Kite159
Veteran Member
Easter Holiday Trips, 3rd April – 7th April
With part of the week off work with my first railtour of the year on the Thursday, it was time to do some exploring.
3rd April – Exploring the North Dorset Trailway
The North Dorset Trailway is the name given to a mixed used path which makes use of the former Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway route, running from the town of Sturminster Newton towards Blandford Forum then onwards to the village of Spetisbury with a short gap in the middle of Blandford due to modern developments and the viaduct over the river Stour. It is a walk which can only be done on a weekday due to the buses which serve Sturminster Newton being weekday only (served by both an infrequent ‘CR3’ route from Gillingham (ran with South West Coaches) and a rough 2 hourly ‘CR4’ run by First between Yeovil & Blandford Forum. It is also a lot easier for me to get to Blandford Forum on a weekday as the infrequent direct Salisbury – Blandford bus only runs on weekdays.
Anyhow the weather forecast was looking promising after a couple days of horrible wet weather, so the trip began with a drive to Salisbury, parking in the London Road Park & Ride site and having a gentle walk into the city centre, swinging via the toilets in the shopping centre before heading to board the route 20 bus to Blandford Forum. I was a bit surprised to see a Damory Scania OmniDekka (1013) considering when I did this route last year this service was an Enviro200. Anyhow I got a seat at the front of the bus for views of the countryside as it made its way towards Blandford Forum mostly following the A354. One passenger alighted at what appeared to be a farm (who boarded there in the evening, so I suspect someone who works there). Only detour away from the A354 was to visit Sixpenny Handley. The bus got busier on the outskirts of Blandford (in the Pimperne area), and at Blandford it formed a CR8 (renumbered X12) for Weymouth.
Damory Bus 1013 (YN06 JWG) in Salisbury on a route 20 by Kite, on Flickr
I alighted in Blandford Forum, having a little trip towards Morrisons to have a little look (I got lunch from Boots in Salisbury) before making my way to the bus stop outside the Crown Hotel to board the next First Somerset run CR4 service for Yeovil (with bus 44534). This bus headed away from Blandford Forum going towards the villages of Durweston, Shillingstone, Okeford Fitzpaine, Child Okeford & Manston before reaching the car park at Sturminster Newton where it had a booked wait, which is where I alighted to begin my walk (after popping to the toilets alongside the car park as my theory is better to make use of the toilets when you can as you don't know when the next time would be). An interesting bus route via the Dorset countryside.
Before picking up the North Dorset Trailway I headed towards the Railway Gardens, built where the station used to stand before heading via the car park to reach the starting point of the mixed used path. The first section was quite busy with dog walkers (and some joggers), although after the crossing of the river Stour the path turned quiet. A couple areas of mild flooding & mud along the path but nothing that major (and to be honest something to be expected after all the recent rain). The path headed into the countryside before requiring a detour via a road due to the route of the railway going into a nature reserve (near Bere Marsh Farm). The route of the old railway was joined near Shillingstone station, home of the North Dorset Railway which have a small collection of railway memorabilia including some old coaches & wagons (plus a couple old locos).
Hudswell Shunter at Shillingstone Station (North Dorset Railway) by Kite, on Flickr
The walk continued after the station with the village on the right and some nice scenery on the left. I continued towards the village of Stourpaine with another crossing of the river and onto another section where the original route of the railway has been lost resulting in a detour via the village, passing the church before joining up with the railway route once more as it went underneath the A350, passing a tree with many old tyres around its trunk (which had been there for a while based on how tall the tree was). I'm not sure how much of the next section was along the route of the old railway or how much had been lost to the A350 as the path went across fields (on a decent surface with fences both sides).
I continued, going underneath another bridge below the A350 road and back onto what seemed to be the route of the old railway due to being in a cutting. A good time to pause for some lunch before continuing towards Blandford Forum with the path coming to an end at the site of the former station (complete with old footbridge). The next section was via the roads to reach the Stour Meadows where the railway crossed on a viaduct with only a small section remain.
Remains of the Somerset & Dorset Railway viaduct over River Stour in Blandford Forum (1) by Kite, on Flickr
Crossing over the river Stour to Blandford St Mary, I headed south via a large Tesco before a short section alongside the A350 to pick up a footpath along "Ward's Drove" which took me towards the southern section of the North Dorset Trailway. This was a quieter path (in terms of other path users) but still very pretty. I carried on passing the remains of Charlton Marshall station (with tiny platforms) enjoying the sunshine. Eventually I reached the platforms at the former Spetisbury station with the end of the path reached a short distance later as it came down onto the road near Crawford Bridge, the end of my little stroll along the North Dorset Trailway.
I had around a 20-minute wait before the next bus for Blandford Forum would arrive so after a quick visit to the river bridge, I took a seat and relaxed. The Damory route X8 service rolled in with a MoreBus branded 1611 (both parts of Go-Ahead South) to take me back towards Blandford Forum, remaining on board as the bus did a loop of the town (just to waste some time).
After alighting from the bus, I popped to Morrisons for some dinner items and relaxed in the town centre before the last route 20 service for Salisbury rolled in (with hired-in Salisbury Reds Enviro200 2709). A reasonably busy service heading away from Blandford Forum, but after Pimperne the next time the bus stopped was to pick up the worker at the farm as the remaining passengers were for Salisbury.
Remains of platforms at Charlton Marshall Station (Somerset & Dorset Railway) (2) by Kite, on Flickr
In Salisbury it was a short walk along Endless Street to board a R2 service (formed of 2714) for the trip towards Bishopdown area of the city and I alighted at the bus stop near Jewell Close, also known as the unofficial bus stop for the park & Ride site (saved waiting round for the next PR7 service). Salisbury Park & Ride is the sort which has free parking where you buy the ticket on the bus, rather than like Winchester where you pay for parking and get free bus travel. Anyhow back to my car, changing from my boots to shoes I drove home to get changed into fresh clothing, packing my rucksack with clothes and drink before making my way towards the station, having purchased my ticket for Reading on the bus between Blandford & Salisbury. I was aiming for the 18:59 service which was direct to Reading (how handy), however typical of the railways that service had been cancelled.
