The Big Bash Theory, 4th to 7th October 2012

[Techniquest]

Hi all,

Finally got a chance to get on with hammering this out, my first trip report in ages. Let's get it going on then...Oh, and yes I am a fan of The Big Bang Theory!

4th October 2012 - The Big Bash Theory, Day 1

After 6 weeks, in which time I've been obsessed/dedicated to my work (delete as applicable!) and lost all interest in the hobby, taking up socialising with work mates and drinking instead of going on a bash. Quite, instead of going to the SVR diesel gala (which I'd originally booked the time off for months ago) I decided to go to Ireland for one last bash to finish the regular network there instead. The bonus was a chance or three to go out clubbing too [boy that turned out to be a fail of extreme proportions... - Ed], although this time it would be a solo effort. Shall be strange not going out with my lot from work! Mind you, this trip is costing me a small fortune, but it's also turned into being a badly needed break away from work. It's also going to be a major test of whether I actually have any interest left in the scene [hence the trip title, being a big fan of The Big Bang Theory - Ed], if not a new hobby that isn't clubbing/pubbing will be needed! After popping into work for a few bits and bobs and to check up on some of my favourite colleagues, I get €170 for the trip and eventually get to the station at 1455. Next train to Newport isn't until 1551, so I get some Quavers and start on my Fosters and this write-up. Eventually the time passes and I get on my way over my old stomping ground aboard 175102.

Got to be said that it felt strange, but also good and right, to be on a train again after 6 weeks. Although I'd just also finished my second of Fosters shortly after departure! By the time I get to Newport, I've finished my third can and feeling nicely tipsy, with an interest in rail coming back. It doesn't mean I won't be partying anymore [although as I type this some time later I don't know about that... - Ed], just my interest still exists but only on the side. So far I'll have something to do in January when I have time off then, but of course I need to see how the trip ends first. An HST passes westbound at Severn Tunnel Junction, sadly I still know it's the 1515 off Paddington! 158961 is my train to Bristol, not had this number since Wessex Trains days! Worse still is that I note the time to get from one end of the tunnel to the other, virtually smack on 3 minutes. Good grief, was I really ever that bad?! Yes is the only correct answer to that! Bring on the arrival at the Travelodge, can't wait to dump my stuff, de-rancify and hit the pubs! Not that I'll need much, I've had 4 cans of Fosters by the time we get to Filton Abbey Wood!

The journey passes super quickly and dang it felt weird getting off a train at platform 13 at Bristol Temple Meads! That was about as far as I went down Memory Lane, as a) it wasn't on an HST and b) the screens have all changed since my last trip through here in 2011. So have the announcements, although admittedly they're clearer now. All I have now are memories...Free WiFi is available though, so I pop onto Facebook and get the Maps function out on my phone, since I didn't have my directions to the Travelodge with me. As I still ended up taking a wrong turn, this turned out [oh hahahahahahaha... - Ed] to be extremely useful! Only a 20 minute walk to the Travelodge, not bad. A call home is followed by a badly needed de-rancification, a decaff coffee and then to Pizza Hut for a most lush BBQ Meat Feast pizza and a Magners. Flipping expensive at £13 mind, but incredibly worth every penny to prepare for a busy night on the booze...

To put a long story short, after a pint of Fosters in Walkabout (I don't remember the same pub in Swansea ever being so quiet and boring), I went to look for somewhere lively. No such luck, but I remember it's Thursday Club in Yates, a nice and cheap night out then. To my utter amazement, no such thing as a Yates in Bristol, the nearest being in Chippenham I think my phone said. Madness...The only place with any sort of action was closed to a private event. More exploring gets me nowhere with decent music and/or atmosphere, so after 90 minutes of walking around Bristol I give up and retire to my room. Even Hereford has plenty of places to go with atmosphere and music on a Thursday night, and people moan about the night out there! Disappointed much! Several hours later, at 0219 to be precise, sleep is still evading me so I update my notes. What a boring night, I'd have been better off working my usual shift then going to Bristol!

