It was a boys night away. Me and Gordon jumped into the campervan and headed east towards Otley. It was the first time that I had been away in the van without my lovely wife, Helen. We stayed in a perfectly adequate campsite with electric hookup. The campsite was small and mostly filled with D of E tents. I took Gordon for a couple of walks, cooked tea and settled down with my Kindle, before climbing into the top to sleep. naturally, without Helen, I couldn’t sleep. Helen was back home having a Baby Reindeer festival!
I made myself a brew at about 5 am and then took Gordon for another walk. A little later we packed up and headed to Chevin Forest, the main reason for staying near Otley. The parkrun website suggests parking a 20 minute walk away from the start. There were a couple of other people also walking/running towards the parkrun, although it did appear that most people had parked in the car park closest to the start.
The run briefing and start was delayed as the lively woman conducting the newcomers talk wanted to know exactly where everyone had come from, which did take a while as there were a lot of tourists. What I took from the briefing was that the route was two laps with a steep hill and the potential for it to be muddy.
There were also a few other dogs lining up at the start, one of whom was incredibly vocal. Gordon doesn’t bark or fuss too much while we were waiting. Unfortunately, when we did get underway, Gordon was a pest. He doesn’t like the lead which prevents him from pulling and he tried to remove it almost constantly. On top of that, the hill at the start was a beast.
Slowly we overtook a few people and gradually Gordon realised that simply running beside me was much more pleasant. The second lap was much better than the first.
We finished in a respectable 43rd position out of 98, and considering that this was only Gordon’s second parkrun away from Morecambe, he did very well. Everything is exciting for a one-year-old pointer.
I have to say, that like the previous week’s parkrun in Muncaster (read about it here), Chevin Forest was one of the best and friendliest parkruns that I have ever done. Maybe its all about the smaller parkruns.
My favourite self-publishing horror writer, RR Haywood, has returned with another batch of books in the Undead series, which is now up to 28 books and 3 side books. Mr. Haywood has also split the books in five seasons, almost as if they were for TV. The first week is season one, the second week season two, and so on, with book 26 being the first one in season five. From what I can tell, each book in the new season is due to be released every fortnight.
Blood at the Premier as the book covers suggests is a stand alone novel from the undead world. Henrietta is a glamour model at the premier of a new film, possibly starring Paco Maguire, who features in a number of the main books. Anyway, Henrietta is similar to Jordon or Jodie Marsh, except that she wants to be move on and make documentaries. She is also tough and intelligent, so when all hell breaks loose, she is there with a cool head to save a well-meaning but useless singer from a boy band and the head of documentaries at Channel 4.
Suffice it to say, Henrietta saves the life of the Channel 4 executive many times without any thanks, while also trying to find a safe haven for them all.
This was another very good side book, similar in quality to the Camping Shop. The book also neatly introduces us to Clarence from the main series.
Undead 26 – The aftermath of the “war” at Gatwick. Everyone is in need of some rest. Unfortunately, a satellite falls to Earth, landing on their new HQ, burying Reginald. There is then a frantic rush to save him and fend off another wave of the undead, when all they all wanted to do was lick their wounds and rest up.
This was a full on rollercoaster return to the books, which has become beyond epic. The book also doesn’t focus on Howie, Dave, or the new contingent of secret agents, who we still know very little about or what their agenda is. I expect more will be revealed as series 5 progresses.
Undead 27 – This time the group do manage some rest. With their previous HQ destroyed, they find a large garden center stroke DIY superstore to hole up in. Howie is struggling to deal with some of the humans who they saved, who were ungrateful, unhelpful and had turned on each other. Howie isn’t sure if the world deserves to be saved.
Again, like the previous book, this focuses on the other characters, specifically Maddox and Booker. When it inevitably kicks off, it does with style and plenty of twists and turns. I was almost left with whiplash.
Another excellent book, albeit less than 200 pages, the same with Undead 26. Mr. Haywood has promised that the subsequent books will become longer and longer as series 5 progresses.
The Undead series as a whole is huge and it could be intimidating to anyone who hasn’t read the first book. I would suggest that the books are one of the most entertaining set of horror books I have read. Sometimes it feels like there is too much narrative, and there are occasional typos. The books originally started out as one book per day, but I think by about book 24 this went out of the window and even though we are on book 27, it is actually day 30 or 31 of the uprising. I hope for one, that the series never ends.
During our brilliant three night stay in Eskdale we went to Muncaster Castle parkrun, which happened to be my NENDY and was only a short drive from our campsite. It was also going to be Gordon’s first parkrun away from Morecambe.
The start was only a couple of minutes walk from the large car park used by the castle for regular visitors, with large gardens, owls, and lots of other things to do and see.
The run briefing was friendly and as expected for a fairly remote parkrun, there were quite a few tourists. The route was three laps involving a short out and back section and a loop around the actual castle. Gordon decided that he needed a poo seconds before the start. Anyone who says that running with a dog is an unfair advantage has never run with a pointer.
Setting off at the back of the field with a boisterous dog was fun, but we slowly overtook people, until half way through the second lap when Gordon decided that he needed another poo. A very kind volunteer who had a dog with her took the filled poo bag from me to throw in a bin.
After our long walk the previous day, read about it here, Helen wisely decided not to run. She chatted with some of the volunteers at the start/finish area and found them all to be very friendly as well. She also found time to take a few photos.
Gordon had managed to slip his snout out of the nose lead and was pulling for all his worth. For a small dog he is incredibly strong, hence why we have to resort to a nose lead.
Despite all of the shenanigans, me and Gordon finished a very credible 11th place overall out of 91 finishers. If there had been too many more people there it might have been a little cramped with the fairly narrow paths.