Had I noticed it was cancelled before leaving home, I would have stayed at home a little longer to have my dinner, ah well. Next up was the 19:36 service from Exeter formed of a busy 159022 & 159108 to take me towards Basingstoke, the next SWR to Reading also being cancelled so it was a 25-minute fester at Basingstoke before 165104 took me to Reading, arriving a mere 80 minutes later than expected (at least my single ticket got a full refund). Originally, I had booked the Travelodge in Reading, near Oxford Road, however I randomly decided a couple of weeks ago to have a little look at alternative hotels just in case I found something cheaper (Had paid £95 for 2 nights flexible rate). Easy Hotel wanted £88 for both nights (which for Reading was quite reasonable as Reading suffers from being used by visitors to both Oxford & London). I randomly looked up the Premier Inn website expecting it to return a stupidly high amount but was surprised when they wanted £70 for the 2 nights (or £80 for the semi-flex rate with free cancellation up-to 3 days beforehand, which was a bit of insurance at the time due to the landslip near Telford)
165104 at Reading Station by Kite, on Flickr
So, I switched my booking to the Premier Inn at Caversham Bridge (deciding that one over the ‘central’ one near the Kennet based on recommendations. Also, I had previously used this Premier Inn back in August 2020 (when I had an early start from Reading to tick off the Oxford bound platform at Ascott Under Wychwood). It was a 12-minute walk from the station, checking in, and getting a refurbished room. A quick sort out of my bag and clothes for the morning followed by a shower before I headed to sleep with alarms set on both my phone and my tablet to act as insurance. It had been an enjoyable walk in Dorset with some beautiful scenery, and good to remove another disused railway line walk from my list when the £2 bus fares are still happening.
4th April – Pathfinder to Cambrian Coast
My first railtour of the year was the Pathfinder tour to the Cambrian Coast, towards Pwllheli. They run several of these tours a year each with different starting locations & pick-up points, so I was happy they were running one from Reading, even if it did mean the expense of a hotel room for 2 nights. The day started with a 05:30 alarm and a gentle walk towards the Tesco Express near the former Post Office in Reading town centre as that opened at 6am allowing me to grab some supplies for both breakfast & also something for lunch (to save the lottery of what would have been available on the train).
After my supply run, I headed to the station at Reading to find my seat with 67005 up front for the section towards Shrewsbury and knew it would be a long day when both the other passengers at my table didn’t even respond to a “morning” (and one of them remained near enough silent throughout the day, the other coming to life after Birmingham where his friend joined). Anyhow the train departed on time, calling at Didcot Parkway, Oxford, Banbury, Leamington & Dorridge (where I scored a tiny bit of new track as the train went into platform 3 from the south to get overtaken by a couple of service trains). After departing Dorridge is headed towards Birmingham New Street where it did get quite busy in the other coaches (as Pathfinder tends to do the seating plan by coach so one coach could be empty where the coach next to it was empty).
67005 at Reading Station by Kite, on Flickr
The charter departed Birmingham New Street, calling at Wolverhampton before losing some time due to signalling issues towards Telford with a final pick-up at Shrewsbury where the 67 detached and winners 97304 & 97302 attached to the rear (the 97s being 37s modified with the signalling equipment to run on the Cambrian line). It had been a few years since my last trip on this line (think it was 2021 when I visited Bow Street staying in Wolverhampton and getting messed around with the Premier Inn). It was nice to do the line again as I always forget how rural it gets as well as some speed, the delay being recovered due to a shorter pathing stop on the double track section near Welshpool.
The next stop was at Machynlleth for a pathing stop and a much-needed bit of fresh air (also a chance to move my legs as legroom on the Mk2 coaches is rubbish). After the 158s had arrived the charter continued onto the coastline where speed was much reduced (all the better for some stunning views), the first stop was at Barmouth where some passengers alighted before continuing to pause at Minffordd and Porthmadog [for another pathing stop to allow the next Birmingham train to pass]. The charter was a few minutes late by this point but regained the time when it arrived at Pwllheli where I think a good portion of the train headed to the Wetherspoons.
97304 at Pwllheli Station by Kite, on Flickr
Meanwhile as the sun was shining, I decided on a little explore of Pwllheli, and after checking cost of tickets decided on a little stroll along the Wales Coastal Path route, along the beach to Abererch station where I flagged down 158836 for the run to Porthmadog. I was planning on another little explore but the rain arrived, so I detoured into the large Tesco to grab some supplies for dinner before making my way back to the station, trying to dodge the smokers polluting the air underneath the canopy. The 97s arrived and I returned to my seat and relaxed for the trip back south and back towards Shrewsbury with darkness falling around Newtown.
Beach between Pwllheli & Abererch by Kite, on Flickr
At Shrewsbury the 97s were replaced with 67005 for the trip back towards Reading, emptying out at Birmingham New Street (where I relocated to a half empty coach to a private table so I could watch something on my tablet and spread out). Not the fastest of runs after Banbury due to following an Oxford stopper (I forgot there was a couple of random late night Chiltern services which go Marylebone – Oxford – Banbury to get them back to the depot). I was glad when the train arrived at Reading for a walk back to the hotel where I crashed out (after putting some things on charge). It was an enjoyable railtour but one long day.
387135 at Reading by Kite, on Flickr
5th April – Grand Union Canal Walk
My original idea for today sadly went into the bin with the latest overtime ban (and strikes) as I was originally going to try and sample a 701 and have a short 730 hunt with walking the Grand Union between Tring & Leighton Buzzard. After looking at maps and measuring distances I came up with a plan for a walk along the canal which didn’t make use of London Northwestern. But first I wanted to do a little random novelty of Reading town centre with the limited served “Southwest” Interchange bus stop which seems to be mainly used for football buses and a handful of regular bus services a day.
After checking out of the Premier Inn I made my way into the town centre, swinging via Sainsburys for some breakfast (sadly it seems the Sainsburys Bacon with tomato sauce sandwiches are being rarer and rarer which is a shame considering the other breakfast related sandwiches they offer include a product which comes out of a chicken’s rear end). I was a bit surprised when the next route 23 towards Caversham Park (doing a loop to the north of Reading returning via Caversham itself) was a little Optare Solo (fleet 186) rather than a double decker. Anyhow I boarded and took a seat for the little trip round Caversham the bus emptying out at the Southwest interchange stop before carrying on to the termination point near Sainsburys on Friar Street.
Reading Buses Bus 186 (RG55 BUS) in Reading by Kite, on Flickr
Random bus route in Reading complete, I headed towards the bus stop used by Arriva for the next route 800 service towards High Wycombe (with a Merc Citaro, 3025). Reasonably busy on departure as it headed towards High Wycombe going via Lower Shiplake, Henley on Thames, Medmenham & Marlow to reach the bus station in High Wycombe. At High Wycombe I headed towards the next Aylesbury bound bus, the next departure being a Redline operated route 130 (rather than an Arriva operated X9 service. The only difference at a glance seems to be a different route taken between High Wycombe & Princes Risborough. Redline is a new operator for me, and this is one of the trio of routes they are taking part in the £2 fare scheme (where they have competition). Anyhow it was onto YX12 AXU (an Enviro200). This route headed towards Aylesbury via Bradenham, Princes Risborough, Little Kimble & Stoke Mandeville. Aylesbury bus station isn't the nicest of places due to being located underneath buildings, so I was glad to exit the bus station and towards the Morrisons located close to the railway station to grab some lunch (and make use of the toilet before my walk).
