National Rail Stations: Skegness - Alton

The White Cliffs: Skegness - Alton

Recently, I went on a family trip to Cleethorpes for a few nights, and soon after, I went to stay with my uncle's for a few nights in Lincolnshire. Instead of going to Boston Station, I went to Spalding, my nan's local station instead, as it's considerably cheaper to go to, and my uncle would pick me up from there in his car. However, just like my previous trip to Peterborough, my LNER train was considerably delayed, being stuck at the platforms of Huntingdon for a long time, so I missed my Spalding train, and the one behind, and the next one wasn't for several hours again, but a replacement bus showed up eventually. I always have a fun time when staying at my uncle's as Boston is a nice little town, Goodbarns Yard pub genuinely does the best food I've ever eaten, we found this woodland that I believe is on an old RAF site, going on an outdoor inflatable water park, which was so much fun, and went down to Skegness too. I had been to this seaside destination before with family when staying down here, but I had never gotten the train, and I had noticed that if I got the train back to Boston rather than drive back, I can get one of the rare trains that stop at Havenhouse Station, featuring probably the smallest shelter on a platform I've ever seen, and allowing me to tick off 4 stations in the process. At some point in the future though, when I stay down there again, I'll have to tick off the other 4 awkward stations on the line between Boston and Grantham, but I was happy that I got the opportunity to do Havenhouse this time around, even though there was a long queue for the train at Skegness, and only let people on a minute before the departure time, so it was a bit of a rush. I did notice that the train had to travel around a really large curve between Thorpe Culvert and Boston, as well as taking a weirdly long time to travel between the two stations, which may seem strange until you look at an old map and see that Skegness was just a little branch off a line that would have continued straight after Boston, with more stations in between, but a lot of the railways have since been closed, so we're left with a really strange anomaly of a large curve and huge distance. Back in London, changing at Peterborough, a place I had travelled through 5 times in the last 2 weeks, I went on another seaside trip only a couple of days later. Out of London Victoria on a Southern train, changing at Hove, jumping on all station stopper Class 313 for the first time, which felt less comfortable than the Great Northern ones, to West Worthing along the South Coast line. Switching trains again to stop at all stations took me to Littlehampton, my first beach destination of the day. The sign outside the station had an NSE sign that looked like it was trying to be covered up but failing, as well as a red and yellow logo that had 5 stars with the National Rail sign inside one of them, which I had never seen before. It was rather fun walking down the River Arun until it meets its confluence with the sea, spotting a random structure that kind of looked like a lighthouse, and along the beach. I did go to dip my feet into the sea, leaving my shoes up on the shore far away from the water, but the waves were unbelievablely strong that they actually washed up over the groynes and my shoes. I let them dry off, before walking back to the station, and travelling around on another Class 313 round to Bognor Regis, noticing that the railway passes through what feels like the middle of nowhere around Ford. Bognor Regis was another seaside town, and I enjoyed my explore around here, before returning to the station, where I noticed that a plaque on the outside had an NSE logo, but it was titled Network South Central instead. It was definitely a day for interesting old signs as I made my way up the line via Arundel, a place I thought of getting off at to go and see the impressive castle that lies in the town. However, I was rather tired, so decided against it, but I could see it from the train, and it was a good decision anyways as it started chucking it down with rain. Changing at Horsham for a Thameslink train that allowed me to tick off the awkward Faygate Station, before changing one last time at Gatwick Airport to tick off Earlswood, Salfords and Horley at the end of a long day with a total of 30 stations, allowing me to see a couple of new seaside towns which I really enjoyed.

