the station from many angles from the city centre streets, as well as having a ride on the Glasgow Underground, also known as the Clockwork Orange. A write-up of this particular part of the day will appear separately.

One of the ‘downers’ of the day was the realisation there was no First Class Lounge for Virgin passengers at Glasgow Central. I remember vividly m’colleague and I making use of the one at Manchester Piccadilly, and witnessing down below stars of TV show Emmerdale posing for photos with adoring fans on the concourse.

However, we were permitted to board the train twenty minutes before departure and I headed towards what was now the ‘sharp’ end for a similar shot though on Platform 1 this time, and with the sun’s position altered slightly. I think the Pendolino must have been a little tired as it was mid-yawn as I took the photo.

A yawning Pendolino - 390 014; perhaps it was trying to capture the dead phesant on the front?

Also in the photo is a dead pheasant, stuck to the windscreen. Its carcass must have travelled well over 400 miles since it was stuck to the London-facing end of the train, i.e. that which had not been travelling head-on into the wind and any birds that may have got trapped in the vacuum. I’ll admit to not having spotted it when I took the photo, nor did I spot it while stood on the platform.

My return journey to London Euston would take thirteen minutes longer than my northbound equivalent. At 4:44 additional stations were included: Motherwell (pick-up only), Oxenholme and Milton Keynes. We glided out of Glasgow Central punctually and headed south. I’d wanted to sit on the right-hand side of the train, but the low sun would have meant I’d either have to put up with it glaring into my face or I’d need to pull the blind almost all the way down, so I chose to sit on the left-hand side and witness the same scenery as that I’d been photographing when heading north.

Within what seemed like seconds, a member of crew approached me and asked if I’d like the hot or cold option from the Evening Meal Menu. As with the northbound menu requirement, the crew member assumed I knew what the situation was with regard to food on board, when many simply won’t have grasped this; some may not even have had time to read the menu. I’m in no way criticising the time length of time taken before being approached, but a little more explanation of my options would have been better. The Evening Meal Menu offers either pie & mash, curried winter vegetables and rice, a coronation chargrilled chicken roll or a Wensleydale and caramelised roll. The latter two featured on the Light Bite Menu. For dessert, the choice was between cinnamon cheesecake with rhubarb glaze and this week’s selection of cheese and biscuits, followed by fruit.

As I’d realised was now customary, the drinks trolley and tea/coffee flasks were brought round on numerous occasions in addition to the above. I opted for a white wine initially. Having left Motherwell, the main course was served – pie & mash was my choice and by far the best meal of the day. Excellent. As with breakfast, only the best ingredients had been used and British beef was guaranteed. I’ve eaten pie & mash on a few occasions (I’m not a great lover) but this was the best I’d ever tasted. A friend literally exists on pie & mash from shops in the East End of London and he claimed that I couldn’t rate that I’d sampled on board Virgin Trains as the best until I’d been to one of those; but since I haven’t, I’m happy to put on record that Virgin Trains' pie & mash is the best I’ve tasted.

The best meal of the day - pie and mash.

It went very well with the white wine, as did the selection of cheeses – two large chunks of white and red cheese on Scottish oatcakes were brought out. No information was given as to the type of cheese offered. Both were very nice indeed though. I do remember partaking of the Evening Meal Menu from Manchester Piccadilly back in 2005 and that a more substantial choice was offered, including Belgian chocolates and wine from fluted glasses. Virgin alter their menus every three months or so to keep the ideas fresh; who knows, the Brie and red grape sandwiches I sampled five years ago might be back on the menu by Christmas?

It was getting dark outside now and rather selfishly my thoughts turned to my connection back in central London. My 1640 train was to form the 2124 arrival at Euston and I then had 36 minutes before my 2200 NXEC train departed King’s Cross for Peterborough. Having timed my walk betwixt both termini to be a conservative 12 minutes earlier in the day, I was prepared to tolerate an arrival time of 2145, or a delay of up to a maximum of 21 minutes. In the event I had nothing to fear as we arrived into Euston 7 minutes early – and this despite leaving Milton Keynes 1 minute late.

Back to the journey and as darkness fell I didn’t feel too hard-done-by not sitting on the right of the train, facing the west. The speed at which you travel is somewhat lost in the dark on a train, though I always feel conversely it’s accentuated on a bus or coach. My first-class carriage, Coach H, acted as the Quiet Coach throughout the journey and conformed well, mainly since there was only a maximum of five people in it at any time during the journey. A few glasses of white wine later and I was feeling very merry indeed.

I tried to compare train travel with that offered by budget airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet. Both have compelling cases for attracting different types of patronage. Budget airlines can link Glasgow with central London in less than an hour, though check-in can add significant time onto the duration, while airport parking continues to be extortionate. Add to this that most airports bearing the name of a major city aren’t actually in that city at all (or nowhere near the centre of it!) and a transfer by surface transport adds further time. You have worries about lost luggage, strict guidelines about liquids on board planes and delays as a result of inclement weather to deal with.

