I appreciate you should "arrive" at a station in good time to buy a ticket - what are the rules if you have a ticket from A to B but due to a change of plans you need to change at B for a train to C.  If your first train is delayed and there is no one selling tickets on it and you arrive at B with less than the connection time allowed would you then be allowed to purchase a ticket on the second train without penalty?

...and where is Showjumping in non-predictive text?   

You couldn't make up the fact that the cat belongs to a retired train driver could you?  This is Plymouth lists the complete diagram the cat travelled.  If no one posts it before me I will cut and paste it when I get home.

Chris,

Does this help?   

Well the Up Cornishman and the Down Armada and Golden Hind do - so that is a start!

Proper Job! 

Hard to describe Hereford, home of Strongbow, as the West Country - but at least FGW^▸ (First Great Western) do send trains there!   

The first of the new menus took to the tracks today.  The prices have increased but the number of choices have also gone up.  The menu credits chef Mitch Tonks of the Seahorse Restaurant in Dartmouth as the developer consultant which perhaps explains the number of fish dishes.  Main course prices now range between ^19 and ^26 - before it was ^17 and ^23.



Note there are two fish/seafood starters.  Not a problem for me as I like salmon, but might not appeal to everyone.



For the main course I had the steak which is largely the same as the previous menu although it is now served with a Cafe de Paris butter. (I think a previous menue may have had this for a while). I thought this would have garlic in it, but if it does I could not taste it - and I HATE garlic!  I noticed someone else having the chicken and that looked equally appetising.

The wine list has had a revamp.  Four whites, four reds and full and half bottles of champagne.  Some wines are half bottles, others full and there is still the 50cl (threequarter) bottle size.

Things that have gone?  Well the Great Westerner cocktail seems to have been dispensed with which I won't really miss.  However the Plymouth Gin is no more which is a bit of a surprise given FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s attempts to use locally sourced products.  However the brandy and port are safe!



Also a couple of things which give hope for the future.  The salt and pepper pots have been replaced with Cole & Mason mills...

and even the after dinner chocolate has had a makeover!


Today was the first day but the food was again excellently prepared.  A nice touch was my brandy glass being taken away to be warmed before the drink was poured. 

I gather there is to be an official launch next week by which time hopefully the website will have been updated.  I gather there will be more new menus and they will rotate on a fortnightly basis.  The menu draws attention to the fact the FGW Pullman is the only high-speed service in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) and long may it continue!

So people can gain access to platforms without having to ask for the goodwill of gateline staff to allow them to pass through.

It was the same last night, I saw a poster at Taunton - it is to do with engineering work.   Trains to and from the north are starting and terminating at Gloucester.

I know they don't currently, I am suggesting they should.

Probably OK if you are at Penzance and the next stop is St Erth, not quite so good if you are Reading and the next stop is Taunton...

Perhaps only sell platform tickets at the same time as travel tickets or on production of travel tickets?

Now I know why I moved to Swindon!   

Another journalist fail .... "West Country to Paddington route".