Days 2 to 4 will follow soon

 

[eastwestdivide]

Who is Ed? And why does he type in italics? And does he do it while you're not looking?

 

[Techniquest]

Generally speaking, that's where I'll put humour in/comment on something I've put in my report. Like the thing about not giving up socialising/drinking with my lot from work now, that's what I thought at the time and put it into my notepad. In the time that's passed since the original write-up in my notepad, I've reignited my interest in the scene and so have cancelled my presence on two nights out that are coming up in the next couple of weeks. I'm sat here presently wondering how long it'll last before that side of me comes back out...

'Ed' is short for Editor, which in this case is me anyway. Basically, think of it as me editing my own write-up, and that I use it as a way of adding further comments/whatever in the present/future tense rather than the past tense.

As for putting it into italics, it's purely aesthetics. It makes it a lot easier to notice it in bulky paragraphs, indeed it helps break them up significantly in my opinion.

Hope that clears that up, if not feel free to issue a query. Let's proceed with day 2, since I failed to sleep enough to get up in time for my bash today...

5th October 2012 - The Big Bash Theory, Day 2

A more fitting title for today at 0220 would be "Eff this, I'm going back to work and home", that fed up I was. Let's hope sleep comes soon and that tonight is better! It's finally sleep time at 0315 and I'm awake by 0740. De-rancification time again then before a coffee and off to The Commercial Rooms (Wetherspoon) for breakfast, which went down beautifully! After some updates on Facebook thanks to free WiFi, I head to the bus station just in time to make it onto the 0912 to the airport on First Somerset and Avon's 69505. Free WiFi again comes in handy on this journey!

The queue for security is short so I'm in the departures area by 1005. Time for some spotting and a chill out. My Mum's phone is topped up for the Irish part of the trip (I was borrowing her PAYG one as for no sensible reason my smartphone doesn't work in Ireland at all, not even with a data/text/calls bundle!) and a coffee is needed from Soho Coffee Company for £2.25. It went down very well after such an awful night, and the gate finally opens at 1155 and I'm first through gate 4. Eventually our plane arrives and unloads, at 1229 me and the massive crowd behind me gets permission to commence boarding. We're about three-quarters full on here, which for a non-tourist season flight to such a remote airport seemed pretty good. Doors close at 1239, pushback at 1243 and take off at 1250. On another winner with Ryanair's EI-DPV! Let's fly, fly, fly, fly...[for the record, I've got Breeze and Styles' Let's Fly in my head there, NOT that dreadfully annoying theme to Airline! - Ed]

The flight gets a bit rough 15 minutes from Knock, sure got me noticing and grabbing the armrests! A surprisingly long runway here and we have to do a 180 degree turn to get to the terminal at 1346. As usual, it takes around 5 minutes to get out of the plane. As Bus Eireann don't bother serving Knock Airport much, I had had to pre-book a taxi to get me to Ballina 30 miles away. My most expensive ride to date in a taxi at €55, would have been €80 or so if we'd gone by the meter! The driver and I talk all the way to Ballina, roughly an hour's ride. After checking in at The Loft Bar and B+B, it's time for a very late lunch (it's about 1515 now!) from Supermacs. €7.45 gets me a large Smoky Bacon Burger meal, which reminds me to factor in food/drink costs when budgeting a bash in future! With my stomach sorted out for now, it's time to wander around Ballina. As I had lost my pen somewhere at Bristol Airport, I end up in Tesco to get some new ones, as well as some pop for tomorrow's endurance journey. The exploration continues after dropping the stuff off and I pick up my ticket for tomorrow. €64 for the Advance single Ballina to Cork with fees, no doubt a lot cheaper than buying it on the day! [quite, when I looked in Cork the ticket machine wouldn't offer me a ticket to Ballina, and Portarlington to Cork single was €50 when looking there so I've evidentally saved a lot! - Ed]

