Yonks ago, and not helpful for your walk, with a friend who was on an educational placement in the area, we were exploring on bikes rather than by train. About a couple of miles east of Chetnole and just south of the village of Leigh, we visited Miz Maze, of which there was not much trace even then and possibly rather less now - perhaps ground resistance measurements would reveal it - but the day was lovely and later on we saw a purple emperor butterly.

Mark

Thinking about that piece, it makes some sharp observations that apply more widely than the examples it gives. The way that particularly since Covid, but this is something that didn't start with Covid, something that's high priority or high profile is often still handled well and appropriately, it's the lower priority stuff that's often started to drift - and it's that which impacts people's day-to-day living and which gives people the impression that their lives are awry - which leads to consequences, not least in politics.

Dragging this on topic, thinking of the railway in the west, while its true that the core, the Great Western Main Line itself is more than a little glass-backed, some of the more minor routes, including the ones that have a sparse service, when it comes to their patterns of service and resilience of their services... well, it's holding back the contribution that they can make to people's lives.

Mark

An engaging (and stats-rich) read around the issue of ... well, the article does touch on driving tests too. (Hosted on Substack and hopefully available to read without a subscription, you may need to dismiss a dialogue box that appears...)

Mark

https://notes.archie-hall.com/p/reflections-on-britains-triage-ward

I was completely astray on the New Passage Hotel - it's long gone. A photo, and history, here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/boxbrownie3/7050636461/in/photostream

Mark

Detail of a footpath gate - the product of blacksmithing - alongside the path that crossed the abandoned Bristol and South Wales Union railway, now in use as allotments, and rather feeling to be a relic of that railway. Unfortunately I didn't take a second photo that showed its precise location - on the walk yesterday this gate was not to be found.

A 25" map at the National Library of Scotland site records the area at a time when the Severn Tunnel was under construction.

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.7&lat=51.56375&lon=-2.64078&layers=178&b=GoogleSat&o=100

Mark

A sprinkling of yellow shirts beneath the second severn crossing, and a short while later, enjoying the pier at Redwick. Thanks to those responsible for organising that...

Mark

It might enable a more orderly approach to the exits.

Playing in Bath Spa's favour is that there's a bit of space on the platforms.

After the bad experience at Paddington last year - very full, late, and very standing train arrival, people + me off it at the pointy end of the platform and I had to be first off as I was standing against the door - people getting off and mixing with passengers already on the platform, wanting to move down and board the train we'd arrived on, and then for good measure, another shorter IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project. This will offer more capacity on routes, save money, give a consistent and safe service and meet customer requirements. Intended to replace HSTs.) appeared as it departed from the other platform face. If anyone finds themselves in that situation, do what I didn't know to do: step off and make your way to the platform end and wait there for a bit to give things a chance to settle.

Mark

So glad you didn't stray to the dark side and include a list of footfall-suppression techniques. Particularly evil would be to shape the passenger profile, minimising the numbers who would consider rail to travel with children, pushchairs, luggage, or those that for one reason or other, slow crowd movements down.

Mark

In the 1950s did BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) really propose replacing Bath Spa with a new station on the site of Westmoreland Road goods station? Also, closing the Midland line between Green Park and the outskirts of the city along with the S&D^▸ (Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway) from Midford, replaced with a spur from the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) line to the Midland west of the city, and a junction close to the Bath Spa station site serving a new-build double  track line from there beneath Claverton Down to Monkton Combe, rejoining the S&D south of Midford?

Mark

The 05:40 from Edinburgh to Kings Cross - in 4 hours - runs non stop from Newcastle will be a contender.

Mark

That made me laugh, thanks! I fear that what we'll get though is interminable repeats of an explanation that includes phrases like 'Track stones' - Network Rail's curious need to provide an expansion for the word 'Ballast'.

Mark

Driving the bus, managing the other traffic on the road, managing the public, dealing with cash transactions, handling a float, balancing the books and putting the takings into the system - and all that with little opportunity for physical exercise. One of society's more taxing jobs, and underappreciated too.

Mark

It's the piers for the useful but closed rail line, part of the shortest route between London and the West Country, and which had at least one bridge of an uncommon design, not sure if the canal crossing's bridge was another, but the piers certainly got beefed up at some stage.

Mark

Journeycheck's signal to noise ratio isn't good. It feels as though that approach risks boosting the noise.

Mark

An on-the-ground account on this Substack blog. The conflict really is dismal.

Mark


https://martinrobbins.substack.com/p/i-visit-britains-most-expensive-farm