On rails, there is no check-in, no maximum allowance for luggage, no 20-mile transfer to the terminal, no need to hand your luggage to a conveyor belt, and in thick fog trains generally travel at the same speed as when all is clear. Budget airlines do offer very inviting advance fares – the best I could find using the Virgin Trains website for the return journey I made was £87 each way; on the day, a turn-up-and-go (Anytime) ticket costs £399 return. Quite a difference! Even adding an outrageously-priced sandwich at 30,000 feet and the add-ons from paying by credit card and having luggage for the hold, budget airlines do not charge anywhere near this amount for a comparative journey. That said, it is impossible to just turn up at an Luton Airport an hour before a plane leaves for Glasgow and ask for a ticket. If this could take place, I wonder at what price this ticket would be pitched?

Commuters who want to clear their emails before they reach the office would never choose the plane over the train: there is no Internet connection in the clouds – in fact mobile phones must be switched off during take-off and landing and a flight of less than 1 hour’s duration is too short for any meaningful work to be undertaken on a battery-operated laptop. No sooner have you turned it on than you’re preparing to land and need to stow it under your seat. Rail commuters rightly criticise train operators for the levels at which they increase their season ticket, though in reality, they offer very good value when compared to driving into a major city and adding parking costs on top.

I’m lucky that my daily commute is a total of 3.2 miles and can be done easily on a pedal cycle. But then I don’t earn the sort of wages to be able to afford an Anytime First return on Virgin Trains to Glasgow from Euston.

The Scottish crew left my train at Preston and was replaced by London-based employees, two of which – both Asian ladies – were the most polite and courteous I encountered during today’s services.

The last hour or so of my journey was what I call “clear-up time”, when those working on board the train spend an eternity replacing cutlery and crockery with fresh examples. Though on this particular journey, all items were removed from all tables, save the condiment container and place mats. Having thought about it, something similar happened as we approached Glasgow this morning. It may well be Virgin policy to remove everything only to re-lay it before the next journey, even if it’s within an hour of arrival at the terminus.

My southbound journey of 401.25 miles from Glasgow Central to London Euston was booked to take 4:44, averaging 84.8mph, whereas this was increased to 86.9mph as a result of our early arrival – still some way to go to beat the maximum average speed of 96.3mph attained by the 1630 ex Euston on weekdays. That will have to be a journey to do, perhaps next year. We’re considering a 2010 LEYTR Railrover you know!

As I mentioned earlier, our arrival into Euston at 2117 – seven minutes ahead of schedule – meant I easily made my 2200 NXEC HST back to Peterborough. I jokingly text a friend to say that I’d “come down to earth with a bump” while onboard what he describes as a ‘tram’ – my NXEC HST at King’s Cross. The standard-class seating within all NXEC’s trains, be they Class 91s or ‘trams’, is excellent – the Mallard upgrade scheme was much-needed and the foresight of erstwhile GNER has paid dividends for comfort and style – especially when compared to standard-class seating in other train operating company’s HSTs. Having travelled 802.5 miles in relative solidarity, weighted on hand-and-foot, with everything being free of charge, while undertaking one of the fastest-ever railway journey times between London and Glasgow, my crowded carriage to Peterborough was quite a shock!

A selection of cheeses, Scottish oatcakes, butter, grapes and a tea - you don't get this for free in NXEC's first-class carriages!

In terms of average speed, 94.2mph was attained by my last train of the day: 72.25 miles in 46 minutes to be precise, faster than the two Virgin Trains I’d just travelled on, though importantly not over comparative sections. Peterborough is the first stop for most NXEC trains leaving London (94.2mph), while Warrington Bank Quay is for most Glasgow trains leaving Euston (105.0mph). And it’s thanks to the recent upgrade of the West Coast Main Line that the comparative gap has widened considerably. I said I wanted to sample the benefits of the £9 billion upgrade and I believe I did. Being able to ‘nip’ to Glasgow in less time than it takes a National Express coach to travel between London and Lincoln is very impressive indeed. The copious amount of free food and drink was incidental, though very much welcome.

As we exclusively revelated on Sunday, the media still comments about poor performance on Virgin’s West Coast rail franchise, despite the £9bn upgrade of the route. That may be a thing of the past. Virgin has just recorded its best-ever performance of 93.3% of trains ontime – the highest since it took over the West Coast rail franchise in March 1997 and average performance over the last three months is over 90%.

The ambience in Virgin's first-class coaches is very nice. The company's red livery is not extended to the decor.

Long may Virgin Trains continue to provide such an excellent service in the way and manner they’ve carved out! (GL)