Whilst at my uncle's, I went to an outdoor inflatable water park for the first time, and it was a lot of fun. It was coincidental that my cousin contacted me shortly after getting back, not knowing that I went to one, with the idea in mind to go to one of these ourselves. We found one down in Harlow that we decided to try out, which allowed me to tick off Harlow Town and Harlow Mill Stations for the first time. It was a bit of a walk from the station, but worth it when we got there and actually tried it out, which was a lot of fun. I'd recommend going to one of these because it's probably the closest you're going to get to being on the show Total Wipeout, which was a childhood favourite show of mine. It does take it out of you, as it can be tiring, and on a very hot day in the middle of the summer, you feel very thirsty afterwards. So when I was back at the station, with a rather long wait for the hourly service, there didn't seem to be any shops nearby, so I just sat on the platform doing nothing, wanting a drink, that I eventually got when back at Tottenham Hale. This wasn't really a trip to go out and tick off new stations, and neither was my next trip out of London that took me down to Bournemouth. I was on a fast train so wasn't bothered about making sure to get an all stations stopper, but it was my first time travelling down through Basingstoke and Southampton and the New Forest, which actually provided some really nice scenery. This was ultimately just a generic trip to the seaside, a place I had never been to before, but from what I've seen, it's a rather popular destination, probably much like Brighton and Southend. It was rather nice though, as unlike the other two, it's a proper sandy beach, and I went on the right day as there seemed to be an airshow on, so I could see some old spitfires running overhead, as well as them making some patterns in the sky. I even got to try out the limited edition Krushem in KFC, which I had been searching everywhere for a store that does them, so I enjoyed Bournemouth overall, even though the beach was quite far from the station. I even got to see an eagle positioned on one of the commons in the centre of town.

I was very excited for this next trip as, like Hastings, this was somewhere I really wanted to go during this summer, and that was Dover Priory. I got a Southeastern service right down here via Canterbury East, and on the way home, I could have went a different way to tick off new stations, but stuck with the Canterbury line as I knew I'd get opportunities to go on the other lines to here another day. Before getting on the Southeastern train however, my Piccadilly Line that morning had a new diagram in the carriages showing more connections at stations like Bowes Park Station being in close proximity to Bounds Green, which is the first time I've seen that, and to this day, not a lot of trains seem to have these diagrams. Also like Hastings, this is a very historical area and you could tell that immediately when you leave the station when you see the imposing castle that I would go to have a look at later. Very nearby to the station was the Western Heights of Dover, a large fortification area, with a large set of stairs leading up to, which was really cool as you could still see a lot of it, and shows that this is a historical area. Although besides the sea, it's not really a seaside town but there is a tiny stretch of beach to the south of the town, which is nice to relax on with panoramic views of the castle, the infamous White Cliffs of Dover, and the expansive port where you can see boats leaving, making their journey over to Calais in France, which you can just about see on the horizon. I took a walk through the town, walking up the steep road to Dover Castle, which I didn't realise you have to pay to go in, but I just wanted to see it from the outside. However, I thought it would be worth to pay and go in, exploring everything Dover Castle had to offer, and I definitely think it was worth it. There was a brilliant tour of some old WW2 tunnels beneath the castle, as well as a scheduled cannon shot, which probably would have scared me if I heard it from outside of the grounds and not knowing what that was. The castle looked amazing too, and was brilliant to walk around, and I even got the chance to go inside and climb to the very top, which offered amazing views. There was even a gift shop, which of course I looked in, so I definitely think it was worth deciding to come in here. However, I had to get going, as I wasn't going to come to Dover and not check out the infamous White Cliffs, and I wanted to go their gift shop before it closed at 5PM. I managed to get up there in time, spotting a brilliant pub name on the way there, hidden underneath the imposing cliffs, called 'The Last Pub In The Civilized World', which may beat the book shop name in Penzance. It was so amazing to be on top of the White Cliffs, and actually getting to walk on top of them, spotting the port below, watching the trucks going through security. I would absolutely love to come back down here, or up here, again at some point as walking more along the White Cliffs would be amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed my journey to Dover, and it was so worth to come down here. I even managed to get the other limited edition Krushem flavour for the train home. 