I'm in no rush to get ready for an evening out, as I'd been advised by the taxi driver that no-one tends to go out til around midnight, even on a Friday night. Lovely that! I find Sky 1 on the TV in my room and watch it for a couple of hours. De-rancification follows and I end up going out at 2015. Surely there will be some sort of activity at this time? Some fries are got from the other Supermacs in town for €2, the same sort of quality chips as you'd get in a decent chippy in the UK. After much exploration, I've determined this town reminds me too much of Leominster, and the lack of activity in town reminds me of my hometown. Having tried all of the recommended places, I give up and end up back in The Loft Bar and B+B for 3 pints of proper Guiness [seriously, if you've only ever tried Guiness in the UK you *need* to try Guiness over in the Republic. Far superior stuff and poured properly! - Ed]. Almost dead in here, although at least I managed to get some sort of conversation from some people. I retire to my room after pint 3 as I was getting a tad tipsy. Could have had a 4th pint but decided not to risk it.

Having a good night out was one of the core reasons for doing this trip, and having had two lousy nights in a row I'm not happy. I make extensive use of the free WiFi with Facebook and YouTube. A bit of TV follows after packing the bag for tomorrow and sleep finally arrives around 0140.

Days 3 and 4 will follow soon

 

[eastwestdivide]

Generally speaking, that's where I'll put humour in...

Looks like my "Ed" comment was a failed attempt at humour then!
I was just imagining you writing this up on the train, nipping off to the loo, and coming back to find the guy sitting opposite (Ed) had added snarky comments.

 

[Techniquest]

Ahhhh, clearly my sense of humour doesn't work very well today then!

 

[Blindtraveler]

Techniquest, great to have another report from you, missed them. Sorry to hear youve had a lack of interest lately, it does happen, its happened to me at times too. As youl have noticed going out aint all its cracked up to be and I for one am a great believer in drinking whilst I bash.

Look forard to the next bits of this. Oh and by the way, just finished you ALR Report for the 3rd time, so much in there!

 

[Techniquest]

You've read it three times? Wow, I've not read it twice let alone 3 times!

Yeah this trip of mine was a bit of a let-down over the first two days. However, as will hopefully become clear when I post it, the third and fourth days were better for the most part. Indeed, time to find the notepad and start hammering away...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Right then, here we go with day 3 at least. Hopefully it'll be done before lunch...

6th October 2012 - The Big Bash Theory, Day 3, The Main Event

I wake shortly before the alarm goes off at 0600 and a coffee is definitely needed (bearing in mind I didn't get to sleep til around 0140)! The bag is re-packed and I use the free WiFi one more time before finally leaving at 0640. One thing has to be said about the weather this morning...Brrrrrrrrr! Rather brisk with the windchill factor today, good thing it's only a 7 minute walk to the station, where surprisingly it was much warmer! Still, the weather and dark mornings (it's around 0700 and it's still dark) is an annoying reminding it's pretty much winter now. What joy, we all know that means it's coming to the most expensive time of the year! After a few photos, I jump on to warm up a bit aboard 2808+2807, what I believe are my first 2800 Class for haulage. Off we go to Manulla Junction, randomly 2 minutes late.

229 was noted on Ballina Container Terminal, as well as another un-identified member of the 201 Class. An uneventful journey really, most of it was spent updating my notebook, with the arrival time also 2 minutes late. Only time for one quick photo of 2808 at Manulla Junction as 22038 was rolling in to carry me forward with the 0736 to Dublin Heuston. I had a hunch it was dud, and I discover there's free WiFi on this 22000 Class member, so after filling in the registration form (yes my phone can handle drop-down boxes, so there's no excuse for not letting me fill in your form East Coast!) I'm away. A look on RailMiles confirms that 22038 is indeed dud, had it earlier in the year on my Irish Trekker bash from Waterford to Heuston Station (as it's called on the PIS), curses. Or as it says on Hellfire "Mileage move!" It's finally breakfast time, alas there's no hot food available. A coffee is accompanied by a Limerick ham and cheese sandwich, not cheap at €7.24 but at least I got rid of some of my coins!

