Wales explorer 4 in 8 ticket: trip 3

[whole diary]

[Mark A]

At Bath Spa for the 7:30 to Newport for which destination I'm now wondering if I should have bought a season ticket. On the opposite platform, a train proudly announced as 'The Bristolian' has arrived and the departed, while the Penzance train has been delayed in a similar way to the Swansea train yesterday.

Mark

[Mark A]

Travelling with the rucksack. Fond memories of the time when fetching it down from the rack at Newport  one of its fastenings took the opportunity to lock itself to the metal grill in the roof. On we went to Cardiff where staff rightly found the whole thing hilarious, which was rather more supportive that the carriage full of passengers who witnessed the debacle and went into po-faced mode.

Anyway, it's not going in the rack this time...

Mark

[grahame]

Good to be hearing from you on these trips, Mark.   I am looking at following in your footsteps (metaphorically) over the next few months, and loving your experiences.

I was wondering if you're catching the 07:04 off Bath Spa on any of your days - the "Parly" over the Rhubarb loop.

The Paddington <-> Bristol <-> Penzance through trains seem to be very much "high risk" trains if you need to be on time.  Before the evening buses from Chippenham to Melksham were withdrawn, there was a 5 minute change off the train from Penzance to the bus at Chippenham - 22:11 to 22:16, and it worked on 2 evenings out of 3 ...

Where are ou headed today?

[Mark A]

The lowest point in the Severn tunnel: is it marked by a pair of blue lights?

Mark

[Mark A]

Ice rink surfaces today. Newport ststion staff trying to source more aalt. Please no one need a&e this morning as they'll be beseiged.

Mark

[Mark A]

Enough time at Newport to observe that the new part of the station is  bit of a maintenance ' mare.

Mark

[Mark A]

On to the 9:07 to Manchester as far as Shrewsbury.

Mark

[bobm]

The lowest point in the Severn tunnel: is it marked by a pair of blue lights?

Mark

It is - shows the drivers where the gradient changes.   I have walked past them!

[Mark A]

Good to be hearing from you on these trips, Mark.   I am looking at following in your footsteps (metaphorically) over the next few months, and loving your experiences.

I was wondering if you're catching the 07:04 off Bath Spa on any of your days - the "Parly" over the Rhubarb loop.

The Paddington <-> Bristol <-> Penzance through trains seem to be very much "high risk" trains if you need to be on time.  Before the evening buses from Chippenham to Melksham were withdrawn, there was a 5 minute change off the train from Penzance to the bus at Chippenham - 22:11 to 22:16, and it worked on 2 evenings out of 3 ...

Where are ou headed today?

Ah, the rhubarb loop train: on the first day it got under the feet of the Newport train as it was first to the climb up Filton. Then, yesterday, it almost left Bath before the late running Swansea train.

Heading for a station with a long name. (Not *that* long though)

Mark

Mark

[Mark A]

TfW^▸ (Transport for Wales) first class availability, a useful summary and would be even more useful with daily updates.

https://tfw.wales/service-status/first-class-service-availability

Mark

[Mark A]

TfW^▸ (Transport for Wales) first class availability, a useful summary and would be even more useful with daily updates.

https://tfw.wales/service-status/first-class-service-availability

Mark

Catering crew with no chef and struggled to get ahead of things, to their credit they knuckled down and turning out very competent bacon butties.

Mark

[grahame]

Heading for a station with a long name. (Not *that* long though)

Penrhyndeudraeth? Dolwyddelan?

[Mark A]

Haha,  nailed it!

Mark

[Mark A]

Pwllheli portion has the filthiest windows ever. Photo on Bluesky.

Mark

https://bsky.app/profile/markannand.bsky.social/post/3mbte65fdgs2v

[Mark A]

Popped out at Newtown and cleaned a patch.

The trai  divides as it alwys does,, and despite the clear instructions around 70% of he passengers who join dd it sat dow in he wrong section, most of them with copious lugagage.

Mark