Even given information about some of the mysterious moving about involved, I'm not sure the question as posed is answerable, at least where going out and back via the same route is involved. However, with more than half the places named, I'll have a stab at sequencing those (all at stations except *):

23. Melksham*
13. Bath Spa
5. Lawrence Hill
21. Filton Abbey Wood
17. Bedminster
7. Parson Street
19. Parson Street
14. Nailsea & Backwell
24. Bristol*
10. Bristol Temple Meads
9. Ashley Down
3. Stapleton Road
4. Portway park & ride
8. Montpelier
16.St Andrews Road
12. Severn Beach
6. Severn Beach*

... and 14, Chris?

I don't believe there is a legal classification of "vermin" these days. However, grey squirrels are on the "Union list" of invasive species, which does make releasing them an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019. There are surprisingly few alien animals on that list (though rather more plants):

Crab, Chinese Mitten    Eriocheir sinensis
Crayfish, Red Swamp    Procambarus clarkii
Crayfish, Signal    Pacifastacus leniusculus
Crayfish, Spiny-cheek    Orconectes limosus
Deer, Muntjac    Muntiacus reevesi
Duck, Ruddy    Oxyura jamaicensis
Flatworm, New Zealand     Arthurdendyus triangulates
Goose, Egyptian    Alopochen aegyptiacus
Pumpkinseed     Lepomis gibbosus
Squirrel, Grey    Sciurus carolinensis

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is a very schizophrenic bit of legislation: most of it is about not doing nasty things to any kind of wildlife, and then it flips over when it comes to the aliens and makes some nasty things (within limits, of course) compulsory. It also contains a much longer list of aliens, containing some surprising entries - such as the Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus. I guess that's about licensing and controls, and perhaps in that case the rules differ in Scotland.

There was Japanese Knotweed in a neighbouring site, supposedly removed in the approved manner before it was built on. But I was surprised to find the Cotoneaster horizontalis in my garden is listed as an invasive alien. In this case the control regime just tells you not to plant it outside your garden, but that's not easy to deduce starting from the list.

His real beef seems to be with the regulators, but he ends up pursuing the companies - perhaps for the classic reason: that's where the money is. So his prime targets may not be the same as yours. And he has several cases on the go...

This case continues against SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) (only Stagecoach/SWT^▸ (South West Trains) settled, out of court), and he has two more for SER and GTR, as well as five about mobile phone contracts. And that's just in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, he may have others being heard in other courts.

I was puzzled by the article mentioning the "2015 Civil Rights Act" - how is that relevant? Obviously that should be the Consumer Rights Act 2015! Though, in fact, this case was brought under section 47B of the Competition Act 1998, alleging that the

There was this from Metro Report International

But that was in development in 2020, and of course is just software; you'd need to add a some more stuff to it. Like a Renesas RX72N  microcontroller, advertised as

But that's still just a chip, so you'll need to already have a machine, or else add your own screen ... speaker ... card payment terminal ... coin and note handling ... ticket printing ... power supplies ... housing ... plus a few other bits.

That ICE report is ICE Briefing Paper: The cancellation of HS2’s northern leg – learning lessons

I didn't get a clear idea from it of what might or could have been possible if the whole project had been better done from the start. Maybe that's too much to ask for! This commentary has no named author, so presumably it is an institutional opinion.

Two other ICE reports are relevant here. Civil engineering insights on HS2 and alternative proposals is a narrative of the project's evolution to 2022, with limited discussion of some of the cost-reducing alternatives proposed. And Reducing the gap between cost estimates and outturns for major infrastructure projects and programmes does pretty much what its title says. It has rather more about managing risk, unforeseen changes, and expectations than getting estimates that predict outturns.

I thought no. 3 should be amenable to a bit of deduction, based on the pictures being sequential. It's a German train and a Dutch locomotive, so presumably it's where you go from Utrecht to catch a train to Berlin via Bad Bentheim. That suggests a limited number of places, but the closest is Amersfoort - which looked quite likely. But none of the images I could find looked like that platform, until subjected to minute examination. But Amersfoort it is.

That's borderline embarrassing, since I've been there not only to change trains but to attend a two-day meeting in the building that forms the northern side of the station! We were even in a room overlooking the station (though obviously busy doing something serious, not watching the trains). But I would not reckon to remember visually a place from over ten years ago, and this station doesn't show a lot of stylistic unity.

As for no. 14 ... by the same logic, it's where you change trains on the way from Schönefeld to Dresden - but as there are several direct trains per day, I've no idea.

Which of course is what unitary authorities do. Some of the last two "discussions" on this subject should still be relevant - the Redcliffe-Maud report (never implemented) and the Local Government Commission for England's work after the Local Government Act 1992 (which did follow some of the same principles).

But I'm not sure about "easily" ...

4. Trapani (Sicily)

17. is Basel SBB - and yes, German is the (more) official language. In fact the only Swiss city that is bilingual (both languages have equal status) is Biel/Bienne, as I found out when attending a meeting there.

Does that mean you need subtitles? 15. is Dresden Hbf, if that helps ...

1. is Utrecht Centraal, an example of the showy architecture that has become de rigueur for stations these days in parts of Europe (certainly in the Netherlands).

11. Berlin Hauptbahnhof.

Note that these regulations are about Accessible Information. That (from CPT) is:

The MTEs referred to there are medium-term exemptions, issued under a scheme introduced (and closed to new applications) in 2022. The was about the physical accessibility of coaches, and imposed an increasing level of compliance of a fleet basis. Confusingly, the scheme itself didn't use the term MTE!

This order was in fact placed in January last year, with the Resolute consortium including H&W. Most reporters and headline writers have struggled to make the distinction between the shipyards businesses (trading and solvent) and the group holding company (being wound up as insolvent). Even Hilary' Benn's statement doesn't manage to, perhaps because both companies are just called Harland and Wolff.