The coffee was tolerable, and the sandwich OK (bearing in mind I'm not a fan of cold cheese, let alone red cheese), never mind it's only another 4 hours as I write this until I get to Cork! With the 20 mile (according to the milepost) Ballina branch now finally done, one of two branches I came over and spent a fortune for, there's just a few miles of the Midleton branch left to do now. After that I'm done with the regular Irish Rail network [yes I am aware that I've not done the Kilkenny avoider, MattE2010! - Ed], an objective I've been after completing for some years. Just wish I'd made it over before Waterford to Rosslare closed! 0921 and we're away from Clara, at least I never have to come up this way again! Of course, as usual the PIS screens aren't working on here (only seen them working on 22038 on that run from Waterford, and I've been on a fair few 22000 Class moves!) and eventually it's set up. Only it's set for the 0655 from Athlone and we were 0903 from Athlone! Still not really revived my passion for the railway yet, maybe next time I'll go somewhere new and try something different. After all, the UK and Ireland rail networks are virtually done (bar private/light/freight railways), high time I spread my wings a bit!

Finally we get to the end of this long leg at 0946, a 2 hours and 10 minutes journey. Weather's nice and stunning now, but still a bit nippy! 22032 is a winner on the leap to Portlaoise, and the free WiFi is used again. We arrive at 1018, 7 up and I've got til 1050 for the next train to Cork. Felt like forever waiting here, but eventually 209 arrives on the 1000 Heuston Station to Cork and we leave 2 down. Another winner 201 Class! As I write up the notes at 1154, I've spent ages on RailUK, Facebook and updating my RailMiles pages, now my stomach's going mad on me. Not much point eating now, so it's told to shut up! Starting to get sick of the same music now, bearing in mind I've had my MP3 player on for hours today! 1246 and we arrive into Kent Station, Cork [I had been tempted to make a joke about travelling to Kent, but refrained - Ed], 4 minutes early and just short of 5 hours and 40 minutes travelling. Not bad for a journey from one end of the country to the other mind! 15 minutes later, I'm in the city centre. It sort of reminds me of Cardiff, but also Swansea and Oxford.

A portion of Twisty Fries (never had them before or even seen them in UK restaurants, but they are awesome!) and a Double Cheeseburger for €4 is had from McDonalds, having failed to find Burger King (I later saw it, my fault for not looking properly!). A bit more exploring later and I end up back at Kent. €7.15 gets me a day return to Midleton, here comes completing a goal I set about 5 years ago! Time for some racket now, having not really heard much noise from a train for most of the day. I was surprised to see two 2600 Class vehicles sat next to platform 1 idling, might as well have turned them off! 2612+2611 arrive to work the 1415 to Midleton, and we go off on time and I enjoy the noise from these unloved DMUs. The branch itself is nothing exciting, although I'm perplexed by the lack of trains using platform 2, with all trains apparently using platform 1 which is the through platform towards Youghal. At 1435, when we arrive 3 up, it's celebration time as that's the Irish Rail network is now finished! Party time! After a few photos, it's back onto 2611+2612 on the 1445 to Cork, which leaves 1 down due to the local veg taking all day to decide to buy a ticket then all day using the machine :roll:

On arrival back in Cork, I opt to walk to the Travelodge, despite the staff at the bus station saying I could use the bus to the airport and get off at the Travelodge. Thankfully the map is still on my phone, and I find my way via the backstreets as I hadn't twigged the N27 is a dual carriageway until I got there! Fortunately the big Kinsdale roundabout has a safe walking route over it, and I'm sick of Travelodges next to big roads and roundabouts. Those who read my ALR trip report will no doubt recall my comments on the Travelodge near Needham Market...Anyway, I make the 3 mile walk safe and sound in around 47 minutes, and it's time to relax after the exhausting walk. Seriously it was actually really warm this afternoon and I had to carry my winter coat with me as I was sweating that much! De-rancification is therefore mandatory and I enjoy a rather tasty cup of tea whilst watching TV. After an hour or so, it's time to head out to the city centre again for tea. I get as far as Turners Cross when I come across Dinos which is now open. A Double Dino burger, chips (proper thick ones, generous portion too!) and a can of Diet Coke was got for €6.60. A much better deal than the fast food places in the city centre would have been, and a good 4 miles less walking too.

