Nottingham to Cleethorpes

[railfan99]

During another Eurailpass for later this year, the National Rail journey planner is advising on a journey from Nottingham to Cleethorpes to change at Habrough, rather then Grimsby Town.

Habrough looks to have the bare minimum of facilities and is unattended.

Is this because on the weekday I'm hoping to travel (assuming the timetable in your autumn is similar to that applying today), if one changes at Grimsby Town, the terminating train arrives in platform 3 that is apparently a dead end and hence travellers must walk to another platform to continue to Cleethorpes, whereas at Habrough it's a simpler matter of waiting on the same platform?

It is handy, as I can later travel on the same train from Cleethorpes to Barton-on-Humber, the latter said by forum members to be possibly under threat of withdrawal of passenger trains.

The night before, I am considering whether to stay in Burton-on-Trent (cheap pub near the station) or Nottingham (trams a bonus to ride even at night, but bound to be more expensive). Within reason, the extra cost is not a huge concern. Which would you locals recommend?

I might also like to meet the excellent guard/conductor who recently collected 800 fares in a day as he's the sort of individual we need working on wonderful railways worldwide.

 

[Iskra]

Possibly change at Barnetby instead and visit the pleasant adjacent pub.

I don’t seriously think the Barton on Humber service is under any threat of withdrawal.

 

[Kite159]

Maybe change at Grimsby if TPE are being TPE and cancelling many trains, at least there is the backup option of a bus to Cleethorpes. Barnetby is even more bleak than Habrough

 

[railfan99]

Maybe change at Grimsby if TPE are being TPE and cancelling many trains, at least there is the backup option of a bus to Cleethorpes. Barnetby is even more bleak than Habrough

Thank you both: the whole objective is to increase my coverage by rail of UK (and European) rail lines. Nice idea to travel by bus but that wouldn't assist my goal.

 

[Techniquest]

Out of the choice of changing in Habrough or Grimsby, I'd go for the latter if possible. It's not a very exciting place to wait at Habrough, although if one is with luggage then a same platform change would be mighty tempting. I've not stepped foot on the platform at Grimsby, so I don't know the station that well but I'd suggest it wouldn't be too difficult to change there.

As for Burton vs Nottingham, I would 100% go for Nottingham. Staying in a cheap room above a pub isn't really that nice an option, particularly at the end of a day's travelling. Nottingham is also more interesting from my experience, and much better connected to the rest of the world.

 

[Failed Unit]

Thank you both: the whole objective is to increase my coverage by rail of UK (and European) rail lines. Nice idea to travel by bus but that wouldn't assist my goal.

The connection at Habrough is normally an EMR one (ex Barton) anyway so you will be fine. Just check on real times before you leave Barnetby where it is.

 

[ChrisC]

I would definitely go for a stay in Nottingham rather than Burton as it’s a much more interesting place. If you haven’t got time to explore Nottingham, and all you are looking for is a reasonably priced bed for the night and a tram ride you could stay at the Nottingham West Premier Inn. It’s quite a way out of the city centre but right next to the Phoenix Park tram terminus, so travelling to your hotel would give you the tram ride.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Very definitely Nottingham unless you want to spend your evening on a pub crawl - there’s not much else to do in Burton.

 

[railfan99]

I would definitely go for a stay in Nottingham rather than Burton as it’s a much more interesting place. If you haven’t got time to explore Nottingham, and all you are looking for is a reasonably priced bed for the night and a tram ride you could stay at the Nottingham West Premier Inn. It’s quite a way out of the city centre but right next to the Phoenix Park tram terminus, so travelling to your hotel would give you the tram ride.

Good suggestion, but historically I stay close to city centres. The renamed Jury's Inn (now Leonardo Hotel) appears to have good value rates even for those hindered by the Pacific peso's exchange rate.

I had thought there was only one tram route, but sthere are two, so all trackage will be on my list. A great way to observe a city: alwasys enjoyable. (I am biased as given Russian tramway route closures, Melbourne has the most extensive tramway network worldwide).

One of the best features of the UK is that only 13 per cent of the English population reside in London ('Greater' London?) so that gives more branch line travel opportunities with wonderfully historic towns (well at least to foreigners: locals may regard as mundane).

 

[Techniquest]

I'd agree that exploring a city on a tram is a good way to get introduced to the place quite quickly. Especially handy if the weather is not terribly on your side!

Your point on the UK's many towns is a good one, there's a lot of interesting places to explore and sometimes they pop up in the most unexpected of places. I did a cycle ride from Shifnal to Wolverhampton a while ago, and my journey took me through Albrighton. I was surprised not just at how big the place was, but by how nice it was too. I haven't seen it all, but it's on my list to do a thorough walkabout of at some point.

Similarly I was surprised by Nairn when I visited in November, I wasn't expecting much of anything there but it was a nice little explore. Dingwall was similarly interesting in January this year, a nice walkabout was had there thanks to @Kite159 and I'd have not also discovered a good route to do on one of my fast walks from Dingwall to Conon Bridge. That's on my list for the future, as is a full-on explore based out of Achnashellach, having discovered the beauty of that area. That was also down to Kite, I'd have explored somewhere much more urban if it had not been for his suggestion!

Anyway, yes Nottingham city centre will be a good choice for your base and you should have a fair amount of choice for hotels there. Indeed, at some point I will have a need of a hotel in the city to position myself for some exploring. I've not stayed in one of those Leonardo hotels you mention, I have heard they're expensive for what they are though.

 

[BJames]

Didn't realise Jury's had been renamed! There is a Premier Inn in the city centre about 10ish mins walk from the station (Chapel Bar) - it's ok, a pretty standard Premier Inn and nothing special but it is a good location and I usually opt for them over other chains. However if Leonardo is a good rate then fair enough - and it is close to the station.

If you don't want to eat in your hotel and need restaurant recommendations please feel free to ask/drop me a message. Regarding the trams, an all day ticket is £4.70 which I don't think is too bad. If you're wanting to look it up in video-style before you go, Geoff Marshall did a tram-style "all the stations" video:

 

[Kite159]

Also look for accommodation in Beeston, as that sometimes can be cheaper than Nottingham city centre, especially at weekends. The same applies for any places which are close to tram stops away from the city centre.

 

[railfan99]

Also look for accommodation in Beeston, as that sometimes can be cheaper than Nottingham city centre, especially at weekends. The same applies for any places which are close to tram stops away from the city centre.

Thank you all for the excellent suggestions.

Yes, it's counterintuitive that city accommodation in many nations can be more expensive on Friday and Saturday nights. By contrast, Sunday night everywhere in the West (including my own faraway continet) tends to be the 'dead' night.

Nottingham has excellent frequency on its tram routes. Impressive (not that I've been there).

 

[Ken H]

When i was working away in the E Mids I stayed at the Premier Inn Goldsmith St. A short walk from the centre but a bit of a trek to the station. But there is a tram stop 100 yards away.