Becca's Great Becca Railway weekend.. or something! (Derby, Carnforth, Rugby, Peterborough & Holyhead)

[BeccaOnATrain]

Making the most of a couple of days off work either side of this upcoming bank holiday.

Weather so far is looking OK for taking some videos of trains, might be a bit overcast for taking interesting photos though .. can't see forecast for Tuesday yet.




So I've not really got many solid plans for any of these days yet. I've had a scout around on OpenRailwayMap and Google Maps to see what interesting locations are around. I wasn't really thinking too hard when I chose the places to visit.. I was just like.. "I'll figure out interesting stuff to do after I've booked the trains to the destinations!"

For my day in Derby I'll likely be heading up to Duffield or Ambergate for a couple of hours to take some videos on the Midland Mainline. Annoyingly the heritage railway place at Duffield isn't running on that Friday.
Carnforth.. actually not too sure how I'm going to spend 9 hours up there?! There's a few locations I want to get some videos at and then of course there's the Carnforth Railway museum which I've never been inside.. may head over to Morecambe for an hour or two? Or in the other direction towards.. Giggleswick - just because it sounds funny!
Holyhead there's some HSTs from the Cardiff route I'm hoping to see - I'll likely head down to one of the other stations on Anglesey.
Rugby.. no idea at all yet!
Peterborough.. not sure yet, but I've only got 6 hours there so I'm unlikely to venture too many stops away from there and likely just explore the city centre.

If anyone has any interesting travel ideas or know of any interesting railway related places nearby to any of those locations that are worth visiting I'd love to hear! I'm going to spend the next few days pouring over maps and looking up to see what interesting things are going on!

Thanks

 

[TheBigD]

Peterborough.. not sure yet, but I've only got 6 hours there so I'm unlikely to venture too many stops away from there and likely just explore the city centre.

If anyone has any interesting travel ideas or know of any interesting railway related places nearby to any of those locations that are worth visiting I'd love to hear! I'm going to spend the next few days pouring over maps and looking up to see what interesting things are going on!

Thanks

The Nene Valley Railway is about a 15 minute walk from the train station. I think it's signposted. No idea on their opening hours though.

City Centre is a bit of a sh!thole but the cathedral is well worth a visit.

If your railway interest extends to semaphore signals then the are some at Whittlesea (which are due to be removed in December) just 1 stop down the March line.

 

[telstarbox]

Near Rugby is Coventry which has a transport museum and an interesting cathedral. Possibly other stuff as it's Capital of Culture this year?

 

[StephenHunter]

Near Rugby is Coventry which has a transport museum and an interesting cathedral. Possibly other stuff as it's Capital of Culture this year?

There is also the Midland Air Museum, but you'll need a taxi to get out there. The old station at Coventry is a prime example of 1960s BR design and is a listed building.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Carnforth - the station museum is interesting, both the railway and the Brief Encounter bits. It's not open every day, so check. Arnside Viaduct is not very far away and is a lovely place more generally. Then Then a bit further along is Grange-over-Sands, a bit bigger and a nice walk along the promenade (alongside the railway).

 

[xotGD]

Carnforth - the station museum is interesting, both the railway and the Brief Encounter bits. It's not open every day, so check. Arnside Viaduct is not very far away and is a lovely place more generally. Then Then a bit further along is Grange-over-Sands, a bit bigger and a nice walk along the promenade (alongside the railway).

Arnside is a good shout. Time it right and there might be nuclear flask trains to video going over the bridge. I like the cafe by the station too.

 

[Jimini]

Coventry also has a temporary 'air taxi exhibition' pretty much next door to the station, for the next month at least:

Flying taxis hub opens in Coventry for demonstrations

The aim is to commercialise cargo drones and air taxis, hub founder Ricky Sandhu says.

www.bbc.co.uk

Flying taxis hub opens in Coventry for demonstrations​

Published1 day ago
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IMAGE SOURCE,PRESS EYE
Image caption,
The site's operator said a life-sized model of an air taxi being built by Supernal, part of Hyundai, would be on show
A hub for future vehicles like air taxis and delivery drones is opening to the public for demonstrations.
Over at least a month the Air-One mini-airport site in Coventry will host demonstrator flights and outline how to control aircraft.
The operator said it was "the starting gun for a new age of transport".
Urban-Air Port added air taxis were yet to receive government approval, but a life-sized model of one being built would be on show on the ground.
It said the Coventry initiative was "a world-first demonstration of a fully-operational hub for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles - such as air taxis - and autonomous cargo drones".
The company stated Air-One next to the city centre would demonstrate how "advanced air mobility can cut congestion and air pollution and support a zero-carbon future".

IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA
Image caption,
Following the programme in Coventry, Air-One will be redeployed to other locations for demonstrations
A cargo drone was described as being about the size of two double beds.
Cargo loading for unmanned drones and eVTOL charging will also be demonstrated following the opening in the Westminster Road car park on Monday.

• Work starts on hub for police and delivery drones
• You may be able to book a flying taxi within three years

West Midlands Police said its drones team would also be there to showcase equipment and give visitors a chance to find out future possibilities drones have in policing.
Insp Mark Colwell said: "Drones offer a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to enhance our force operations and ensure we can provide the best crime prevention service to the public."

Image caption,
Founder of operator Urban-Air Port Ricky Sandhu said it had delivered Air-One in 15 months
Air-One is a 1,700 sq m (18,299 sq ft) "prefabricated vertiport designed for both rapid assembly and disassembly".
Founder and executive chairman of Urban-Air Port Ricky Sandhu said it was the first of its kind in the world.
"In a couple of years, the community from here can be flying to places like London within 20 minutes, saving so much time," he said. "Our job is to pave the way."

IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA
Image caption,
West Midlands Police said it would showcase equipment
"Air taxis they will be coming very, very soon, in two years or so the leading companies will be launching theirs but cargo drones... these are already flying, doing lots of deliveries in and around the country but also around the world... They need a coordinated piece of infrastructure and that's where we come in."
The Coventry demonstrations may be extended beyond the month and people can register to attend via the company's website.

 

[Magdalia]

View attachment 113681



Peterborough.. not sure yet, but I've only got 6 hours there so I'm unlikely to venture too many stops away from there and likely just explore the city centre.

If anyone has any interesting travel ideas or know of any interesting railway related places nearby to any of those locations that are worth visiting I'd love to hear! I'm going to spend the next few days pouring over maps and looking up to see what interesting things are going on!

Thanks

I think of Peterborough as a place to change trains, not as a destination, unless you like tired 1980s shopping centres.

If you have not seen the Fens before, I recommend taking a trip to Ely and back. You will get to pass over the Bedford Levels near Manea and at Ely, get to see what, in my view, is England's finest cathedral. And look out for those semaphore signals at Whittlesea too.

The best view of Peterborough cathedral from the train is on the approach from Whittlesea, so you would get that too.

 

[30907]

I assume your tickets are Advances which means you have to be careful about stopping short etc. Couple of observations:

Holyhead, town looks very run-down, don't know if you can see much of the port workings; the HSTs you mention are Mk4 sets plus loco. You could go back to Bangor and bus to Caernarfon to look at the WHR and castle (touristy of course).

Giggleswick station is a good walk from the village where, apart from the church, there isn't much to see - but Settle Jn box would also be walkable (busy road). From Carnforth you should be able to get down to Hest Bank on the WCML.

I would support doing Peterborough-Ely (the Washlands are a sight if they are still under water), and the Nene Valley is unusual because of its collection of non-UK stock.

 

[BeccaOnATrain]

Thanks for all your suggestions so far! Those semaphore signals look interesting - looks like a nice place to explore too.
I have actually been to Arnside a couple of times - lovely place. It could be an option for me in the early evening - grab some food and jump on the same train that I'd be getting on at Carnforth anyway!
That transport museum at Coventry looks pretty interesting!

I've had to push my Peterborough one back to a weekend now as I didn't realise I double booked that day with a hospital appointment! On the plus side, I now have a full weekend in Peterborough! That Nene Valley looks good!

 

[Techniquest]

I have to agree with the other person who suggested a spin out to Ely. Far nicer than Peterborough will be, I haven't explored Peterborough all that much but what I've seen isn't that spectacular. Ely, on the other hand, I did like. An absolutely stunning cathedral, and you can be standing outside it in less than 15 minutes walking time from the station. Depending on how fast you walk, it can be less than 10 minutes.