Now feeling really full and satisfied, I walk back to the Travelodge, stopping off at Mace Local for some snacks for the night. The walk nearly ended in dismay, as I couldn't find the €10 note I had from the chippy. Eventually found it in my pocket, tucked up further in than I thought. Remember kids, ALWAYS put your money safely away straight away! The taxi for the morning's trip to the airport is booked, then I check in with home. For the rest of the evening, I chill out in front of the TV, have a relaxing bath and pack the bag ahead of an early start. Good but tiring day, even so it took until gone midnight to get to sleep!

Day 4 is spread over 4 and a bit A5 notebook pages, so not enough time to do it before lunch. Shall try and do it later on though, depends what everyone else in the house is doing.

 

[Techniquest]

Sorry for the delay in getting this posted, I went out for a WMDR (I might even post that later, we'll see) last Monday then it was work all week. Out Saturday night for the first time in about a month so yesterday was spent coming home and being exhausted, so didn't bother going out today. Therefore, it's the perfect time to get this typing done!

7th October 2012 - The Big Bash Theory, Day 4 - final day

Awww! I was having an interesting dream and the alarms woke me at 0530. Boo! Can't recall what it was about mind, but I know I was disappointed! Coffee time before packing the things used overnight like chargers, toothpaste and the like. My taxi is ready by 0610, good thing I was! Rather bracing cold weather this morning, and I get Ace Taxis' 05-C-4603 to Cork Airport. €11 for the 2.6 miles journey, shocking! The security queue was quite short, although I wasn't expecting it to be too bad anyway. A 737-800 in a new Ryanair livery was photted, but couldn't ID it. A bottle of water is sourced for €1.50, at least I'm going home with only 25 cents rather than the variety of coins I came over with! I'm second in the queue at gate 3, and that was only because the other guy had been there waaaaaaaaay before 0700. I join the queue at 0715, which was fortunate as by 0740 the queue was flipping ginormous! Boarding finally commences at 0753 and I take seat 11F today aboard another winner craft, EI-DLN

With the doors closed at 0810, we get the pushback at 0812 and we're up in the air at 0820. I silently bid farewell to Ireland, it may be quite some time before I need to visit again! 0843 and I swear we're flying over West Wales. 0858 and I hear that we're over somewhere with Birmingham to our left, with an estimated 20 minutes to go. A desire to empty fluids is denied as there's two people next to me and the woman next to me is asleep. Good thing it's only a short flight, no prizes for guessing what I did as soon as I could after alighting! Only been more pleased to displace fluids when I've been drunk! 0903 and we're over the Thames, never seen it from the air before so I had to grab some photos. 0908 and it's only 10 minutes to go, with touchdown at 0917. Taxi-ing takes what felt like forever, arriving at the terminal at 0924, 1 minute early.

More planes are noted, however most of them are dud sights. After a long walk I finally get through the passport check easily and find the exit to get some fresh air and actually get on British soil again. As much as I love Ireland, it's nice to be home Back on the station, I get a large coffee for £2 (how nice to use sterling again!) from Coffee Link. My favourite technology of this age, Wi-Fi, is used for free on the 1000 to London Liverpool Street, and 379011 is a winner sight with winning haulage on 379017. The journey is nicely smooth and fast, with calls only at Bishops Stortford I think and Totty Hale. All caught up on the forum and Facebook, and after the 44 minute journey I decide to get moving to the Tube. Might as well get to Paddington I decide, even though I've got around 105 minutes to kill yet. 93078 carts me west on the Central Line, as surprise surprise the Circle/District/H+C/Met were not in use today. Seems so rare for them to be open on a weekend!