My walk today was to take in two branches of the Grand Union canal, the Aylesbury Arm & Wendover arm with a short section along the main canal, and after grabbing supplies I picked up the Aylesbury Arm at the basin (overlooked by a Travelodge) and set forth along the towpath. The towpath was decent quality, all be with a few areas where it was flooded due to the recent rain as I headed away from Aylesbury and into a very rural area. Very peaceful and relaxing, until I reached lock 13 (Red House Lock) where the decent towpath surface just ended, and the towpath turned quite muddy and slippery.
Grand Union Canal (Aylesbury Arm) between Aylesbury & Wilstone by Kite, on Flickr
Weather wise the day was lovely sunshine mixed with some strong wind gusts. Back to the towpath as my average speed dropped from 3.9mph to 3.4mph due to having to go slowly in places to avoid making a big splash. I reached Wilstone and carried on to the end of the canal arm at Marsworth, the towpath in the last few miles was quite variable with some parts worse than others. Shame as otherwise it was a lovely canal arm with countryside views. Anyhow at Marsworth I joined the main line of the Grand Union canal heading towards London passing the Tring reservoirs. I reached Bulbourne Junction where the Wendover arm branched away, a canal which is part in use by boats, part dry & part restored as it was originally closed in 1904 (quite a history with the arm being built to provide water for the summit of the canal but was found not to be enough hence the reservoirs were built).
The current limit of navigation is near Tringford pumping station with a changeable towpath. The canal currently finishes in a small basin just beyond Little Tring Road where parts of it is being restored but for the time being it was a short walk along a footpath alongside Little Tring Road to reach an access path to the route of the canal which is in various stages of being restored. I carried on reaching the section which has been restored and holds water, reaching Buckland Wharf where the towpath swaps sides once more.
Grand Union Canal (Wendover Arm) under restoration between Tring & Buckland (4) by Kite, on Flickr
Housing was to my right and lovely countryside on my left (Chiltern hills I believe) as I continued along the canal heading into some lovely woodland, bringing with it some more mud. Very peaceful in this area as I carried on reaching Halton and onwards towards Wendover where the canal ends on Wharf End (it used to continue further on, but that section has no walkable towpath). Along the way I passed the remains of an old railway path towards RAF Halton which I didn't explore due to being muddy (and having one eye on the time). I had time to swing via a little Tesco Express before making my way to Wendover railway station buying a ticket from the TVM and rolled onto a busy 165008 & 165028. I don't think 165028 was that healthy as the engine kept cutting out when it stopped at stations. The train only got busier as it reached Amersham and I continued to Harrow on the Hill, switching to the Metropolitan line with a sub mile 21009/21010 set being first up (it was already on the platform when I came up the stairs, so I just jumped on). This took me to Finchley Road where I doubled back to West Hampstead with 96028 & 96023 exiting the station (I wasn't sure if the short walk between Finchley Road LU and Finchley Road & Frognal Overground was a valid OSI).
I walked the tiny distance to West Hampstead Overground station to take a reasonably busy 378223 to Clapham Junction with some time to kill before the 19:27 Exeter service rolled in. A very busy 159006 leading 159016 & 158880, very busy even in coach 2 of 9 where I was lucky to get a seat (didn't help that two people sitting on the table opposite decided their oversized suitcases needed their own seats). This service took me to Grateley where I had a gentle walk home to sort out my bag and relax for the rest of the day. Other than the mud it was a good day, two interesting canals for views with some lovely weather to boot (which unlike my boots which were filthy and one job when I got home was to try and wash off some of the mud).
Metropolitan line 21088 passing West Hampstead by Kite, on Flickr
6th April – Exploring the Meon Valley Trail
The Meon Valley Trail is a mixed used path which makes use of the former Meon Valley railway route which ran between Fareham to Alton, starting from the village of West Meon running towards the town of Wickham. The day started with a drive towards Winchester, parking on some street parking on Chilbolton Avenue to the north of the city as it was free and walked towards a bus stop on Stockbridge Road near Bereweeke Road to catch a route 3 service (formed of Stagecoach’s 27775) doing a round trip in the Weeke area of the city before heading towards the bus station (I purchased a £8 gold ticket valid on Stagecoach South services giving me some flexibility at what to do).
After arriving at the bus station, I had a gentle stroll towards Sainsburys to grab some lunch items returning to the bus station to board the infrequent (3 times a day) route 67 service for Petersfield. Formed of an Enviro200 (26048). The bus headed away from Winchester following the rough route of the river Itchen going via Kings Worthy, Itchen Abbas, New Alresford, Cheriton before reaching West Meon. I decided to stay on for the section towards East Meon and onto Petersfield going via some Hampshire countryside. The bus terminated at the Tesco in Petersfield giving me a chance to pop into the store to make use of the toilet before returning on the same bus (probably confusing the driver) to alight in West Meon near the Thomas Lord pub, close to the starting point of the old railway line path.
Stagecoach (South) Bus 26048 (SN16 OPB) at Petersfield Tesco on a route 67 to Winchester by Kite, on Flickr
Unusually this old railway line path doesn’t show on Google Maps, so it was a case of using my OS Map app to find the footpath across the river Meon and up a steep hill to reach the track bed of the old railway line, reaching the remains of West Meon station where there is a small car park. The first section was reasonably busy with other walkers with a few runners and cyclists as the path was reasonable, a bit muddy in places but more surface mud on a hard surface. I left West Meon on the path heading towards Wickham as the path turned very rural with some lovely countryside and bird song.
The next settlement I reached was the village of Meonstoke before carrying on towards Droxford with a couple small detours down onto little country lanes due to the bridges being removed (including one which was a bit flooded). At the sight of the former Droxford station the route of the old railway has been taken up as private land forcing a short detour round the edge before joining the route of the old railway to carry on towards Wickham returning to some lovely countryside and some woodland. The path quality was a bit rough in places due to flooding & mud, but this section was quite quiet in terms of other path users.
Remains of Droxford Station (Meon Valley Line) (2) by Kite, on Flickr
I reached Wickham passing the site of the former station where there was a busy car park and continued along the path with an uncertainly because there was reports the final dead-end section had been closed by the council but either it has been reopened or the reports were wrong as I managed to carry on reaching the end of the Bridleway where the Meon Valley line met with the Eastleigh – Fareham line is. As it’s a dead-end I simply did a U-turn and headed back towards Wickham, leaving the route of the old railway line path and headed to the town centre swinging via a couple of shops to have a look if they had anything of interest.
