Advice for visiting every National Rail station in the UK.

[swt class 450]

I am currently trying to visit every National Rail station in the UK and was just wondering if anyone had any advice especially on how to visit the lines with lots of stations with infrequent service.

So far i visited every station in - Surrey / Sussex / Hampshire / Kent / Wiltshire / Dorset / Berkshire / Greater London / Buckinghamshire / Hertfordshire / Essex / Cambridgeshire / Bedfordshire - and a few other various stations around the UK so i am still very far off from completing it. There is a huge amount of stations that i havent been to.

To tick off a station i have actually get on and off at the station. I also have to walk around the station and walk on all of the platforms. And i have to enter and exit the station and walk around the local area. Preferably i like to have around an hour at each station but the minimum i need is around 15 to 20 minutes.

At the moment i usually try to tick off stations a few days a week on my days off going out at about 16:00 and coming home at about 00:00 (or when i have the time about once a month i try to do a longer day from 12:00 to 00:00).

So i am wondering what is the best way to do stations on lines such as the Heart Of Wales line / Cambrian Coast line / Far North line / Kyle Of Lochalsh line / West Highland line / Cumbrian Coast line etc and other lines with infrequent services? I presume it could take about a week (or even longer) just to do one line? Is it best to do a lot of doubling back on yourself? Are there any stations that you can walk between (i dont mind walking long distances)?

If anyone has any advice that would be great. Many thanks.

 

[trainmania100]

British steel redcar will not satisfy your conditions unless you spend a whole day there.
Good luck on your mission

 

[swt class 450]

British steel redcar will not satisfy your conditions unless you spend a whole day there.
Good luck on your mission

To clarify i only have to visit the station. It still counts if i just get off the train (and travel onwards by other transport) or just get on the train (and travel inwards on other transport) or for some difficult stations travel both inwards and outwards by other transport. What i meant was it doesnt count if i just pass through or get off a train and get right back on again.

 

[Kite159]

Get a folding bike

Kyle line is doable in 3 days, there are a couple stations at the Kyle end which are walkable, however the other stations are quite far from each other (and where there is a road, it tends to be a national speed limit with no pavements). Therefore I suggest a good book (or two), maybe with some music to pass the festers in remote shacks in the highlands.

 

[djpontrack]

There is a few tricky ones in the North West of England. Heysham Port only has one service a day. Reddish South and Denton only have one service a week on a Friday, when I did them, I got a bus from Stockport to Reddish South then got the a class 142 on the FO service to Denton then another bus to the centre of Manchester. Clifton is tricky too having an up service in the morning and a return down service in the evening. I got the evening service to Clifton and then walked about a mile or so to Swinton. I hope this helps a bit.

 

[NORMAN471]

There is a few tricky ones in the North West of England. Heysham Port only has one service a day. Reddish South and Denton only have one service a week on a Friday, when I did them, I got a bus from Stockport to Reddish South then got the a class 142 on the FO service to Denton then another bus to the centre of Manchester. Clifton is tricky too having an up service in the morning and a return down service in the evening. I got the evening service to Clifton and then walked about a mile or so to Swinton. I hope this helps a bit.

Clifton would be better if you walked down the hill from Swinton to it rather than the hard slog uphill. There is a bus service down from Swinton to Clifton which will get you there before the 18.22 Wigan Wallgate service. The last time I looked though it was a very limited bus service that may have even ended around the 18.22 rail departure time. The Wayfarer or a System One day ticket would cover the bus journey as well as train and tram and would assist with Denton or Reddish South on a Friday visit. Heysham is possible Mon to Sat at lunchtimes and the wait at the Port is only 15 mins, arr 13.01 dep 13.17

 

[djpontrack]