After a longer than expected connection (I think it's Bakerloo to Victoria that's super easy when coming from Paddington, although I always forget which is which since my visits to London are, these days, infrequent) at Oxford Circus, 4251 offers the usual extreme heat on the Bakerloo line. Having had time at Stansted Airport to eat but not bothering, and same at Liverpool Street, I finally get food at Paddington's Burger King. Bearing in mind I've not eaten anything substansal at all since last night's takeaway, I was proper hungry! I flag my usual meal (I know, you're all as shocked as me!) and go with the Rodeo BBQ Extra Long Beef meal, supersized of course. £5.35 with Bite Card discount. It was basically a sub roll, burger patties, cheese, onion rings and BBQ sauce, but it was extremely stunning! A couple of bits and bobs for the long journey home from Sainsburys Local. Then I get a craving for coffee to try and motivate me to do the long journey via Middle Earth, so a cash move is required and a large coffee is got from Costa for £2.40.

1217 and the platform is already announced, don't get it so early usually! I find my seat in coach A and set up camp with the 3h23m journey. 43094 and 43088 are the cars providing the power for this move, seem to recall 088 was at least back in my HST bashing days quite the lowie [it's on 419 or so miles now according to RailMiles, but then the mileage has been over doubled on it in just this year. As for 43094, that's not a lowie with over 626 miles on it. I'm now tripping down Memory Lane as I see it's been over 5 years since heart-of-wessex and I had 43094 with 43012 on a mileage move from Taunton to Reading via Bristol Temple Meads non-stop - Ed] The coffee is finally finished around 1309, shocking considering that I got it around 1220! We leave Paddytoon on time and I'm disappointed that it's the last part of the trip. So then, after the last 4 days, have I re-discovered a love of the railways [you'll recall that's why this trip is called The Big Bash Theory - Ed]?

A question I've been considering for some hours, and I eventually come to the conclusion that the answer is yes, but to a lower level than before. That is to say I doubt I'll be spending every minute of the day thinking about it, after all I've more important things to deal with. However, I'll still enjoy the hobby but balance things out with a normal social life too. Slough, and we have 10 minutes here as we have somehow arrived early. Reading's coming on well I see, a long way to go of course but progress is considerable since my last trip along here. Still missing the old rush to see what Freightliner 66s were parked up mind! Oxford sees the usual rush for people to get their bikes, or rather a lot of them doing so but taking what feels like weeks to do so. Everywhere we stop seems to take the mick for sitting around, Charlbury for instance we were at for over 5 minutes despite being late!

Moreton-in-Marsh and we lose around 15 minutes here, as a flood was developing quite significantly in coach B. Obviously this needed attention from both the Train Manager and driver so time was lost in large amounts. This journey feels like an Irish Rail journey (no offence!), in that the journey time is already long but takes the mickey. 2 hours almost to Moreton-in-Marsh, no need! Somehow after Evesham we appear to only be a few minutes late, so I suspect there was a lengthy wait for a London train to clear the single line. We finally reach Worcester Shrub Hill at 1512 or so, approximately 2.5 hours after leaving Paddington. The flood had reached coach A, although no-one thought to let us know or ask us to move. Me and the one other passenger in coach A were moved on via the cycle area eventually, a first for me! Despite this, we still didn't leave Shrub Hill for ages, Eventually we're all told that due to needing the first 4 coaches for SDO reasons at Ledbury, Colwall and the like, FGW control in Swindon are deciding what to do as the front two coaches are out of use now.