An enjoyable walk in the South Hampshire countryside, although the section of the old Funtley deviation line avoiding the tunnels from Knowle will have to wait for another day. I boarded the route 69 service from Winchester towards Fareham (with Stagecoach’s 19158) where I remained on board for the return service towards Winchester back towards Wickham then going towards Swanmore, Bishop's Waltham & Fair Oak before heading towards Winchester via Colden Common & Twyford. An interesting journey, not the easiest for the bus driver due to some narrow urban roads.
Stagecoach (South) Bus 18512 (GX06 DXK) at Wickham on a route 69 for Winchester by Kite, on Flickr
At Winchester I had some time to kill before boarding a route 7 service towards Sparshot with Stagecoach’s 27556. I was surprised when it departed Winchester city centre with only myself on board as it headed away from the city centre towards Harestock and Littleton Deane going via Sparsholt College (farming college). After the college it went via some very narrow roads to serve Sparsholt village itself before heading back towards Winchester. I alighted at the bus stop near Bereweeke Way leaving just the driver on board, nobody wanted that bus today.
I walked back to the car, changing out of my slightly wet & dirty boots, changing socks and drove home to relax for the rest of the evening after an enjoyable day in South Hampshire followed by a couple of bus routes in the Winchester area. I got home, gave my boots another wash and broke out my backup boots ready for the Sunday. My original idea to head towards Exeter for the old railway line path from Okehampton was put on the shelf due to the forecast weather being both wet & windy, so I spent a short while looking at ideas for something in the London area.
7th April – A trip to (North) London
Due to engineering works, it was a later start than normal for me, no point catching the first train from Andover (which was being served as a shuttle service between Andover & Basingstoke due to engineering works between Andover & Salisbury) as that connected with a stopper from Basingstoke which took so long that the service an hour later connecting with a fast train only cost me around 20 minutes. I drove to Andover (always a wise decision based on the history SWR have with replacement buses which don’t turn up) and boarded a busy 159007 on the shuttle to Basingstoke, making my way from platform 4 to platform 3 and heading to the rear of the train as 450113 & 450102 rolled in from Southampton. My reward for heading towards the rear was a nearly empty coach compared to what seemed standing room only at the front coaches.
These 450s took me to Waterloo where I headed to the underground for the first time in what felt like ages (at Waterloo that is) with a Bakerloo line service formed of 3562 & 3246 to Oxford Circus changing to the Victoria line for sets 11084 & 11083 to Finsbury Park. Faced with a 20-minute wait for the next train to call at Alexandra Palace I popped out of the station to visit Tesco to grab some items for lunch before returning to take 717020 to Alexandra Palace to start my first walk of the day.
159007 at Basingstoke Station by Kite, on Flickr
When I attempted to do the northern section of the Parkland walk last November time I was hit with the Alexandra Park being closed post fireworks, thankfully this time the park was open as I followed the path via the park towards Muswell Hill where I picked up the route of the old Muswell Hill branch of the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway route also known as the northern section of the Parkland walk (the main section being from Finsbury Park towards Highgate). Some nice views of London from the old railway viaduct on this very busy path leading towards Fortis Green and a muddy footpath towards Highgate Wood and the Capital Ring.
My original idea was to do a little loop of Highgate Wood, but the gates were closed with a notice about the wood being closed due to the high winds being forecasted. Ah well, a that loop can wait for another day trip to London as I followed the Capital Ring path towards East Finchley underground station via Cherry Tree Wood Park (which was quite nice). The first walk finished for the day as I headed up the stairs linear jumping to Finchley Central with 51633 & 51634 before taking 51583/51582 to Mill Hill East, exiting the station and heading onto the road before picking up the former railway embankment used previously by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway but closed after the failed Northern Heights project.
A Northern Line service at Mill Hill East (from disused railway embankment) by Kite, on Flickr
This path whilst it was a bit muddy was very scenic in terms of woodland, and peaceful (in terms of other path users). It didn't go on for long as it ended in the Mill Hill area on Page Street (the route of the old railway being built on with housing & roads). I headed south away from the road via a footpath close to a rugby stadium, going underneath the Great North way road via a subway and into Sunny Hill Park (which was a steep hill, but gave some nice views of North London). At the Hendon end of this park I continued via a couple of footpaths (West View) to reach Hendon Park. At the southern edge of this park, I followed a path which headed towards the large Brent Cross shopping centre (following part of the path alongside the river Brent). After making use of the toilets within the shopping centre I headed to the bus station with a few ideas in my head.
I picked a route 210 servide (run with Metroline Bus TEH1235) for Finsbury Park, going away from Brent Cross shopping centre towards Brent Cross itself before going towards Golders Green & the northern edge of Hampstead Heath. I'm sure in the past I used this particular bus route to access Kenwood House for a Keane concert many years ago. After Hampstead Heath it went towards Highgate then Archway before terminating at the western side of Finsbury Park station. First time I've used this entrance from memory as I headed to the Piccadilly line to take the first available Piccadilly line train to Manor House (formed of sets 200 & 111). I got a bit lost finding the correct exit of Manor House but eventually found myself at the bus stop for the route 141 which I had some unfinished business.
Various London Buses parked up at Brent Cross Shopping Centre by Kite, on Flickr
Eventually Arriva's HV187 rolled in on a Palmers Green service to take me north, a very busy bus on a busy slow-moving road. Going towards Harringay, Turnpike Lake & Wood Green (where the cause of the heavy traffic was noticed due to traffic lights near the shopping centre). I alighted at the final stop on Tottenham Road, just south of the North Circular. I set off on foot towards Palmers Green station before deciding on a late notice detour via the New River Path back towards the North Circular before going towards Bowes Park, where I ended the walk at Bounds Green underground station. Another short section of the New River Path complete (one of those paths on my list to try and finish this year once it gets warmer, so the mud goes).
A Piccadilly Line service took me to Finsbury Park (sets 242 & 193) where I changed to the Victoria line to take me to Oxford Circus (set 11021 & 11022), crossing the platform once more to board a Bakerloo line service towards Waterloo (sets 3266 & 3546). I arrived earlier than expected at Waterloo and jumped on the Exeter bound train formed of 159002, 159005 & 159006 as far as Basingstoke (where it would head to Salisbury going via Southampton). At Basingstoke I made my way towards platform 4, noticing that the motion sensors on the door to the waiting room has been replaced with push button ones (good thing as those motion sensors were a bit rubbish).
New River in Bowes Park, London (6) by Kite, on Flickr
A short wait before 159007 arrived from Andover to form the next busy shuttle service to take me to Andover, after a couple of photos of some of the rail replacement buses & coaches outside the station I headed to my car, changing my boots to my shoes to have a drive home (to have a nice pizza for dinner). I spent the rest of the evening relaxing and making a start with my logs after the last few days of exploring.
Thanks for reading, more photos can be found on my Flickr Here Sorry it’s a bit one this time round, in hindsight I probably should have split it in two.