I actually did Bournemouth and Dover back to back, and I almost went out for the third day in a row on the railways, but decided against it, and gave myself a day break. When I did go out though, I made my way to London Marylebone to get on a Chiltern service that stopped at the rather awkward Sudbury Hill Harrow Station, one of the last stations in London I hadn't stopped at yet. The train brought me to Gerrards Cross, where I changed for another train to High Wycombe, a station I had been to before, yet again noticing the heritage sign suggesting you can catch services to Maidenhead and Marlow. I had never left the station though, so I did to have a little look around, spotting what looked like an old train shed right beside the station. Back on the trains, I made my way up to Banbury, where I had another quick look around the town, before having to make a specific train. Switching to GWR, I caught a train that stops at the rather awkward Kings Sutton Station, continuing past Tackley, noticing that the platform signs suggested you can exit here for an Oxford Canal walk. The train then passed through Oxford, a place I wasn't expecting to return to so soon, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to get out and have another look around. I instead got off at Culham Station, seeing the old station building, as well as picking up some leaflets that went into great detail of the history of the station, which reminded me very much of Pilning Station. The main reason for me jumping out here was to take a walk to the next station on the line, as there's practically no train services throughout the day that stop at both Culham and Appleford, so I had to take a walk between the two to avoid missing one of these stops out. Most of the walk was along roads with no pavement that reminded me of my walk to Shippea Hill, but I did cross over the River Thames at one point, so it was nice to have a quick sit down by the water, as I didn't have to rush to the station. Appleford Station's entrance seemed to be a little bit dangerous as you had to cross over a narrow bridge over the railway with no pavement to navigate between the two platforms, and because the road was raised to run over the tracks, cars couldn't really see if there was somebody on the bridge. Whilst waiting for the train, I did have a little look around, noticing that Appleford just seemed to be a small village with not a lot going on, but there was a park beside the railway that I sat in for a while. Once back on the train, I passed through Didcot Parkway, where I had a choice of what station I wanted to get off for the end of my day. A few stations between here and Reading are near to the River Thames, and I wanted to get off at one of them to walk down to the river and to have a look around, and I decided on Pangbourne. It was rather nice besides the water, and with Tilehurst being the last new station of the day, I caught a train into Paddington from Reading, which was a slow one as there wasn't a fast one for a while, at the end of another day that started with a different London terminus than my ending one. 

Greater Anglia branch lines are some of my favourite railway lines to travel on, and I was excited to try out another couple of them today, so I made my way to Liverpool Street, travelling on one of my favourite trains that has slam doors, comfortable seats, and slide down windows. Manningtree is where I got off that train, changing for my first branch line of the day that took me through Harwich International, where you can get boats over to Holland, to the end of the line at Harwich Town, my new Railcard getting checked for the first time as it just got released at the time. I found out about this Railcard being released whilst on the train from Pilning from a complete stranger, and I was excited to use it to here to explore Harwich. Outside the station, there seemed to be what looked like an old well, beside a bus garage that kind of looked abandoned. There was also a lighthouse, which stands as the end of a long distance footpath called The Essex Way that starts all the way over at Epping Station on the London Underground. When I got close to the water, seeing some historical buildings and cars, I noticed that there was a ferry service over to Felixstowe, which I didn't know existed. That was actually the end of the second branch line for me that day, and I wish I knew about the ferry, as I would have actually used it, but instead, I wanted to walk along the coast, the end of the Essex Way, around to the penultimate stop of the Harwich branch at Dovercourt. The coastal walk was a lot of fun, and was very nice beside the beach, which probably would have been my last one of the year as summer was now over, as well as walking right by a fort and a long pier jutting out to sea. Back on the train to Manningtree, I changed to go to Ipswich, where I changed one last time, but had enough time to have a quick look around. I had a quick walk along the river, giving directions to somebody who needed to know where the station was, before heading back there myself to get on a rather small and cramped one carriage train to Felixstowe, a line which was due to get new 3 or 4 carriage trains very soon, which will be a huge improvement. Felixstowe only had one platform, but I could tell that the road beside the station was where another track would have been as the platform still existed. Looking directly in front of where the line ends, it was also obvious that the station was slightly in front of where it was now as the platform canopy and station building, with a plaque referencing the historical notice, was still there, which was really cool to see. I walked down to the beach, taking a walk alongside it, noticing that if I did get the ferry over to here, I would have docked rather far down the coast, which would have been fine as I would have got to see more of Felixstowe, including a fort. I did take a walk up to a nearby McDonald's after my coastal walk, as I wanted to make the most of the limited Spicy Nuggets, but I noticed on the way there that I had crossed over an abandoned railway line. I knew it couldn't have been the live railway that I crossed over as it was nowhere near here, and I noticed after looking at the map, and clearly seeing an old platform with posters intact, that this was an old line to the pier, and that this was the beach station, which was a pleasant surprise. After buying my food, walking back to the station, and responding to some random person who said hello to me as they passed in their car, I just made the hourly service back to Ipswich. I didn't realise, when on the way back towards London, that there was some trains that skipped Manningtree Station, and when I got off at Colchester, during sunset, I was reminiscing how much I enjoyed going to these new seaside places on the branch lines to Harwich and Felixstowe, as I got a stopping service back into London rather than staying on the fast one. 