Clifton would be better if you walked down the hill from Swinton to it rather than the hard slog uphill. There is a bus service down from Swinton to Clifton which will get you there before the 18.22 Wigan Wallgate service. The last time I looked though it was a very limited bus service that may have even ended around the 18.22 rail departure time. The Wayfarer or a System One day ticket would cover the bus journey as well as train and tram and would assist with Denton or Reddish South on a Friday visit. Heysham is possible Mon to Sat at lunchtimes and the wait at the Port is only 15 mins, arr 13.01 dep 13.17

I looked at the buses to Clifton but like you say it's a very limited service so I decided to walk to Swinton. It was a reasonable day and I stopped for some liquid refreshment on the way to Swinton station. 15 mins at Heysham is probably enough as there's nothing much there apart from the port and power station. I've cycled there quite a few times to take a photos as the new buses that are made in Northern Ireland land there. I think I've copped more Borismasters at Heysham than I have in London.

 

[Hornet]

Took me 10 years to visit and photograph every BR Station, complete with either a freight or passenger service at, or passing through one of the platforms, that was open between 1984 and 1994. Had the benefit of a quick motorcycle that allowed me to do several stations on the more remote Scottish and Welsh lines in a single day. Was limited to weekends, with the major conurbations visited by Train. Last station done was Taplow on the 31/03/1994. (my local station in my spotting days in the 60's).

 

[Blindtraveler]

Access Breich on the shotts line by bus iether from Livingston or Lanarck

 

[fowler9]

Good luck mate, it is not something I have ever attempted but I hope you manage it. I have no advice alas other than in my local area. The Liverpool to Manchester Oxford Road service is half hourly with pretty evenly spaced stations. You could easily do one station at a time, hop off one train and get on the next whilst having a little wander around in between trains. Where I live by Mossley Hill and West Allerton is a nice enough area.

 

[Kite159]

Good luck mate, it is not something I have ever attempted but I hope you manage it. I have no advice alas other than in my local area. The Liverpool to Manchester Oxford Road service is half hourly with pretty evenly spaced stations. You could easily do one station at a time, hop off one train and get on the next whilst having a little wander around in between trains. Where I live by Mossley Hill and West Allerton is a nice enough area.

Although that line features some stations which are only served 2-hourly (Trafford Park, Glazebrook etc) so planning is required

 

[pdeaves]

General advice for anyone 'collecting' things: concentrate on getting the most expensive and/or most difficult ones first. Failure to do so will result in the hobby getting more and more expensive/time consuming and less and less enjoyable. You would rather it gets cheaper and cheaper and still gives you purpose and enjoyment.

 

[Gathursty]

I'd make a loose plan, making sure if a train/bus is delayed/cancelled, you aren't stuck very far from a safe place and can easily return home or at least get to your hotel etc...

Consider rover tickets and local bus provision too. You may also wish to be less religious with your rules eg: Upper and Lower Tyndrum are so close, it'd be silly to wait to embark/disembark at both when there really isn't that much to see or do for an hour and you could be back at Crianlarich in that time or wherever else you wish to be. Similarly for Denton, Pilning, Polesworth etc...

PS: You can walk from Par to the Eden Project in less than an hour and get a £3 discount off the entry fee.

 

[Kite159]

Consider using one of the multiday rovers to base yourself in an area to hit it. For example I had a week in beeston for East Midlands stuff, a few days in Newcastle, plus a weekend based in Middlesbrough for the Esk Valley line

 

[fowler9]

Although that line features some stations which are only served 2-hourly (Trafford Park, Glazebrook etc) so planning is required

Ha ha, true, I don't often use that end of the route unless I have dozed off. Ha ha.

 

[swt class 450]

Thanks for all of your replies. I imagine it will probably take me another three or four years before ive been to every station. Out of interest has anyone on this forum already been to every station in the UK?

 

[Kite159]

Thanks for all of your replies. I imagine it will probably take me another three or four years before ive been to every station. Out of interest has anyone on this forum already been to every station in the UK?

Gathursty has by car (at least nearly every station in GB unless he has visited Edinburgh Gateway this week).