It is truly a beautiful building, I admired the outside of it last autumn and I think you'll like it. Of course, Ely is a nice place in general to spend a good couple of hours exploring, it is on my list of places to revisit without any doubt. Ely also has the old level crossing, now out of use, with a very low-clearance bridge going under the railway. Very helpfully, it also has a huge Tesco next to the railway station car park, so it's more than ideal for quickly stocking up on supplies before/after a rail journey.

The same, when it comes to beautiful places, applies to Cambridge, I really liked that city. I will be going back there for a full day of walking at some point, and I am absolutely going back to one of the most cycle-friendly cities I have ever seen. I have no idea when though! I could seriously spend many hours exploring there, and of course there's also the advantage of the excellent Stadler trains available to enjoy.

As for Derby, I honestly don't think you'll find that much of interest there. With the Network Rail place nearby, there could be some interesting workings to see so worth checking on the day. Other than that, you will honestly be better off heading to Nottingham in that time. There's trams to enjoy and a nice city to go exploring, and while I haven't tried it myself there's a canal walk that could be interesting to do. Alternatively, assuming the trains are running, there's the beautiful journey to Matlock available and from what I can see the Heights of Abraham cable car thing St Matlock Bath looks incredibly good fun to do. Very much on my list to do at some point, as is the Crich Tramway near Whatsandwell. There's also the novelty of one of the UK's least used stations nearby at Peartree, it's not the nicest area (I cycled through there a while back) but if you time it for a train there and another back (or bus it there or back, whichever works out) it could be an interesting little curiosity to tick off.

Holyhead, as you may be aware already, is not the most exciting place in the world but I haven't been for many years. Back then I had no interest in exploring, whereas now I'd easily go and do just that. I have no expertise to share on Holyhead, but you do have near-ish there the longest station name in the country (maybe the world?) at Llanfairpwll. It could be worth a look just for the novelty factor! Conwy Castle looks amazing to do as well, quite a bit further back from Holyhead though.

Rugby, well to be honest I've not really got any advice there, it's not exactly an exciting area to visit! Warwick isn't that far away, could be done easily (hopefully!) by bus from Rugby. I haven't explored Rugby or Warwick properly yet, so I can't really recommend anything more than that.

Carnforth, again no expertise there. The last time I visited, I got off a 37-hauled train and got a 156 back. It might be worth hanging around for a bit, to get some video of 390s racing past, but I honestly don't think you'll find much in Carnforth itself of interest. The whole area is outside my area of expertise, so I can't help here at all!

 

[BeccaOnATrain]

I have to agree with the other person who suggested a spin out to Ely. Far nicer than Peterborough will be, I haven't explored Peterborough all that much but what I've seen isn't that spectacular. Ely, on the other hand, I did like. An absolutely stunning cathedral, and you can be standing outside it in less than 15 minutes walking time from the station. Depending on how fast you walk, it can be less than 10 minutes.

It is truly a beautiful building, I admired the outside of it last autumn and I think you'll like it. Of course, Ely is a nice place in general to spend a good couple of hours exploring, it is on my list of places to revisit without any doubt. Ely also has the old level crossing, now out of use, with a very low-clearance bridge going under the railway. Very helpfully, it also has a huge Tesco next to the railway station car park, so it's more than ideal for quickly stocking up on supplies before/after a rail journey.

The same, when it comes to beautiful places, applies to Cambridge, I really liked that city. I will be going back there for a full day of walking at some point, and I am absolutely going back to one of the most cycle-friendly cities I have ever seen. I have no idea when though! I could seriously spend many hours exploring there, and of course there's also the advantage of the excellent Stadler trains available to enjoy.

As for Derby, I honestly don't think you'll find that much of interest there. With the Network Rail place nearby, there could be some interesting workings to see so worth checking on the day. Other than that, you will honestly be better off heading to Nottingham in that time. There's trams to enjoy and a nice city to go exploring, and while I haven't tried it myself there's a canal walk that could be interesting to do. Alternatively, assuming the trains are running, there's the beautiful journey to Matlock available and from what I can see the Heights of Abraham cable car thing St Matlock Bath looks incredibly good fun to do. Very much on my list to do at some point, as is the Crich Tramway near Whatsandwell. There's also the novelty of one of the UK's least used stations nearby at Peartree, it's not the nicest area (I cycled through there a while back) but if you time it for a train there and another back (or bus it there or back, whichever works out) it could be an interesting little curiosity to tick off.