With part of the week off work with my first railtour of the year on the Thursday, it was time to do some exploring.
3rd April – Exploring the North Dorset Trailway
The North Dorset Trailway is the name given to a mixed used path which makes use of the former Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway route, running from the town of Sturminster Newton towards Blandford Forum then onwards to the village of Spetisbury with a short gap in the middle of Blandford due to modern developments and the viaduct over the river Stour. It is a walk which can only be done on a weekday due to the buses which serve Sturminster Newton being weekday only (served by both an infrequent ‘CR3’ route from Gillingham (ran with South West Coaches) and a rough 2 hourly ‘CR4’ run by First between Yeovil & Blandford Forum. It is also a lot easier for me to get to Blandford Forum on a weekday as the infrequent direct Salisbury – Blandford bus only runs on weekdays.
Anyhow the weather forecast was looking promising after a couple days of horrible wet weather, so the trip began with a drive to Salisbury, parking in the London Road Park & Ride site and having a gentle walk into the city centre, swinging via the toilets in the shopping centre before heading to board the route 20 bus to Blandford Forum. I was a bit surprised to see a Damory Scania OmniDekka (1013) considering when I did this route last year this service was an Enviro200. Anyhow I got a seat at the front of the bus for views of the countryside as it made its way towards Blandford Forum mostly following the A354. One passenger alighted at what appeared to be a farm (who boarded there in the evening, so I suspect someone who works there). Only detour away from the A354 was to visit Sixpenny Handley. The bus got busier on the outskirts of Blandford (in the Pimperne area), and at Blandford it formed a CR8 (renumbered X12) for Weymouth.
Damory Bus 1013 (YN06 JWG) in Salisbury on a route 20 by Kite, on FlickrI alighted in Blandford Forum, having a little trip towards Morrisons to have a little look (I got lunch from Boots in Salisbury) before making my way to the bus stop outside the Crown Hotel to board the next First Somerset run CR4 service for Yeovil (with bus 44534). This bus headed away from Blandford Forum going towards the villages of Durweston, Shillingstone, Okeford Fitzpaine, Child Okeford & Manston before reaching the car park at Sturminster Newton where it had a booked wait, which is where I alighted to begin my walk (after popping to the toilets alongside the car park as my theory is better to make use of the toilets when you can as you don't know when the next time would be). An interesting bus route via the Dorset countryside.
Before picking up the North Dorset Trailway I headed towards the Railway Gardens, built where the station used to stand before heading via the car park to reach the starting point of the mixed used path. The first section was quite busy with dog walkers (and some joggers), although after the crossing of the river Stour the path turned quiet. A couple areas of mild flooding & mud along the path but nothing that major (and to be honest something to be expected after all the recent rain). The path headed into the countryside before requiring a detour via a road due to the route of the railway going into a nature reserve (near Bere Marsh Farm). The route of the old railway was joined near Shillingstone station, home of the North Dorset Railway which have a small collection of railway memorabilia including some old coaches & wagons (plus a couple old locos).
Hudswell Shunter at Shillingstone Station (North Dorset Railway) by Kite, on FlickrThe walk continued after the station with the village on the right and some nice scenery on the left. I continued towards the village of Stourpaine with another crossing of the river and onto another section where the original route of the railway has been lost resulting in a detour via the village, passing the church before joining up with the railway route once more as it went underneath the A350, passing a tree with many old tyres around its trunk (which had been there for a while based on how tall the tree was). I'm not sure how much of the next section was along the route of the old railway or how much had been lost to the A350 as the path went across fields (on a decent surface with fences both sides).
I continued, going underneath another bridge below the A350 road and back onto what seemed to be the route of the old railway due to being in a cutting. A good time to pause for some lunch before continuing towards Blandford Forum with the path coming to an end at the site of the former station (complete with old footbridge). The next section was via the roads to reach the Stour Meadows where the railway crossed on a viaduct with only a small section remain.
Remains of the Somerset & Dorset Railway viaduct over River Stour in Blandford Forum (1) by Kite, on FlickrCrossing over the river Stour to Blandford St Mary, I headed south via a large Tesco before a short section alongside the A350 to pick up a footpath along "Ward's Drove" which took me towards the southern section of the North Dorset Trailway. This was a quieter path (in terms of other path users) but still very pretty. I carried on passing the remains of Charlton Marshall station (with tiny platforms) enjoying the sunshine. Eventually I reached the platforms at the former Spetisbury station with the end of the path reached a short distance later as it came down onto the road near Crawford Bridge, the end of my little stroll along the North Dorset Trailway.
I had around a 20-minute wait before the next bus for Blandford Forum would arrive so after a quick visit to the river bridge, I took a seat and relaxed. The Damory route X8 service rolled in with a MoreBus branded 1611 (both parts of Go-Ahead South) to take me back towards Blandford Forum, remaining on board as the bus did a loop of the town (just to waste some time).
After alighting from the bus, I popped to Morrisons for some dinner items and relaxed in the town centre before the last route 20 service for Salisbury rolled in (with hired-in Salisbury Reds Enviro200 2709). A reasonably busy service heading away from Blandford Forum, but after Pimperne the next time the bus stopped was to pick up the worker at the farm as the remaining passengers were for Salisbury.
Remains of platforms at Charlton Marshall Station (Somerset & Dorset Railway) (2) by Kite, on FlickrIn Salisbury it was a short walk along Endless Street to board a R2 service (formed of 2714) for the trip towards Bishopdown area of the city and I alighted at the bus stop near Jewell Close, also known as the unofficial bus stop for the park & Ride site (saved waiting round for the next PR7 service). Salisbury Park & Ride is the sort which has free parking where you buy the ticket on the bus, rather than like Winchester where you pay for parking and get free bus travel. Anyhow back to my car, changing from my boots to shoes I drove home to get changed into fresh clothing, packing my rucksack with clothes and drink before making my way towards the station, having purchased my ticket for Reading on the bus between Blandford & Salisbury. I was aiming for the 18:59 service which was direct to Reading (how handy), however typical of the railways that service had been cancelled.