A trip to visit a friend in Hampshire allowed me to tick off a whole bunch of stations for 3 times in a row that I made my way down there. Of course, I took the opportunity to go to as many stations as I could, and for my first journey, I went on an SWR train to Guildford. I shared it with a pigeon who jumped on, via Hinchley Wood and Claygate, where London bus route K3 runs through, as well as the interesting sounding named station of Cobham & Stoke D'Abernon, where you have to avoid the apostrophe when pronouncing and a London Road Station just before you get to Guildford. Changing to a train to stop at Wanborough, as some services seem to skip there, before getting off at Ash, one of only 10 three lettered station names, before continuing on a GWR service up to Crowborough. Beyond Crowborough is where the line joins up with the SWR line to Reading, so I didn't need to go no further, but I did notice, as I was reversing directions here, that there was a National Rail symbol as part of the brickwork on the platform, reminding me of the outside of West Ealing. It felt weird being back on the North Downs Line, as I thoroughly enjoyed my previous journey on it between Redhill and Guildford, and I stayed on it until I returned to Farnborough North, where I was meeting my friend. Interestingly, a Crowborough ticket ended up being cheaper than a Farnborough North ticket, probably because that ticket would also be valid for the main Farnborough Station where you can get fast trains to from London, so if you're ever going there on the North Downs Line, check to see if a ticket can be cheaper to a station further up the line, even if you don't actually travel to that place. During my time there, I had probably the nicest nuggets I've ever had in Farnborough's McDonald's, and discovered Frimley Lodge Park, which was an amazing little place. On the way back to the station, when it was dark, it was really spooky and considering I couldn't see much ahead of me, I was surprised when a train rushed by, as part of a different line, and I had to walk across a foot crossing. Returning from Guildford, I made sure to take a different route back towards London via Leatherhead, instead of Hinchley Wood, ticking off Epsom for the very first time, despite coming through here multiple times before on the buses. On my second journey down to see my friend, I went on the line down to Ascot, changing to meet my friend at Camberley instead, as there was so many different railways and stations in this area of the country to tick off, so I had multiple opportunities to do so. On my way home, I had to take a longer walk to Frimley Station during sunset, as my ticket wouldn't have allowed me to use Farnborough North again and I still needed to tick off the station anyways. Changing at Ash Vale, to travel through Brookwood to Woking, to change to stop at all stations to Weybridge, to go one stop to Addlestone, as I had been Chertsey before, and this would have been awkward to miss out. It was completely dark by now, so it was a little bit eerie to have the station to myself in the dark, as I watied for my return train to Weybridge. I noticed that I was early enough to get a train that would allow me to also jump out at Walton-on-Thames, before getting one final train. A lot of trains skip some stations on this line, so it did take long to complete it at the end of the day, but I'm glad that I did. My third and final trip took me back to Ash Vale first, which I like travelling down to as you pass through some nice forestry, where I met my friend, and only afterwards, did I manage to tick off some stations with only a grand total of 4. I managed to yet again, get an earlier train, that allowed me to jump out at Aldershot, the first new station of 2020 for me, and I'm glad that I got the opportunity. There was a brilliant sunset happening, I noticed what looked like an abandoned building near the station, and there was an amazing 'Welcome To The County Of Hampshire' sign that even had an NSE logo, which I had never seen before. Continuing to the end of the line at Alton, which allowed me a look around the town in the dark and the cold, I noticed that there was a heritage railway line that continued beyond here, as the line did use to run further, before returning back towards London through Ash Vale again. 