Holyhead, as you may be aware already, is not the most exciting place in the world but I haven't been for many years. Back then I had no interest in exploring, whereas now I'd easily go and do just that. I have no expertise to share on Holyhead, but you do have near-ish there the longest station name in the country (maybe the world?) at Llanfairpwll. It could be worth a look just for the novelty factor! Conwy Castle looks amazing to do as well, quite a bit further back from Holyhead though.

Rugby, well to be honest I've not really got any advice there, it's not exactly an exciting area to visit! Warwick isn't that far away, could be done easily (hopefully!) by bus from Rugby. I haven't explored Rugby or Warwick properly yet, so I can't really recommend anything more than that.

Carnforth, again no expertise there. The last time I visited, I got off a 37-hauled train and got a 156 back. It might be worth hanging around for a bit, to get some video of 390s racing past, but I honestly don't think you'll find much in Carnforth itself of interest. The whole area is outside my area of expertise, so I can't help here at all!

Thanks for the tips!

Derby I've got the morning the morning covered, going up to Belper.. I did spot the Crich Tramway last night too.. only to find they're not open on the day I visit! Doh! I hadn't heard of the Heights of Abraham though - that looks pretty cool! Could swing that way after lunch.
Maybe I could do a "trans at peartree" video but just footage of an empty station without any trains and just the bleakness of it.

And aye the area around Holyhead station looks really bleak too upon further investigation - I think I'll turn back on myself at Holyhead and head over to one of the intermediary stations along the North Welsh coast instead.

Rugby.. still quizzing why I thought spending a full day there was a good idea. It also looks like it is now forecast to rain around that area on Sunday too.. I am tempted to give that trip a miss and push it back to when it's a bit sunny!

Ely has always looked nice whenever I've ever travelled through, but I've never ventured round.. now I've got 2 full days in Peterborough I should have more time to explore!

 

[TheBigD]

now I've got 2 full days in Peterborough I should have more time to explore!

Stamford is worth a visit. 1 stop/13 minutes along the Leicester line.

It's a lovely 20-30 minute walk up to Burghley House and grounds.
Robert Humm railway bookshop in Scotgate just over 10 minutes walk from the station.
The old station building at Stamford East on Water Street is just over 5 minutes walk from the current station.
If you fancy a longer walk, the former Stamford to Wansford line to Uffington is now part of the Torpell Way footpath.
Stamford itself is a nice town that has featured in shows like Middlemarch.
Plenty of churches if that's your thing as well.

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks for the tips!

Derby I've got the morning the morning covered, going up to Belper.. I did spot the Crich Tramway last night too.. only to find they're not open on the day I visit! Doh! I hadn't heard of the Heights of Abraham though - that looks pretty cool! Could swing that way after lunch.
Maybe I could do a "trans at peartree" video but just footage of an empty station without any trains and just the bleakness of it.

And aye the area around Holyhead station looks really bleak too upon further investigation - I think I'll turn back on myself at Holyhead and head over to one of the intermediary stations along the North Welsh coast instead.

Rugby.. still quizzing why I thought spending a full day there was a good idea. It also looks like it is now forecast to rain around that area on Sunday too.. I am tempted to give that trip a miss and push it back to when it's a bit sunny!

Ely has always looked nice whenever I've ever travelled through, but I've never ventured round.. now I've got 2 full days in Peterborough I should have more time to explore!

You're welcome Please do report back on the Heights of Abraham, if you do it, I'm most curious to see what it's like. I've only looked at it in leaflets, and if it didn't cost an arm and two legs to get there even from this end of the Midlands I'd have done it by now.

Rugby, yes I would 100% push that back if you can, although I'd not rely too much on the forecast this week as it has changed so much. Here, for example, it was not meant to be that nice or warm all week but Monday and Tuesday turned out to be glorious days!

