Round UK ‘circumnavigation’ by train

[Acathater]

Just another couple of thoughts....
On the Cumbria coast leg you do realise you'll have to walk or get a bus between Maryport and Corcickle?
Also at the end of that leg you may be better changing at Lancaster than Carnforth. No facilities at Carnforth, you really don't want to spend an hour there. Lancaster has toilets, a pub in the station, two cafes and toilets. After several hours coming round the coast you may find Lancaster a relief.... Also that way you'd get into Lancaster an hour earlier and so could there get an earlier train to Preston (Avanti or TPE)

 

[Mainliner]

The 1445 from Southampton goes to Brighton, no need to change at Havant (not much there really).

Thanks, I suspected there might be one or two direct services, again in places I’m unfamiliar with!

 

[Mainliner]

Just another couple of thoughts....
On the Cumbria coast leg you do realise you'll have to walk or get a bus between Maryport and Corcickle?
Also at the end of that leg you may be better changing at Lancaster than Carnforth. No facilities at Carnforth, you really don't want to spend an hour there. Lancaster has toilets, a pub in the station, two cafes and toilets. After several hours coming round the coast you may find Lancaster a relief.... Also that way you'd get into Lancaster an hour earlier and so could there get an earlier train to Preston (Avanti or TPE)

Yes, I knew about the Cumbria tunnel detour, but Lancaster does sound better than Carnforth, thanks!

I’ll build these changes into V1.2

 

[zwk500]

Shotton- Llandudno 1402-1531 £4
Llandudno - Blaenau 1610-1729 £5

I thought you weren't doubling back (Llandudno Jn - Llandudno) or using branch lines? (The Blaenau Branch)

Alternatively you could do Shotton - Bangor, Bangor - Caernarfon (5C bus), Caernarfon - Portmadog (WHR)

Equally instead of going via Shrewsbury and the Heart of Wales line, you could change at Dovey Jn for Aberystwyth, then get the T1 from there to Carmarthen, where you would be back on the trains again. Obviously this might require adjustment to your overnighting point!

 

[zwk500]

Stratford I - Stratford DLR 1300-1315
DLR to Stratford
Stratford - Ipswich 1337-1435 £15

You can also potentially stretch this into:
Stratford Int'l - West Ham DLR
West Ham - Southend Central (via Tilbury, may require 2 trains)
Walk to Southend Victoria
Southend Vic - Shenfield
Shenfield - Ipswich (again may require 2 trains)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Also at the end of that leg you may be better changing at Lancaster than Carnforth. No facilities at Carnforth, you really don't want to spend an hour there.

Really? Fairly sure the 'Brief Encounter Bistro' at Carnforth station (on the Southbound, platform 1, side) is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. There's also a Co-op food store just outside the station, also open seven days a week, but from 6 a.m. 'til 10 p.m.

 

[Acathater]

Really? Fairly sure the 'Brief Encounter Bistro' at Carnforth station (on the Southbound, platform 1, side) is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. There's also a Co-op food store just outside the station, also open seven days a week, but from 6 a.m. 'til 10 p.m.

All looked rather quiet and irrelevant yesterday.
Besides which by going to Lancaster he gains an hour in time

 

[MatthewE707]

The 0923 Ashford to Ramsgate on Day 7 goes via Canterbury - if you'd rather stick to the coastal route you'd need to get the 0847 from Ashford, arriving Ramsgate 0953

 

[30907]

Just another couple of thoughts....
On the Cumbria coast leg you do realise you'll have to walk or get a bus between Maryport and Corcickle?

You mean Whitehaven

Also, Preston-Southport via Burscough Bridge/Jn if you don't mind the walk would be quicker than your inland route.

And surely you should go Llandudno(-Holyhead)-Bangor-(bus)-Pwllheli, assuming the timings are tolerable?

 

[Mainliner]

Thanks all, more good suggestions!

 

[RUK]

You can also potentially stretch this into:
Stratford Int'l - West Ham DLR
West Ham - Southend Central (via Tilbury, may require 2 trains)
Walk to Southend Victoria
Southend Vic - Shenfield
Shenfield - Ipswich (again may require 2 trains)

Yes, you get some views of the coast between Leigh-on-Sea and Chalkwell looking out of the right-hand side of the train, and also get to see the ruins of Hadleigh Castle, if looking out of the left-hand side of the train in the direction of travel (towards Southend-on-Sea), up the hill, between Benfleet and Leigh-on-Sea.

 

[BayPaul]

You could add in a bit more coast (and some nice scenery) in Devon by going Exeter St Davids - Starcross, ferry to Exmouth, Exmouth - Exeter Central, then onwards towards Yeovil.
The ferry doesn't run year-round.

