Amaranthe's Random Trips

[Amaranthe]

So I've not been able to sleep tonight and I was itching to get away somewhere so I booked a trip and suddenly had the idea to start a thread of random trips I do.

We start today with Durham to Aberdeen and back.

I'm booked onto...

1W02 0822 Durham - Aberdeen 1302
1E30 1818 Aberdeen - Durham 2257

Booking only just about an hour ago this is costing about £160 1st class return with a combination of advances.

Looking at RTT it seems I'm getting 800101 northbound and 800102 southbound but let's see.

 

[Amaranthe]

I must be a jinx when it comes to onboard offering.

This train is meant to be Dine but has been downgraded to Deli so no full LNER for me.

 

[azt]

So I've not been able to sleep tonight and I was itching to get away somewhere so I booked a trip and suddenly had the idea to start a thread of random trips I do.

We start today with Durham to Aberdeen and back.

I'm booked onto...

1W02 0822 Durham - Aberdeen 1302
1E30 1818 Aberdeen - Durham 2257

Booking only just about an hour ago this is costing about £160 1st class return with a combination of advances.

Looking at RTT it seems I'm getting 800101 northbound and 800102 southbound but let's see.

What do you plan to do in Aberdeen?

There's not a lot there!

 

[Amaranthe]

What do you plan to do in Aberdeen?

There's not a lot there!

It's where I grew up so I'm used to it.

Buy rowies and visit a few pubs is the plan.

 

[azt]

It's where I grew up so I'm used to it.

Buy rowies and visit a few pubs is the plan.

Yes, good idea!

Ross Bakery on Chapel Street is still there, visited a couple of weeks ago!

Prince of Wales hasn't changed, still two Wetherspoon pubs on Union Street. However I'm sure you'll have your favourites . According to the BBC weather it looks like it'll be a good day for it. Sunny in Dundee at the moment.

Have a good day!

 

[ChrisC]

It's where I grew up so I'm used to it.

Buy rowies and visit a few pubs is the plan.

I visited Aberdeen for the first time in May. It was quite a long 9 night stay based in Aberdeen exploring the area. I travelled up from Nottingham by train and then explored the area by bus. I loved the surrounding area, the coast north and south, and Deeside right up to Breamar. I found Aberdeen itself a bit rundown and rough in places. Beautiful buildings along Union Street but so many closed down shops. Probably a city suffering from the demise of the oil boom.

Have a good day and enjoy. A great train journey up there.

 

[azt]

I visited Aberdeen for the first time in May. It was quite a long 9 night stay based in Aberdeen exploring the area. I travelled up from Nottingham by train and then explored the area by bus. I loved the surrounding area, the coast north and south, and Deeside right up to Breamar. I found Aberdeen itself a bit rundown and rough in places. Beautiful buildings along Union Street but so many closed down shops. Probably a city suffering from the demise of the oil boom.

Have a good day and enjoy. A great train journey up there.

On the local news they were boasting that they had re-opened something like another 9 premises on Union Street!

I was up there around two weeks ago, never noticed the difference!

fyi, old Aberdeen, up near the Uni, has some stunning buildings, not forgetting Marischal College. I remember sitting an exam in there on a Saturday morning, not ideal!

 

[ChrisC]

On the local news they were boasting that they had re-opened something like another 9 premises on Union Street!

I was up there around two weeks ago, never noticed the difference!

fyi, old Aberdeen, up near the Uni, has some stunning buildings, not forgetting Marischal College. I remember sitting an exam in there on a Saturday morning, not ideal!

I really enjoyed wandering around old Aberdeen. I also liked the streets of old cottages by the sea front down by the harbour.

 

[azt]

I really enjoyed wandering around old Aberdeen. I also liked the streets of old cottages by the sea front down by the harbour.

Yes, it's nice down there too. I forgot about that area.

 

[Amaranthe]

I ended up staying overnight last night in Aberdeen and am currently on tonight's 1E30 back down to Durham.

Now obviously it was my choice to basically lose the money from last night's ticket and spend another £70 for tonight's one.

What really bugs me though is lack of ticket checks. I could have got through the gate line at Aberdeen for about £3 and got the same coffee, beer and whisky and chickpea salad that I've enjoyed so far.

I noticed the same lack of ticket checks last month when I did the 14 day 1st ALR especially on LNER..

 

[Amaranthe]

Just had the dreaded are there any doctors or medical personnel on board announcement

 

[Amaranthe]

And still no ticket check

 

[Amaranthe]

So I'm back home in Durham now there still wasn't a ticket check.

I paid full price for first class but was probably the only one in the carriage that had done so

 

[azt]

I ended up staying overnight last night in Aberdeen and am currently on tonight's 1E30 back down to Durham.

Now obviously it was my choice to basically lose the money from last night's ticket and spend another £70 for tonight's one.

What really bugs me though is lack of ticket checks. I could have got through the gate line at Aberdeen for about £3 and got the same coffee, beer and whisky and chickpea salad that I've enjoyed so far.

I noticed the same lack of ticket checks last month when I did the 14 day 1st ALR especially on LNER..

Yes, this has been going on for decades. I used to travel from Dundee to Lincoln regularly in 1990s -2000s and there would be a ticket check after Edinburgh, but before Berwick, that was it until I got off either at York/Doncaster. One day I head a guy on a phone boasting about this, that he only ever bought a ticket to Berwick and was getting off at Peterborough. Didn't work that day .....