Whatever the appointment is for that you've had to reorganise your Peterborough trip for, I forgot to say previously I hope it goes well

North Wales, well without checking I seem to recall there's a modest amount of traffic-free routes that could be explored while on Anglesey. I don't have them to hand, but if you're interested I can research them a bit more for you. Alternatively they ought to be on the Sustrans NCN map online, and if I remember later I'll check them out anyway because now I'm curious!

EDIT: Scratch that, the routes I was thinking of are not suitable for pedestrians. There is a section of Route 5 out of Holyhead that is shown as traffic-free, over Beddmanarch Bay, to Valley which could be interesting. It seems to go near the railway too, so worth researching on Maps.

 

[xotGD]

And aye the area around Holyhead station looks really bleak too upon further investigation - I think I'll turn back on myself at Holyhead and head over to one of the intermediary stations along the North Welsh coast instead.

Conwy is a lovely town to visit. And there are some railway photographic opportunities:



There is a train hiding below...

 

[vlad]

Maybe I could do a "trans at peartree" video but just footage of an empty station without any trains and just the bleakness of it.

There are plenty of trains at Peartree - all trains between Derby and Stoke or Birmingham pass through. It's finding one that stops that's the problem!

 

[Techniquest]

There are plenty of trains at Peartree - all trains between Derby and Stoke or Birmingham pass through. It's finding one that stops that's the problem!

I think @BeccaOnATrain has an interesting idea there though, definitely include how deserted and isolated it is, despite being on the mainline. However yes, there are a number of trains every hour passing through. For the benefit of the OP, there seems to be quite a decent size retail park almost right next to Peartree station too, so there would be options for an evening meal (or whatever) there before heading back. I didn't get to examine it properly myself, when I got off a late running (shocking, so shocking, well actually not that shocking) EMR service there back in January my priority was getting out of the station and cycling up to Derby station sharpish, I had a Voyager to catch!

It could be one of the only times you will ever hear, in the modern era, of someone saying "I must get to Derby Station as soon as possible, I have a Voyager to catch!" Once upon a time, I enjoyed my Voyager rides a lot, but that was a dark time. My days, that would be more than 15 years ago now!

 

[Andy Pacer]

There are plenty of trains at Peartree - all trains between Derby and Stoke or Birmingham pass through. It's finding one that stops that's the problem!

And getting from the road onto the station platform if not arriving by train can also be a challenge!

 

[Magdalia]

Thanks for the tips!


And aye the area around Holyhead station looks really bleak too upon further investigation - I think I'll turn back on myself at Holyhead and head over to one of the intermediary stations along the North Welsh coast instead.

I am showing my age by admitting that the only time that I've been off the station at Holyhead was to walk to the breakwater to see the class 01 shunters.

These worked on a short railway from a quarry out onto the breakwater. Recently I saw on TV a repeat of one of Kate Humble's Coastal Walks which featured the quarry, which is now a nature reserve, and the breakwater.

If I was stuck in Holyhead on a dry day, I would go out there for a look.

 

[BeccaOnATrain]

Got to Derby.. spent an hour around there.. saw 43285+43357 heading down to Plymouth!
Ended up going to Belper.. had a wander around.. got lost trying to find the bridge I wanted.. turns out it was literally a stones throw from the station but I ended up overshooting it massively and walking up a big hill.
Sat in Railway pub having eaten a massive burger and now waiting for the HST to come back up north in about an hour whilst I sort through my videos and photos from today! After that I'm most likely gonna put my video stuff away and head back to Derby for an hour or so in the early evening to grab some photos. I've never seen so many 170s in my life before!

I also feel bad for slagging off East Midland's Voyagers* when I haven't actually been on one in like 15 years.. they are very spacious! A bit grubby and dated looking but I was expecting them to be really cramped so I was pleasently surprised to find a comfortable and spacious ride. Might do a St Pancras trip one day.

I had a look at a few videos of that Cable car at Abrahams Heights.. looked really fun, until it went up high and I remembered how terrified I am of heights!

Definitely need to head back to this sort of area for Crich tramway and the Heritage line at Duffield!

http://bluewintersky.co.uk/derby-belper-april-2022

*

 

[Master Cutler]

Looking at your Holyhead stop you should have time to take the 61 bus to Amlwch via Cemaes.
The Sail Loft at Amlwch Port is worth a visit for a coffee and a look at the museum.