Had I noticed it was cancelled before leaving home, I would have stayed at home a little longer to have my dinner, ah well. Next up was the 19:36 service from Exeter formed of a busy 159022 & 159108 to take me towards Basingstoke, the next SWR to Reading also being cancelled so it was a 25-minute fester at Basingstoke before 165104 took me to Reading, arriving a mere 80 minutes later than expected (at least my single ticket got a full refund). Originally, I had booked the Travelodge in Reading, near Oxford Road, however I randomly decided a couple of weeks ago to have a little look at alternative hotels just in case I found something cheaper (Had paid £95 for 2 nights flexible rate). Easy Hotel wanted £88 for both nights (which for Reading was quite reasonable as Reading suffers from being used by visitors to both Oxford & London). I randomly looked up the Premier Inn website expecting it to return a stupidly high amount but was surprised when they wanted £70 for the 2 nights (or £80 for the semi-flex rate with free cancellation up-to 3 days beforehand, which was a bit of insurance at the time due to the landslip near Telford)
165104 at Reading Station by Kite, on FlickrSo, I switched my booking to the Premier Inn at Caversham Bridge (deciding that one over the ‘central’ one near the Kennet based on recommendations. Also, I had previously used this Premier Inn back in August 2020 (when I had an early start from Reading to tick off the Oxford bound platform at Ascott Under Wychwood). It was a 12-minute walk from the station, checking in, and getting a refurbished room. A quick sort out of my bag and clothes for the morning followed by a shower before I headed to sleep with alarms set on both my phone and my tablet to act as insurance. It had been an enjoyable walk in Dorset with some beautiful scenery, and good to remove another disused railway line walk from my list when the £2 bus fares are still happening.
4th April – Pathfinder to Cambrian Coast
My first railtour of the year was the Pathfinder tour to the Cambrian Coast, towards Pwllheli. They run several of these tours a year each with different starting locations & pick-up points, so I was happy they were running one from Reading, even if it did mean the expense of a hotel room for 2 nights. The day started with a 05:30 alarm and a gentle walk towards the Tesco Express near the former Post Office in Reading town centre as that opened at 6am allowing me to grab some supplies for both breakfast & also something for lunch (to save the lottery of what would have been available on the train).
After my supply run, I headed to the station at Reading to find my seat with 67005 up front for the section towards Shrewsbury and knew it would be a long day when both the other passengers at my table didn’t even respond to a “morning” (and one of them remained near enough silent throughout the day, the other coming to life after Birmingham where his friend joined). Anyhow the train departed on time, calling at Didcot Parkway, Oxford, Banbury, Leamington & Dorridge (where I scored a tiny bit of new track as the train went into platform 3 from the south to get overtaken by a couple of service trains). After departing Dorridge is headed towards Birmingham New Street where it did get quite busy in the other coaches (as Pathfinder tends to do the seating plan by coach so one coach could be empty where the coach next to it was empty).
67005 at Reading Station by Kite, on FlickrThe charter departed Birmingham New Street, calling at Wolverhampton before losing some time due to signalling issues towards Telford with a final pick-up at Shrewsbury where the 67 detached and winners 97304 & 97302 attached to the rear (the 97s being 37s modified with the signalling equipment to run on the Cambrian line). It had been a few years since my last trip on this line (think it was 2021 when I visited Bow Street staying in Wolverhampton and getting messed around with the Premier Inn). It was nice to do the line again as I always forget how rural it gets as well as some speed, the delay being recovered due to a shorter pathing stop on the double track section near Welshpool.
The next stop was at Machynlleth for a pathing stop and a much-needed bit of fresh air (also a chance to move my legs as legroom on the Mk2 coaches is rubbish). After the 158s had arrived the charter continued onto the coastline where speed was much reduced (all the better for some stunning views), the first stop was at Barmouth where some passengers alighted before continuing to pause at Minffordd and Porthmadog [for another pathing stop to allow the next Birmingham train to pass]. The charter was a few minutes late by this point but regained the time when it arrived at Pwllheli where I think a good portion of the train headed to the Wetherspoons.
97304 at Pwllheli Station by Kite, on FlickrMeanwhile as the sun was shining, I decided on a little explore of Pwllheli, and after checking cost of tickets decided on a little stroll along the Wales Coastal Path route, along the beach to Abererch station where I flagged down 158836 for the run to Porthmadog. I was planning on another little explore but the rain arrived, so I detoured into the large Tesco to grab some supplies for dinner before making my way back to the station, trying to dodge the smokers polluting the air underneath the canopy. The 97s arrived and I returned to my seat and relaxed for the trip back south and back towards Shrewsbury with darkness falling around Newtown.
Beach between Pwllheli & Abererch by Kite, on FlickrAt Shrewsbury the 97s were replaced with 67005 for the trip back towards Reading, emptying out at Birmingham New Street (where I relocated to a half empty coach to a private table so I could watch something on my tablet and spread out). Not the fastest of runs after Banbury due to following an Oxford stopper (I forgot there was a couple of random late night Chiltern services which go Marylebone – Oxford – Banbury to get them back to the depot). I was glad when the train arrived at Reading for a walk back to the hotel where I crashed out (after putting some things on charge). It was an enjoyable railtour but one long day.
387135 at Reading by Kite, on Flickr5th April – Grand Union Canal Walk
My original idea for today sadly went into the bin with the latest overtime ban (and strikes) as I was originally going to try and sample a 701 and have a short 730 hunt with walking the Grand Union between Tring & Leighton Buzzard. After looking at maps and measuring distances I came up with a plan for a walk along the canal which didn’t make use of London Northwestern. But first I wanted to do a little random novelty of Reading town centre with the limited served “Southwest” Interchange bus stop which seems to be mainly used for football buses and a handful of regular bus services a day.
After checking out of the Premier Inn I made my way into the town centre, swinging via Sainsburys for some breakfast (sadly it seems the Sainsburys Bacon with tomato sauce sandwiches are being rarer and rarer which is a shame considering the other breakfast related sandwiches they offer include a product which comes out of a chicken’s rear end). I was a bit surprised when the next route 23 towards Caversham Park (doing a loop to the north of Reading returning via Caversham itself) was a little Optare Solo (fleet 186) rather than a double decker. Anyhow I boarded and took a seat for the little trip round Caversham the bus emptying out at the Southwest interchange stop before carrying on to the termination point near Sainsburys on Friar Street.
Reading Buses Bus 186 (RG55 BUS) in Reading by Kite, on FlickrRandom bus route in Reading complete, I headed towards the bus stop used by Arriva for the next route 800 service towards High Wycombe (with a Merc Citaro, 3025). Reasonably busy on departure as it headed towards High Wycombe going via Lower Shiplake, Henley on Thames, Medmenham & Marlow to reach the bus station in High Wycombe. At High Wycombe I headed towards the next Aylesbury bound bus, the next departure being a Redline operated route 130 (rather than an Arriva operated X9 service. The only difference at a glance seems to be a different route taken between High Wycombe & Princes Risborough. Redline is a new operator for me, and this is one of the trio of routes they are taking part in the £2 fare scheme (where they have competition). Anyhow it was onto YX12 AXU (an Enviro200). This route headed towards Aylesbury via Bradenham, Princes Risborough, Little Kimble & Stoke Mandeville. Aylesbury bus station isn't the nicest of places due to being located underneath buildings, so I was glad to exit the bus station and towards the Morrisons located close to the railway station to grab some lunch (and make use of the toilet before my walk).
