IanD
Established Member
I had to drive to Eton last week to pick up my daughter and due to light traffic on the M1/M25/M4, for Friday evening at any rate, I arrived early so had an hour and a half to kill. Id looked around the town a couple of weeks earlier when dropping her off so thought I might have a beer but realised Id forgotten to take out second mortgage before starting out. What to do? Simple Id picked up a train timetable at Windsor and Eton Riverside before and a quick glance at it told me there was a train just after 2000 to Staines which would enable me to travel up the branch and back with 10 minutes to spare so I hotfooted it across the bridge into Windsor and bought my return ticket for £4.70. The clerk muttered something about getting my skates on if I wanted to catch the 1953. Hmm, hadnt seen that in the timetable but I got on 450555+xxx anyway.
Its quite a pretty line with the river running alongside for stretches and lakes and reservoirs visible too. In no time at all we arrived at the lovely Staines (which isnt as massive as Id been led to believe!) There was a train in the opposite platform which, as I alighted, I heard being announced as the 2008 back to W&E, which Id also not noticed in the timetable. A look at the departure screens and there was no trace of the train I was expecting to take back. I got my timetable out of my pocket and noticed Id made the schoolboy error of looking at the Sunday timetable by mistake! Instead of a 15 minute wait, I had to wait 30 minutes for the return service. This gave me a chance to have a thorough nose around the station and observe 5 or so arrivals and departures. Unfortunately, the cafe in the station yard was closed so there was no chance of a bacon sarnie but had I (known that I) had more time, I would gladly have sampled a curry from the takeaway next door! Back in Windsor courtesy of 450562+568, I had 5 minutes to hotterfoot it across the bridge and to the other end of Eton having successfully scratched off another 6.75 miles of the National Rail Network.
In the end, the 9pm collection time for my daughter turned in to 10:30 so I would have had plenty of time for that curry!
Its quite a pretty line with the river running alongside for stretches and lakes and reservoirs visible too. In no time at all we arrived at the lovely Staines (which isnt as massive as Id been led to believe!) There was a train in the opposite platform which, as I alighted, I heard being announced as the 2008 back to W&E, which Id also not noticed in the timetable. A look at the departure screens and there was no trace of the train I was expecting to take back. I got my timetable out of my pocket and noticed Id made the schoolboy error of looking at the Sunday timetable by mistake! Instead of a 15 minute wait, I had to wait 30 minutes for the return service. This gave me a chance to have a thorough nose around the station and observe 5 or so arrivals and departures. Unfortunately, the cafe in the station yard was closed so there was no chance of a bacon sarnie but had I (known that I) had more time, I would gladly have sampled a curry from the takeaway next door! Back in Windsor courtesy of 450562+568, I had 5 minutes to hotterfoot it across the bridge and to the other end of Eton having successfully scratched off another 6.75 miles of the National Rail Network.
In the end, the 9pm collection time for my daughter turned in to 10:30 so I would have had plenty of time for that curry!