 

[BeccaOnATrain]

Just my luck.. back in Derby.. put all my video stuff away.. 3 southbound trains all within 10 seconds of each other on Platform 1, 2 and 3.. CrossCountry voyager and 2x 170s! Would have made for a great clip.. doh!

 

[Techniquest]

Just my luck.. back in Derby.. put all my video stuff away.. 3 southbound trains all within 10 seconds of each other on Platform 1, 2 and 3.. CrossCountry voyager and 2x 170s! Would have made for a great clip.. doh!

Oops! Some bad fortune there, but overall it sounds like you had a nice day out.

I'm guessing you share these videos on YouTube, if you've got a channel link I am curious to see what you've shared so far

 

[BeccaOnATrain]

Oops! Some bad fortune there, but overall it sounds like you had a nice day out.

I'm guessing you share these videos on YouTube, if you've got a channel link I am curious to see what you've shared so far

I do, started doing videos a couple of months ago! My channel name is Great Becca Railways.

I'll be uploading Sheffield, Derby & Belper as 3 seperate videos.

SO..

Trip to Carnforth didn't happen. "Total signal failure" at Manchester Oxford Road? Boarded the train at Manchester Airport about half an hour late, it appeared on RTT that things had cleared up at Oxford Road and trains were getting let through one at a time.. but when we got to Oxford Road they cancelled the rest of the service after keeping us hanging around for a further 20 minutes. I may have been able to get a packed train onto Preston and change there.. but I'm not bothering with the effort of all that. I'd get into Carnforth too late and a large reason I wanted to do the trip as film it on the train going up.

Sat in a spoons having breakfast.. wondering what to do with my day. Might hang around Victoria. It's due to get a bit wet late on in the evening but I might be able to do a quick trip into Lancashire somewhere and back?

Oh well! I need to get my delay repay sorted.. annoyingly I also bought an earlier single back from Carnforth last night too as I didn't to stick around until my original departure time of going 8pm. I don't know if I can claim on that though. Technically I could get the later direct service to Carnforth and get that journey back.. but I'd only have like an hour there.

 

[BeccaOnATrain]

This was 3 the southbound XC trains at Derby yesterday, got a few photos but it was all a bit choatic to get a decent one!

 

[Techniquest]

That's a nice photo there Maybe a couple of seconds quicker (or later!) for slightly better positioning of the middle 170, but then the others might have been out of sync. A nice scene and I think the sun reflecting off the Voyager really helps that.

I'll go and look up your channel shortly, there is a good chance you'll get a subscriber added from me (TechniquestS482)

Yikes to the epic farce in Manchester, definitely made the right call to not go to Carnforth. Hope you made the best of the day (if I'd been earlier I might have suggested a short video on Metrolink, to do something a little different, at some of the city centre stations), whatever you did!

 

[BeccaOnATrain]

That's a nice photo there Maybe a couple of seconds quicker (or later!) for slightly better positioning of the middle 170, but then the others might have been out of sync. A nice scene and I think the sun reflecting off the Voyager really helps that.

I'll go and look up your channel shortly, there is a good chance you'll get a subscriber added from me (TechniquestS482)

Yikes to the epic farce in Manchester, definitely made the right call to not go to Carnforth. Hope you made the best of the day (if I'd been earlier I might have suggested a short video on Metrolink, to do something a little different, at some of the city centre stations), whatever you did!

Thanks! I had to crop in like 50% on that image as well hence the quality falling apart.

So I ended up having a mooch around the Metrolink instead of exploring around on trains.. they're basically trains, just brighter yellow and a higher chance of getting run over by one. Went up to Velopark and back and around the city a bit.

Here are some moody and scatty images cus' I was feeling moody and annoyed about missing my trip to Carnforth!

http://bluewintersky.co.uk/manchester-metrolink-april-2022



The journey continues today.. Holyhead! Although I'm going to get off at Colwyn Bay and then head over to Abergele & Pensarn to catch the Class 67 towards Cardiff quickly and then head over to that station with the long name on Anglessey and have a mooch around before eventually ending up at Holyhead to catch my train back to Manchester.