It's been a busy couple of days this week. Work has taken me up to Scotland for a series of meetings and I had some wonderful train adventures in the process.
It didn't start off so well though yesterday morning. As usual, I left plenty of time to get into London to go to Kings Cross where I was due to catch my first long distance train north to Edinburgh. I started to get worried as my little train from St Albans suddenly slammed on the brakes less than half way to London. I got even more worried when the driver came on the tannoy and apologised for the sudden stop and said that he was investigating the reason behind the train automatically putting on the emergency brake!
To cut a long story short, after a change of trains at Mill Hill I made it to Kings Cross with just 2 minutes to spare! Running with a small suitcase, laptop bag and handbag whilst wearing a big winter coat is no fun at all.
The journey up the East Coast Mainline was really quite stunning. The section between Newcastle and Edinburgh in particular was amazing. We were lucky enough to get a wonderfully clear patch of weather and as the train went along the Northumbrian coast presented us with a wonderful blue coloured sea with crisp white wave crests easily visible. I found myself at one stage stood to get the best possible view and transfixed by the scenery in front of me.
We travelled over to Glasgow last night and after another meeting this morning travelled back down to London via the West Coast Mainline (hence the train triangle). The scenery today was very different to yesterday's. As we passed through the Lake District the sky contained both bright blue patches and very dark storm clouds. The threatening rain clouds gave the hills a dark appearance, but yet the next peak could be bathed in bright sunlight at exactly the same time. I've never spent much time in the Lakes, but now feel that I must do so. One of my colleagues has previously researched travelling up to the Lakes by train for a weekend and informs me that a hire car can be collected at Oxenholme station. It's very tempting.
My only regret of the whole trip? Forgetting to take my camera with me!
I love train journeys (and railway stations). As you point out in your post, there’s so much more to see than when travelling by car. And there’s opportunity for people watching, too!
love both those train journeys, you should definitly explore more of the lakes.
I certainly hope to do so – and to take Mr C with me. It seems such a shame in a way that we’ve travelled the globe together, but missed out on some major parts of the UK!
People watching is in itself a fantastic hobby – I’m just amazed though at the things some people will discuss, or do, in public. I’m also quite happy to sit there and make up my own life stories for those people I see say around me – probabaly much more exciting than their real lives!