1553 and the announcement comes on, after around 40 minutes festering at Shrub Hill, to confirm the train was cancelled. The next train to Hereford isn't until 1710, the 1442 from Paddington. Lovely...Still, I'll be claiming compensation. Even half the fare, an Anytime Single for £50, would be nice! It'll come in handy for a future long-distance bash...Coffee time from Cafe Loco (I know, I was surprised it was open too, bearing in mind this was a Sunday!) for £1.55. Only a small one but it'll do. The 1632 to New Street is 170632 vice booked 172 to my surprise. Somehow the long fester passes by quickly in the end, helped by texting/calling people. The compo form says I'll get all my £50 back as I have a single, that'll do me fine! 166216 is dud but welcome on the last leg of the 4 day bash. Trip planning mode has been engaged, although I have so many options [some of you may have seen a thread of mine discussing one trip I've booked - Ed]...Back to work tomorrow, which will be nice for the company again. Won't enjoy the work itself of course

Overall, a good trip but over too quickly. Just more company would have been nice. I get my lift home, much later than planned and eventually get a roast pork chops tea which I'd been expecting much earlier!

Not bothering with mileage stats and all that, primarily as I have no mileage figures for my Irish Rail legs. As for the WMDR report, I'll hammer that out later I think

 

[Blindtraveler]

fantastic! budget traveller I may be but afraid I don't share your love of Mr O'Learies no Frills Flights, Id rather take the boat and get a little tiddly!
im assuming a plumbing issue in FGWs bogs was the cause of your HST Being Caped?
As to company if you ever fancy some, Im always up for a bash with enough notice so do PM if ya want.
And finally, glad your back!
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oh and enjoyed the WMDR Writeup too - satisfying when you get something like that finished aint it?

 

[Techniquest]

It is most satisfying when you achieve a long-standing goal, agreed. It sure was when I finally got my last 350 for sight, 350232 in June. Took flipping forever to get it and was the second time I spent forever looking for my last 350 for sight, the previous time it having been 350115. Of course I've got more to find for sight soon enough when the 350/3s and /4s come into play!

Against the trend no doubt, but I prefer Ryanair to easyjet. Why? As I was telling someone at work yesterday, at least you aren't forced to look at adverts on the seatback in front of you. Even on what must be a contender for easyjet's shortest passenger flight (Liverpool to Ronaldsway, Isle of Man) it really got on my nerves. Imagine having to suffer such things for long flights!

Shocked I forgot to mention the reason for the flooding in the HST. Basically yeah, it happened after the lavatory in coach B decided to reverse engineer itself...

 

[Lrd]

Nothing wrong with Ryanair. Cheap enough if you have no checked luggage. Easy online check-in so just have to go straight through security. Only downside is that there isn't much legroom but I just about survived Manchester - Faro (Portugal) so anything shorter than that, I think i'll cope.

Never flown Flybe, they are quite expensive from Southampton.

 

[Techniquest]

Flybe's expensive from anywhere to anywhere!

 

[Blindtraveler]

Flybe's expensive from anywhere to anywhere!

there edinburgh to Birmingham route aint bad at all - its comparable in price to a 5hrs trip on an XC voyager on certain flights and is reliable

 

[Techniquest]

Aye, well whenever I've wanted to use them over a competitor (Isle of Man trip for example) they've been wayyyyyyy too expensive. Considerably cheaper to get the train for a considerably higher distance to an airport further from home to get a flight for much less. Birmingham to Isle of Man I think it was for the Flybe option, well in excess of £80 single. Liverpool to Isle of Man with easyjet was more like £36 single.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Aye, well whenever I've wanted to use them over a competitor (Isle of Man trip for example) they've been wayyyyyyy too expensive. Considerably cheaper to get the train for a considerably higher distance to an airport further from home to get a flight for much less. Birmingham to Isle of Man I think it was for the Flybe option, well in excess of £80 single. Liverpool to Isle of Man with easyjet was more like £36 single.

Yes we have similar pricing issues from Scotland although we can get to Haishom for the boat easier and v cheep.

Insidentally a comment you made on my Bashing Blog Re flying to Orkney - the Scottish internal Loganair branded routes are currently opperated by Flyb who promissed price cuts when the won the contract 4 or so years ago and all this has amounted to is 2 or 3 cheep v v much in in advance seats on a limmited number of flights so you have reason to moan about them again.