World's steepest street: Harlech loses title to New Zealand

Note to potential passengers - please only travel if you must

OK - I'll go for November as I think the picture was actually taken on Saturday November 30?

Northern to start checking rail tickets again after increase in 'unneccessary day trips'

Last week, the firm announced passengers would not need to show their tickets due to Covid-19 fears - but it has been forced to reverse the policy

Thank you for your regular updates on the rail industry’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. I want to share my thanks to everyone working hard to keep our railways running, so all those who need to get to work can do so, including NHS staff on the frontline of tackling the virus.

It is critical that people who need to do so are able to travel to work in a safe and reliable manner during this challenging time for the country. I am writing to ask specifically that the industry continues to ensure the needs of disabled people are met during this time. Rail must, irrespective of the circumstances, always be accessible for all.

Working with operators, we have strengthened our commitment to a more accessible railway in recent months, including announcing 124 stations to benefit from a share of £20 million for mid-tier improvements, part of our £300 million Access for All programme, and the launch of It’s Everyone’s Journey, ensuring those with non-visible disabilities have a safe, accessible network.

Since the government issued advice for people to avoid travel unless necessary, I have been concerned to hear from disability campaigners about a few incidents at rail stations where individual passengers were apparently refused assistance. I feel strongly that social distancing measures should not limit access in this way and would request that staff have access to clear guidance to ensure they can support all passengers using our railways. I would like to thank you for your assurances that RDG has updated its guidance for operators, so rail workers can remain safe without building barriers to travel for disabled key workers.

We will be working closely with the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to investigate any reports of failure to provide assistance to disabled people during the COVID-19 outbreak. Our position on accessibility remains the same, even in these extraordinary times – delivering an accessible service for every passenger is essential to creating an inclusive railway.

2. Melksham. Can't remember the month but April?

7 is surely Clifton Down. But I've no idea which month. I'll make a random guess if I have to; it's dark and there are a fair few people waiting, so it's winter, how about November/

Rolls-Royce vs. the sleeper train: a race from London to Edinburgh

The Caledonian Sleeper is a reminder of the golden age of long-distance travel. A time before cheap flights and high-speed rail lines, when the journey was almost as important as the destination.

It all sounds so delightful, with the operator promising a nightcap in the onboard bar, a menu filled with fine Scottish produce, a cosy cabin and breakfast in bed as the sun rises over the Scottish countryside.

We arrived at the less evocative Euston Station and made our way to the platform where the train was ready for its 23:50 departure. Only we weren’t there to board the train, we were there to race it.

The challenge: to arrive at Edinburgh’s Waverley Station before the Caledonian Sleeper rolled into the platform. Sounds simple, but the photo finish highlights that it was anything but.

Our choice of wheels for this unlikely race was a Rolls-Royce Wraith, the most powerful Roller in history. We can think of few cars that offer such an enticing blend of pace, comfort and presence. It also meant that we could offer no excuses if we lost. We had the reputation of the motor car in our hands.

You bet it was. We had only gone and done it. Even taking into account the train’s early arrival time, we had beaten the train by a matter of seconds. The 413 miles and a night without sleep had been worth it. Rolls-Royce Wraith: one, Caledonian Sleeper: nil.

Victory could have gone either way. Had we ordered a coffee at Abington, we would have lost. Had we been delayed by the blanket of fog we encountered on the journey home, we would have lost. Had we not followed the world’s fastest cherry picker into Edinburgh, we would have lost. Had I not asked the second porter, we would have lost. It was nip and tuck stuff. All of our overnight decisions, no matter how small, had made a difference.

We even managed to achieve a combined 22.2mpg over 1,400 miles of driving, which – while not exactly frugal – is perfectly respectable for a V12-engined car so adept at racing trains across the country.

11. No idea where it is. The long shadows suggest a month in the winter half of the year, but the clothing worn by the nearest person suggests warm temperatures. We had some exceptionally warm weather in the last week of February last year, so I will suggest then.

4 is, of course, on the New York subway.

12. Tilshead - I recognise the tacky pub sign in the background !

must be July then

8. October Euston?

Princetown (closed 1956) is also not shown.

I would guess that No. 6 is Yarmouth (Old) station on the Isle of Wight.

10 Weymouth August

Yarmouth station on the Isle of Wight closed 1953, so as no Freshwater, Yarmouth and Newport Railway is shown I would suggest it is after that date.
Over to the experts to slice the salami finer!