I was excited for my next trip on the railways for two reasons, as it was my first one in a while where the aim wasn't just to meet someone, and this would be my penultimate Southeastern Kent adventure. I bought my ticket from Lewisham Station, and I was off to tackle the Strood to Tonbridge line via Maidstone, where you allowed to travel anyway to get there, so this provided another example where it could be cheaper to buy your ticket to a different station on the line than the one you may need, and it seemed that Cuxton was the cheapest. I first got to tick off Higham on the way down to Strood, as the Highspeed services into St Pancras International, which I've been on before from a family trip to Margate, doesn't stop here. I left Strood Station before tackling the line as just across the bridge over the River Medway lay the town of Rochester, which I was excited to explore. It's a lovely historical place, with an old style High Street, an amazing cathedral and a stunning castle, with brilliant views across the River Medway, and was so much fun to look around. Back across the bridge, and on the small 2 car train that took me through Cuxton down to Maidstone Barracks Station, where I jumped out to explore the town. I noticed that in the park near the station, there was a river, which was still the Medway, so this follows this line pretty much the entire way, and wouldn't be the last time I saw it that day. I walked beside the tracks that led to Maidstone East Station on a different line to the one I was on, and then through the town to cross over the river again to reach Maidstone West Station, back on the Medway Valley Line. I then got off at Wateringbury Station, an interesting name to have a little look around this tiny village beside the River Medway, which was really pretty. Strangely, outside the station, hidden away in the corner, there was two abandoned buses and one minivan that were quite old, the paintwork was peeling off, the seats had been thrown about inside, and weirdly had a blind that read 'London Underground' on the front. I didn't understand why they were there, but it was an unexpected surprise, and going to look at the River Medway was fun, so I enjoyed my time in Wateringbury. I noticed that rather than wait for the next train to continue down the line, I could go one back stop to East Farleigh, and catch the same train back through. East Farleigh looked like another small village with a bridge across the Medway, and when passing back through Wateringbury, I jumped off at the next station called Yalding to take a walk through to the next stop called Beltring to jump back on, crossing over the River Medway again, where there was a nice riverside pub and weir. Beltring was a very quiet nothing station, so was strange when a loud freight train passed through, and I jumped on what was supposed to be my last train. I was going to get the train to Tonbridge, to change trains back into London, but I decided I wanted to go back to Gravesend for another explore during the dark, so I could have got the train from Beltring straight back up the line, but decided to go one stop further to Paddock Wood first. I originally wouldn't have gotten a chance to explore here, and wasn't too fussed about ticking off this station as I would have got another opportunity later, and I didn't think it would be too exciting an explore, but I was wrong. There was a high footbridge over the 4 tracks passing through the station, and it always seemed like the Medway Valley Line arrived on one platform as the branch meets a different line here, and there was no opportunity for them to pass over the multiple tracks. I had luckily managed to get an explore of Paddock Wood when there was a Christmas market on, so there was interesting stalls lined up along the street, a small funfair operating and people singing carols, so was a pleasant surprise and was really happy I got the chance to witness this. Back at the station, I passed right up the entire line again to Strood, to jump on a rather busy High Speed service to Gravesend, where I wanted to go out towards the River Thames like I did before and see it in the dark. It was actually really creepy walking round here in the dark as there was no lights beside the Thames, but it was so cool to see, as well as their Christmas lights in the high street, a clock tower, a closed Poundworld which hadn't been turned into anything yet, and a National Cycle Route sign with directions to Dover, Amsterdam and Aberdeen. Being here in the dark really made me want to come here for a sunrise beside the Thames as I always enjoy going to Erith Pier for it, but I had not got around to doing this yet. I finally got the train back into Lewisham afterwards, after one of my favourite days of adventuring for a while, and I liked travelling on the Medway Valley Line. Rochester and Gravesend were also really fun towns to explore too, as well as seeing the Christmas markets and the small towns beside the River Medway.

