New Guinness World Record Attempt Enquiry

[Bmth Journo]

Dear all,

My name is David and I'm a freelance journalist based near Bournemouth.

I'm looking at attempting to create a new Guinness World Record and will be documenting my progress over the next 2-3 years while I prepare and undertake this feat. The aim will be to generate and increase interest via video and in print, as well as online, in the hope of creating enough of a following with the additional aim of raising money for a charitable cause.

As part of my initial research, I'm writing to ask if it is possible for a person to circumnavigate the British Isles by train, without the need for them to change platforms at a particular station? I.E. Can a single train complete the full circuit by moving from one line to another without coming to the end of a particular route? Assuming the answer to my first question is, yes - then the follow up question to this would be, can it also be done using a steam train?

As much as I'd love to go into further details, I'm afraid i'm unable to do so at this interim stage, but will release more info in due course. Therefore, my enquiry for now is - can it be done?

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to reply where I will be happy to answer anything I can at this stage. Hope to hear from you all soon and I look forward to engaging in further dialogue as the project progresses.

Kindest regards,

David.

 

[The exile]

If reversing back the way you’ve come is out you can effectively forget a lot of Wales, the Southwest beyond Exeter and anything north of Inverness, for a start - though you could choose one of the dead ends as your start point.

 

[Flying Snail]

Circumnavigating the British Isles by train? May I suggest you buy a boat.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Can a single train complete the full circuit by moving from one line to another without coming to the end of a particular route?

I would say definitely not possible. Lots and lots of branches where reversal back the way you've just come would be required. The below (simplified) GB rail map should give a better idea.


(Image shows schematic map of GB rail network.)

 

[SeanG]

Of course what you could do is what a lot of the media do and have an 'XXX by train' programme, where the train is a small part of the journey and the presenter then travels a great deal of the way by car/van etc. Don't forget to add in a complete lack of continuity too!

 

[Magdalia]

Something a bit like this has been discussed before, see here:

[Trivia]Shortest and Longest Circular Routes Possible

Coming out of the 'Above 50...' thread, idle speculation on my part: what are the shortest and longest possible circular routes - i.e. which will, starting from some point, bring you back to the same point, facing in the same direction, ready to go round again. For the longest, without passing...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Bmth Journo]

I would say definitely not possible. Lots and lots of branches where reversal back the way you've just come would be required. The below (simplified) GB rail map should give a better idea.

View attachment 177623
(Image shows schematic map of GB rail network.)

Hi and many thanks for your reply. Based on the map provided which I appreciate is a general overview of things but, is it not possible to do the following route?

Starting at Inverness and heading South to Aviemore, Perth, Stirling, Glasgow, Carlisle, Oxenholme, Lancaster, Preston, Liverpool, Chester, Wrexham, Shrewsbury, Llandrindod, Swansea, Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, Bath, Westbury, Yeovil, Salisbury, Basingstoke, Reading, Paddington, Liverpool Street, Stratford, Shenfield, Colchester, Ipswich, Great Yarmouth, Ely, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark, Lincoln, Grimsby, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Edinburgh, Kirkcaldy, Dundee, Aberdeen, Elgin… and back to Inverness.

It does cut out pretty much the whole of Devon and Cornwall – but it looks like the rest of the UK could be covered… Could it not?

 

[Grecian 1998]

The map's depiction of Exeter is slightly skewed. The train from Exeter towards Salisbury heads south very briefly, rather than north as suggested by the map. So rather than Bristol - Westbury - Yeovil - Salisbury, you could do Bristol - Exeter - Salisbury, and therefore include the eastern half of Devon.

 

[Bald Rick]

Hi and many thanks for your reply. Based on the map provided which I appreciate is a general overview of things but, is it not possible to do the following route?

Starting at Inverness and heading South to Aviemore, Perth, Stirling, Glasgow, Carlisle, Oxenholme, Lancaster, Preston, Liverpool, Chester, Wrexham, Shrewsbury, Llandrindod, Swansea, Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, Bath, Westbury, Yeovil, Salisbury, Basingstoke, Reading, Paddington, Liverpool Street, Stratford, Shenfield, Colchester, Ipswich, Great Yarmouth, Ely, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark, Lincoln, Grimsby, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Edinburgh, Kirkcaldy, Dundee, Aberdeen, Elgin… and back to Inverness.

It does cut out pretty much the whole of Devon and Cornwall – but it looks like the rest of the UK could be covered… Could it not?

That covers the UK, but there is no train that could do it, because it uses the Crossrail line, which can only be accessed by trains with a certain type of signalling control system (called CBTC). The only train with that system is a Class 345, and that is electrically powered, which much of your suggested route is not. However you could vary the route to avoid the Crossrail line by travelling from Reading to Acton, Willesden Junction, Stratford and thence to Shenfield.

Other points of order:

You can’t do Preston - Liverpool - Chester without a reversal in Liverpool, but you could do Preston - Warrington - Chester instead. However that requires a reversal at Chester, so in reality you’ll be Preston - Crewe - Shrewsbury.

Great Yarmouth requires reversal, so you need Ipswich - Ely direct via Bury St Edmunds.

Grimsby (actually Cleethorpes) needs reversal, albeit you could do a circular loop round Immingham Docks if you don’t mind repeating the stretch from Wrawby Junction (near Barnetby) to Ulceby. Otherwise you need to go Peterborough - Spalding - Sleaford - Lincoln - Doncaster.

Back to the south, you could extend your route by going Salisbury - Eastleigh - Havant - Barnham - Hove - Haywards Heath - Norwood Junction - Crystal Palace - Tulse Hill - Herne Hill - Brixton - Kensington Olympia - Willesden Junction thence on to Stratford.

This is probably not possible by regular service trains without a platform change. It could be done by a chartered train. Is it doable by Steam Train? In theory, yes, but it would cost an awful lot of money to arrange - several hundreds of thousands, possibly over a million.

Finally, in your original post, you said you were looking to circumnavigate the British Isles. The above only does Great Britain, but I’ll assume that’s what you meant!

 

[Zamracene749]

You could hug the coast more closely in the north east by travelling York-Eaglescliffe- Hartlepool-Newcastle rather than direct via Durham, also from newcastle head via Bedlington then the freight line to just north of Morpeth (if that is still open to traffic?)