My walk today was to take in two branches of the Grand Union canal, the Aylesbury Arm & Wendover arm with a short section along the main canal, and after grabbing supplies I picked up the Aylesbury Arm at the basin (overlooked by a Travelodge) and set forth along the towpath. The towpath was decent quality, all be with a few areas where it was flooded due to the recent rain as I headed away from Aylesbury and into a very rural area. Very peaceful and relaxing, until I reached lock 13 (Red House Lock) where the decent towpath surface just ended, and the towpath turned quite muddy and slippery.
Grand Union Canal (Aylesbury Arm) between Aylesbury & Wilstone by Kite, on FlickrWeather wise the day was lovely sunshine mixed with some strong wind gusts. Back to the towpath as my average speed dropped from 3.9mph to 3.4mph due to having to go slowly in places to avoid making a big splash. I reached Wilstone and carried on to the end of the canal arm at Marsworth, the towpath in the last few miles was quite variable with some parts worse than others. Shame as otherwise it was a lovely canal arm with countryside views. Anyhow at Marsworth I joined the main line of the Grand Union canal heading towards London passing the Tring reservoirs. I reached Bulbourne Junction where the Wendover arm branched away, a canal which is part in use by boats, part dry & part restored as it was originally closed in 1904 (quite a history with the arm being built to provide water for the summit of the canal but was found not to be enough hence the reservoirs were built).
The current limit of navigation is near Tringford pumping station with a changeable towpath. The canal currently finishes in a small basin just beyond Little Tring Road where parts of it is being restored but for the time being it was a short walk along a footpath alongside Little Tring Road to reach an access path to the route of the canal which is in various stages of being restored. I carried on reaching the section which has been restored and holds water, reaching Buckland Wharf where the towpath swaps sides once more.
Grand Union Canal (Wendover Arm) under restoration between Tring & Buckland (4) by Kite, on FlickrHousing was to my right and lovely countryside on my left (Chiltern hills I believe) as I continued along the canal heading into some lovely woodland, bringing with it some more mud. Very peaceful in this area as I carried on reaching Halton and onwards towards Wendover where the canal ends on Wharf End (it used to continue further on, but that section has no walkable towpath). Along the way I passed the remains of an old railway path towards RAF Halton which I didn't explore due to being muddy (and having one eye on the time). I had time to swing via a little Tesco Express before making my way to Wendover railway station buying a ticket from the TVM and rolled onto a busy 165008 & 165028. I don't think 165028 was that healthy as the engine kept cutting out when it stopped at stations. The train only got busier as it reached Amersham and I continued to Harrow on the Hill, switching to the Metropolitan line with a sub mile 21009/21010 set being first up (it was already on the platform when I came up the stairs, so I just jumped on). This took me to Finchley Road where I doubled back to West Hampstead with 96028 & 96023 exiting the station (I wasn't sure if the short walk between Finchley Road LU and Finchley Road & Frognal Overground was a valid OSI).
I walked the tiny distance to West Hampstead Overground station to take a reasonably busy 378223 to Clapham Junction with some time to kill before the 19:27 Exeter service rolled in. A very busy 159006 leading 159016 & 158880, very busy even in coach 2 of 9 where I was lucky to get a seat (didn't help that two people sitting on the table opposite decided their oversized suitcases needed their own seats). This service took me to Grateley where I had a gentle walk home to sort out my bag and relax for the rest of the day. Other than the mud it was a good day, two interesting canals for views with some lovely weather to boot (which unlike my boots which were filthy and one job when I got home was to try and wash off some of the mud).
Metropolitan line 21088 passing West Hampstead by Kite, on Flickr6th April – Exploring the Meon Valley Trail
The Meon Valley Trail is a mixed used path which makes use of the former Meon Valley railway route which ran between Fareham to Alton, starting from the village of West Meon running towards the town of Wickham. The day started with a drive towards Winchester, parking on some street parking on Chilbolton Avenue to the north of the city as it was free and walked towards a bus stop on Stockbridge Road near Bereweeke Road to catch a route 3 service (formed of Stagecoach’s 27775) doing a round trip in the Weeke area of the city before heading towards the bus station (I purchased a £8 gold ticket valid on Stagecoach South services giving me some flexibility at what to do).
After arriving at the bus station, I had a gentle stroll towards Sainsburys to grab some lunch items returning to the bus station to board the infrequent (3 times a day) route 67 service for Petersfield. Formed of an Enviro200 (26048). The bus headed away from Winchester following the rough route of the river Itchen going via Kings Worthy, Itchen Abbas, New Alresford, Cheriton before reaching West Meon. I decided to stay on for the section towards East Meon and onto Petersfield going via some Hampshire countryside. The bus terminated at the Tesco in Petersfield giving me a chance to pop into the store to make use of the toilet before returning on the same bus (probably confusing the driver) to alight in West Meon near the Thomas Lord pub, close to the starting point of the old railway line path.
Stagecoach (South) Bus 26048 (SN16 OPB) at Petersfield Tesco on a route 67 to Winchester by Kite, on FlickrUnusually this old railway line path doesn’t show on Google Maps, so it was a case of using my OS Map app to find the footpath across the river Meon and up a steep hill to reach the track bed of the old railway line, reaching the remains of West Meon station where there is a small car park. The first section was reasonably busy with other walkers with a few runners and cyclists as the path was reasonable, a bit muddy in places but more surface mud on a hard surface. I left West Meon on the path heading towards Wickham as the path turned very rural with some lovely countryside and bird song.
The next settlement I reached was the village of Meonstoke before carrying on towards Droxford with a couple small detours down onto little country lanes due to the bridges being removed (including one which was a bit flooded). At the sight of the former Droxford station the route of the old railway has been taken up as private land forcing a short detour round the edge before joining the route of the old railway to carry on towards Wickham returning to some lovely countryside and some woodland. The path quality was a bit rough in places due to flooding & mud, but this section was quite quiet in terms of other path users.
Remains of Droxford Station (Meon Valley Line) (2) by Kite, on FlickrI reached Wickham passing the site of the former station where there was a busy car park and continued along the path with an uncertainly because there was reports the final dead-end section had been closed by the council but either it has been reopened or the reports were wrong as I managed to carry on reaching the end of the Bridleway where the Meon Valley line met with the Eastleigh – Fareham line is. As it’s a dead-end I simply did a U-turn and headed back towards Wickham, leaving the route of the old railway line path and headed to the town centre swinging via a couple of shops to have a look if they had anything of interest.
An enjoyable walk in the South Hampshire countryside, although the section of the old Funtley deviation line avoiding the tunnels from Knowle will have to wait for another day. I boarded the route 69 service from Winchester towards Fareham (with Stagecoach’s 19158) where I remained on board for the return service towards Winchester back towards Wickham then going towards Swanmore, Bishop's Waltham & Fair Oak before heading towards Winchester via Colden Common & Twyford. An interesting journey, not the easiest for the bus driver due to some narrow urban roads.