Near to the end of 2019, there was a variety of changes to the London bus network in West London, and when I went out to have a look, it allowed me tick off the final remaining station in London at the end of that day. Sudbury & Harrow Road is a grim little station that has a broken permit to travel machine, and has London's worst service pattern, with some trains to London only stopping in the morning, and some trains out of London only in the evening, which means I had to travel up to South Ruislip to reverse on a train into Marylebone. I can't help but feel if the station got a better service, it would be more well used considering its in a rather populated urban area, but at least I finally managed to complete London's stations. Shortly after Christmas, I made a small trip on Thameslink to tick off the 4 stops between Elstree & Borehamwood and Luton that I missed out on my Nottingham trip in the summer, making sure to jump out at all stops along the way, as I had the time to do so. Radlett seemed to be a rather unimpressive little town, but I was very excited to get to St Alban's City, where I took a walk down towards a pathway, which I didn't know at first, was an abandoned railway line that was a very nice surprise. I noticed the bridge which my bus crossed under when I came here before, so it was great to finally understand that this would have once carried a railway, and it was obvious it was when you can see the remains of a platform and a sign suggesting this was called Salvation Army Station. Along the old railway, you get to Old London Road Station, passing underneath an impressive bridge that carries the Thameslink line I just came in on above, with the platform still visible and the station building now being turned into a nursery. Continuing further, there's an impressive bridge over the River Ver, and noticing some handy information plaques about the history of the line, you get to St Alban's Abbey Station, a still existing station, as this was where I had come before. Into Verulamium Park opposite, which was a brilliant discovery as there was a big lake, remains of a Roman wall, and some large swans, who were actually rather intimidating, especially when they came close to me when sitting on a bench, and of course, a look at the cathedral, brought my explore of St Alban's to and end. A quick look at Harpenden next, noting the rather nice looking common, before finishing at Luton Airport Parkway, one of London's airport, and my final station served by Thameslink, although it wasn't a very nice one, before taking a walk through the town to the main Luton Station to head back to London. I only had one remaining London airport I hadn't been to, and strangely, I was there the very next day, as I headed out on Greater Anglia, first to Bishop's Stortford to have a quick look around, noting the river and a castle mound, before getting to Stansted Airport. The train passes underneath the runway of the airport, very much like Heathrow, and was an accomplishment to say I've now been to all London airports as well as all the Thameslink stations yesterday. Stansted Airport was actually an awkward spur of a station off the main line, with no trains running direct to the station north of here called Elsenham. To get there, you have to go one stop south to Stansted Mountfitchet, an interesting name and where I just came from, to change to go Elsenham, but the connection time was horrible, having a full 54 minute wait for the hourly service. It was actually quicker to walk all the way there from Mountfitchet rather than wait for the train, so I did, and that luckily let me see what Elsenham Station had to offer, with a very tall footbridge over the railway as well as a staggered platform and manual level crossing gates, which were due to all get replaced soon. The train I could have caught from Mountfitchet picked me up at Elsenham and carried me to Cambridge, where I got to give it a more thorough explore than I did a year earlier. The same Christmas tree I remember seeing last year outside of the station was back, and I got to delve deeper into the city centre this time, spotting the university and the infamous Mathematical Bridge, but just like last year, I had to rush back to the station as I didn't have enough time. My next train was a brand new Class 755, which I was excited to travel on through Bury St Edmunds, as these looked very nice. Interestingly, there was only door on a carriage, a third of the way through, which I had never seen before, and with level boarding access, comfortable seats, tables, WiFi, and plug sockets, it was a very pleasant journey and probably my favourite newest train on the network. The train was going to Ipswich, but seeing as I went there before, I jumped out at the penultimate stop called Needham Market, and I was happy I got to go here as it was an interesting explore. The old station building was rather impressive, there was the most beautiful sunset happening whilst I was there, and there was even an old narrow cattle tunnel underneath the railway line, so I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Needham Market and was a great end to the day. On the return, after leaving Cambridge, I stopped at Shelford Station, as my all station stopper weirdly skipped that one station earlier that day from Elsenham. That was a fun final trip of 2019, and I really liked the new train, but I wish that the services around Stansted improves as it's strange that it takes so long to get from the airport to Elsenham.