 

[Hornet]

Thanks for all of your replies. I imagine it will probably take me another three or four years before ive been to every station. Out of interest has anyone on this forum already been to every station in the UK?

Had a full house up to 2013. Have 22 to get back up to a full house. Correction 20. Counted Ilkeston and Worcestershire Parkway. Should not have been included, (not yet open).

 

[Gathursty]

Gathursty has by car (at least nearly every station in GB unless he has visited Edinburgh Gateway this week).

My girlfriend admitted she has never been to Scotland before. I have a cunning plan for next Summer...

 

[swt class 450]

What do you think are the most difficult stations in the UK to visit? Im just trying to work out if there are any that will need extra planning?

Can ordinary passengers board and alight at IBM Halt / Lympstone Commando / Redcar British Steel stations? If so do you have to stay on the platforms?

Also are there any stations that get locked up when there are no trains running? Ive heard something about Bordesley and Polesworth being locked except for when the train comes?

 

[Dhassell]

What do you think are the most difficult stations in the UK to visit? Im just trying to work out if there are any that will need extra planning?

Can ordinary passengers board and alight at IBM Halt / Lympstone Commando / Redcar British Steel stations? If so do you have to stay on the platforms?

Also are there any stations that get locked up when there are no trains running? Ive heard something about Bordesley and Polesworth being locked except for when the train comes?

You should be fine for Lympstone Commando.

 

[swt class 450]

You should be fine for Lympstone Commando.

Thanks. Thats good to hear. I have seen some photos of the station which show red signs on the platform that say "persons who alight here must only have business with the camp" so i wasnt quite sure.

 

[fowler9]

Thanks. Thats good to hear. I have seen some photos of the station which show red signs on the platform that say "persons who alight here must only have business with the camp" so i wasnt quite sure.

If you want to be sure I can ask in work tomorrow. I speak to people from the camp at Lympstone most days of the week.

 

[Kite159]

What do you think are the most difficult stations in the UK to visit? Im just trying to work out if there are any that will need extra planning?

Can ordinary passengers board and alight at IBM Halt / Lympstone Commando / Redcar British Steel stations? If so do you have to stay on the platforms?

Also are there any stations that get locked up when there are no trains running? Ive heard something about Bordesley and Polesworth being locked except for when the train comes?

You hear correct, those stations are only unlocked for when the train comes.

IBM halt is safe enough to alight at, I couldn't see any way to gain access to the business park itself other than a path which followed the fence.

Hardest are probably those in truly remote areas, miles away from other stations

 

[Dhassell]

If you want to be sure I can ask in work tomorrow. I speak to people from the camp at Lympstone most days of the week.

The station is on railway land therefore I assume that as long as you don't go snooping around the camp you should be fine to sit on the station awaiting the next train!

 

[PHILIPE]

The station is on railway land therefore I assume that as long as you don't go snooping around the camp you should be fine to sit on the station awaiting the next train!

Isn't there a path/cycle track running between the station and the perimeter fence of the Camp now ?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Isn't there a path/cycle track running between the station and the perimeter fence of the Camp now ?

Yes - so the simplest method of bagging the station would presumably be to walk from the next nearest station and board the train at Commando.

 

[noddy1878]

Yes - so the simplest method of bagging the station would presumably be to walk from the next nearest station and board the train at Commando.

Which is exactly what i did. Easy. They only open the doors at the end of the platform by the station gate though.

 

[swt class 450]

How long before and after the trains do Bordesley and Polesworth get locked up? Is there enough time to walk around the platforms and have a good look around the stations? Also is it true that Peartree gets locked up as well?

 

[Kite159]

You can only access Peartree via locked gates from the road bridge, access controlled via intercom

As for Bordesley, there is nothing around the station, the enterance is behind a bus stop underneath the bridge. Polesworth has housing around it with nothing to speak off on the platform.

One annoying Scottish shack is Springfield, the two evening trains which call arrive at the same time (used to be a +5) or so. Around 2 miles (or so) from Cupar with a bus available it seems.