 

[Robin Edwards]

Other than the extra day it would take, is there a reason (sorry if you've already said and I've missed) why the Inverness - Wick/Thurso and back route is missed?

It's an excellent plan and far more planning than I did in 82 since I found that beyond a certain point, things wen't a little off piste so to speak and I ended up just getting as far as I could reasonably get by the end of each day.

 

[Robin Edwards]

A summary of your route would be interesting, but no rush, as I’ll probably not be doing this until next Spring.

14Day All Lines Railrover – Circumnavigation London to London July 31st– 13thAugust 1982

Day 1

07.23 London Victoria – Ramsgate
??.?? Ramsgate to Ashford via Dover Priory
10.45 Ashford – Hastings
11.50 Hastings – Brighton
13.12 Brighton – Portsmouth Harbour
14.28 Portsmouth - Southampton
15.40 Southampton – Eastleigh
16.58 Eastleigh – Southampton
17.36 Southampton – Salisbury
18.39 Salisbury – Exeter St Davids
21.05 Exeter St Davids – Plymouth

Ideally I should have travelled Southampton – Weymouth, Weymouth – Yeovil Pen Mill but took a divert to Eastleigh which used up time. (I visited Weymouth latter part of second week as well as Isle of Wight)

I didn’t plan to go out to Sheerness-on-Sea, Eastbourne, Seaford, Littlehampton or Bognor Regis.

 

[Acathater]

You mean Whitehaven

Ooooops! I always get those two confused

 

[Minnietheminx]

Day 3

Troon - Carlisle 0939-1142 £16
Carlisle - Carnforth via coast 1210-1643 £21
Carnforth - Preston 1744-1809 £9
Preston - Blackpool N 1829-1854 £3
Blackpool S - Preston 1920-2008 £2

The Blackpool connection looks a bit optimistic?

 

[Acathater]

The Blackpool connection looks a bit optimistic?

As I said upthread if he changes at Lancaster rather than Carnforth he'll potentially gain an hour which may make the Blackpool connections easier

 

[Mainliner]

14Day All Lines Railrover – Circumnavigation London to London July 31st– 13thAugust 1982

Day 1

07.23 London Victoria – Ramsgate
??.?? Ramsgate to Ashford via Dover Priory
10.45 Ashford – Hastings
11.50 Hastings – Brighton
13.12 Brighton – Portsmouth Harbour
14.28 Portsmouth - Southampton
15.40 Southampton – Eastleigh
16.58 Eastleigh – Southampton
17.36 Southampton – Salisbury
18.39 Salisbury – Exeter St Davids
21.05 Exeter St Davids – Plymouth

Ideally I should have travelled Southampton – Weymouth, Weymouth – Yeovil Pen Mill but took a divert to Eastleigh which used up time. (I visited Weymouth latter part of second week as well as Isle of Wight)

I didn’t plan to go out to Sheerness-on-Sea, Eastbourne, Seaford, Littlehampton or Bognor Regis.

Wow, great record keeping from 44 years ago!

 

[Mainliner]

Yes, you get some views of the coast between Leigh-on-Sea and Chalkwell looking out of the right-hand side of the train, and also get to see the ruins of Hadleigh Castle, if looking out of the left-hand side of the train in the direction of travel (towards Southend-on-Sea), up the hill, between Benfleet and Leigh-on-Sea.

You could add in a bit more coast (and some nice scenery) in Devon by going Exeter St Davids - Starcross, ferry to Exmouth, Exmouth - Exeter Central, then onwards towards Yeovil.
The ferry doesn't run year-round.

Hmm, if I add all the suggested bits, it might well stretch to 9 days, as it was already quite tight

 

[Mainliner]

Other than the extra day it would take, is there a reason (sorry if you've already said and I've missed) why the Inverness - Wick/Thurso and back route is missed?

I’ve done the Far North line in the past, and I don’t want to double back such a long way.

 

[Mike99]

I’ve done the Far North line in the past, and I don’t want to double back such a long way.

A few years back I got a B&B in Inverness for 2 nights in Inverness on an ALR, so I managed to add track coverage the following, Inverness (08:53) to Kyle at (11:31) then Kyle (12:06) to Dingwall (14:10). Dingwall (14:37) to Thurso (17:50) followed Scottisch City Link X99 from Thurso (18:30 ish) to Inverness (22:00 ish). I then managed Inverness (22:15) to Elgin( 22:58) and Elgin (23:19) back to Inverness for (00:12) Luckily I had covered Wick to Thurso during a previous holiday

 

[Robin Edwards]

I’ve done the Far North line in the past, and I don’t want to double back such a long way.

It was same for me on my trip. You can easily spent lots of time on long days out and back in Scotland which prevents finding time for other things. I did Scotland in 81 with exception of Oban which I then included as my luxury day in 82