Stagecoach (South) Bus 18512 (GX06 DXK) at Wickham on a route 69 for Winchester by Kite, on FlickrAt Winchester I had some time to kill before boarding a route 7 service towards Sparshot with Stagecoach’s 27556. I was surprised when it departed Winchester city centre with only myself on board as it headed away from the city centre towards Harestock and Littleton Deane going via Sparsholt College (farming college). After the college it went via some very narrow roads to serve Sparsholt village itself before heading back towards Winchester. I alighted at the bus stop near Bereweeke Way leaving just the driver on board, nobody wanted that bus today.
I walked back to the car, changing out of my slightly wet & dirty boots, changing socks and drove home to relax for the rest of the evening after an enjoyable day in South Hampshire followed by a couple of bus routes in the Winchester area. I got home, gave my boots another wash and broke out my backup boots ready for the Sunday. My original idea to head towards Exeter for the old railway line path from Okehampton was put on the shelf due to the forecast weather being both wet & windy, so I spent a short while looking at ideas for something in the London area.
7th April – A trip to (North) London
Due to engineering works, it was a later start than normal for me, no point catching the first train from Andover (which was being served as a shuttle service between Andover & Basingstoke due to engineering works between Andover & Salisbury) as that connected with a stopper from Basingstoke which took so long that the service an hour later connecting with a fast train only cost me around 20 minutes. I drove to Andover (always a wise decision based on the history SWR have with replacement buses which don’t turn up) and boarded a busy 159007 on the shuttle to Basingstoke, making my way from platform 4 to platform 3 and heading to the rear of the train as 450113 & 450102 rolled in from Southampton. My reward for heading towards the rear was a nearly empty coach compared to what seemed standing room only at the front coaches.
These 450s took me to Waterloo where I headed to the underground for the first time in what felt like ages (at Waterloo that is) with a Bakerloo line service formed of 3562 & 3246 to Oxford Circus changing to the Victoria line for sets 11084 & 11083 to Finsbury Park. Faced with a 20-minute wait for the next train to call at Alexandra Palace I popped out of the station to visit Tesco to grab some items for lunch before returning to take 717020 to Alexandra Palace to start my first walk of the day.
159007 at Basingstoke Station by Kite, on FlickrWhen I attempted to do the northern section of the Parkland walk last November time I was hit with the Alexandra Park being closed post fireworks, thankfully this time the park was open as I followed the path via the park towards Muswell Hill where I picked up the route of the old Muswell Hill branch of the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway route also known as the northern section of the Parkland walk (the main section being from Finsbury Park towards Highgate). Some nice views of London from the old railway viaduct on this very busy path leading towards Fortis Green and a muddy footpath towards Highgate Wood and the Capital Ring.
My original idea was to do a little loop of Highgate Wood, but the gates were closed with a notice about the wood being closed due to the high winds being forecasted. Ah well, a that loop can wait for another day trip to London as I followed the Capital Ring path towards East Finchley underground station via Cherry Tree Wood Park (which was quite nice). The first walk finished for the day as I headed up the stairs linear jumping to Finchley Central with 51633 & 51634 before taking 51583/51582 to Mill Hill East, exiting the station and heading onto the road before picking up the former railway embankment used previously by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway but closed after the failed Northern Heights project.
A Northern Line service at Mill Hill East (from disused railway embankment) by Kite, on FlickrThis path whilst it was a bit muddy was very scenic in terms of woodland, and peaceful (in terms of other path users). It didn't go on for long as it ended in the Mill Hill area on Page Street (the route of the old railway being built on with housing & roads). I headed south away from the road via a footpath close to a rugby stadium, going underneath the Great North way road via a subway and into Sunny Hill Park (which was a steep hill, but gave some nice views of North London). At the Hendon end of this park I continued via a couple of footpaths (West View) to reach Hendon Park. At the southern edge of this park, I followed a path which headed towards the large Brent Cross shopping centre (following part of the path alongside the river Brent). After making use of the toilets within the shopping centre I headed to the bus station with a few ideas in my head.
I picked a route 210 servide (run with Metroline Bus TEH1235) for Finsbury Park, going away from Brent Cross shopping centre towards Brent Cross itself before going towards Golders Green & the northern edge of Hampstead Heath. I'm sure in the past I used this particular bus route to access Kenwood House for a Keane concert many years ago. After Hampstead Heath it went towards Highgate then Archway before terminating at the western side of Finsbury Park station. First time I've used this entrance from memory as I headed to the Piccadilly line to take the first available Piccadilly line train to Manor House (formed of sets 200 & 111). I got a bit lost finding the correct exit of Manor House but eventually found myself at the bus stop for the route 141 which I had some unfinished business.
Various London Buses parked up at Brent Cross Shopping Centre by Kite, on FlickrEventually Arriva's HV187 rolled in on a Palmers Green service to take me north, a very busy bus on a busy slow-moving road. Going towards Harringay, Turnpike Lake & Wood Green (where the cause of the heavy traffic was noticed due to traffic lights near the shopping centre). I alighted at the final stop on Tottenham Road, just south of the North Circular. I set off on foot towards Palmers Green station before deciding on a late notice detour via the New River Path back towards the North Circular before going towards Bowes Park, where I ended the walk at Bounds Green underground station. Another short section of the New River Path complete (one of those paths on my list to try and finish this year once it gets warmer, so the mud goes).
A Piccadilly Line service took me to Finsbury Park (sets 242 & 193) where I changed to the Victoria line to take me to Oxford Circus (set 11021 & 11022), crossing the platform once more to board a Bakerloo line service towards Waterloo (sets 3266 & 3546). I arrived earlier than expected at Waterloo and jumped on the Exeter bound train formed of 159002, 159005 & 159006 as far as Basingstoke (where it would head to Salisbury going via Southampton). At Basingstoke I made my way towards platform 4, noticing that the motion sensors on the door to the waiting room has been replaced with push button ones (good thing as those motion sensors were a bit rubbish).
New River in Bowes Park, London (6) by Kite, on FlickrA short wait before 159007 arrived from Andover to form the next busy shuttle service to take me to Andover, after a couple of photos of some of the rail replacement buses & coaches outside the station I headed to my car, changing my boots to my shoes to have a drive home (to have a nice pizza for dinner). I spent the rest of the evening relaxing and making a start with my logs after the last few days of exploring.
Thanks for reading, more photos can be found on my Flickr Here Sorry it’s a bit one this time round, in hindsight I probably should have split it in two.
Fortunately, I've only come across people who are very chatty and actually add to the whole experience.