Overall I have to say that Muncaster Castle parkrun was one of the friendliest and most picturesque parkruns that I have ever done. Definitely one to do if you’re in the area.
Once again the lure of a few nights away in our campervan proved too strong. This weekend we managed three nights at the National Trust campsite in Eskdale. In short, an absolutely amazing place to camp and visit.
We arrived in the rain on the Thursday and quickly filled up the water tank, set up the van, took Gordon for a short walk in the rain and settled down for the night. Everything appeared to be working as it should and we managed a great night’s sleep.
The following morning the rain had stopped so we headed out for a good walk up the two closest Wainwright’s; Harter Fell at 653m and Green Crag at 489m. We set off down the road towards the infamous Hardknott Pass. The website for the campsite had three different warnings about checking your Sat Nav to make sure that it didn’t send you over the Pass. I cycled it once almost 12 years ago, and that was enough.
We followed a pleasant little track past Penny Hill Farm before the uphill began. There’s no easy route up Harter Fell, and it was a long slog up a very steep path. We also only saw one other person, but the views from the top were worth it.
I’m not very good at knowing which fell is which, but I am fairly sure that behind Helen, my beautiful wife, it is the Old Man Coniston range of fells along with Seathwaite Tarn.
Back down a different route, which was equally as steep, we came to Hardknott Forest, which is being replanted with trees native to the area instead of conifers. The next section was boggy, and even in the height of summer it is boggy. Fortunately, we didn’t have too much to climb to reach the summit of Green Crag. Once again, the views were amazing as we could see all the way from Seascale nuclear power plant in one direction to Heysham nuclear power plant in the other.
Coming back down from Green Crag to Boot was tricky. There are probably dozens of different footpaths and none of them are easy to follow. Added to this, young Gordon had lost his mind with all of the birds. We bumped into a farmer building fences who seemed to think that Gordon was a character. He certainly is. And then before we knew it, we were back at the campsite. The sun was also out, so we swapped pitches so that we were completely on grass.
Gordon likes the sun.
The lack of cloud did mean that the temperature dropped significantly overnight, with frost on the front windscreen. We survived much better than we had a couple of months earlier. We then noticed a problem. The sink wasn’t draining away. Also, after a look under the van, we realised that the water tank also wouldn’t drain. A quick look online and the sink drain was a common problem and a flexible stick poked up the pipe would solve it, which it did, thank you Helen. We’ll probably have to have someone look at the water tank drain. Campervan forums suggest that you should fill up on arrival and then drain it when you leave, and never drink the water from the tank. Good advice.
The next morning we drove to Muncaster Castle for a fairly new parkrun, which I will write about separately. It was one of the friendliest and best parkuns that I’ve done.
That afternoon we went for a random walk towards Burnmoor Tarn in the sun. I had forgotten to bring my cap with me and had to buy one from the campsite shop. No hair equals a sunburnt head if I’m not careful.
We didn’t reach the Tarn as it was further than expected, but we spotted three people walking on the other side of a small stream on what looked like an easy to follow footpath. We crossed over the stream and decided to head back a slightly different route. Easy footpath soon disappeared. We headed towards a gate in a stone wall, figuring that we could follow the track through the farm. There was a sign on the gate saying no entry, but Helen spotted on her watch where the footpath was, which was only a couple of minutes walk away.
As we reached the campsite we came to Eskdale Mill, complete with waterwheel. It might have been nice to visit, except that Gordon probably wouldn’t behave himself. He’s never been to a museum.
The three nights away were the best so far with our campervan, and I think we’re just about getting the hang of it. It makes us realise just how little we actually knew about campervans on our first weekend away.
On the drive home we started to think about where our next mini-adventure should take us, and when.
A rare weekend when we’re not off in our campervan. I made good use of it by running my NENDY parkrun at Worden Park in Leyland just south of Preston.
A little history, there used to be a parkrun called Cuerden Valley only a couple of miles from Worden. Unfortunately, when lockdown ended the landowner decided that they didn’t want parkrun, which is their prerogative. At the time there was a junior parkrun in Worden Park, and the idea was that the volunteers from the defunct Cuerden Valley parkrun would set up a regular parkrun at Worden. It took a few years, but towards the end of 2023 Worden parkrun began.
As expected, I arrived at Worden far too early, so I went for a run in the park. First impressions were that the park was amazing as well as being huge. I ran around the perimeter along a trail adjacent to a stream with a number of small wooden bridges. However, I knew that the parkrun route didn’t use this particular path, which was a shame. As I ran into the main part of the park I ran past a large children’s adventure play area, a miniature golf course and a miniature railway. Is it me, or is any park far more exciting if there is a miniature railway. See also Agnew parkrun in Stranraer (read about it here) and Haigh Woodland parkrun (read about it here).
I lined up at the start and waited for the run briefing, which was a little late and couldn’t be heard due to a very noisy dog. There was also a large contingent of runners from Lostock Athletics Club. At the start the run director warned us about muddy sections of the course. She wasn’t wrong!
The route was two laps with about half of it on paved paths and the other half on grass which was very muddy due to it being winter and having had lots of rain. I was wearing road shoes, which I just about managed in as some of the muddy sections had dried and were only claggy.
Amazingly, I finished in 16th position and was 2nd in my age group, although there were only 132 finishers. I guess that the low numbers is partly because there are another ten parkruns within 15 miles, and probably because of the mud.
Overall it was an interesting parkrun even though it is highly unlikely that I will return. My new parkrun is now Muncaster Castle, which even though is only 50km as the crow flies, it will take at least 90 minutes to drive there. If only there was a National Trust campsite where people could stay if they had a campervan in the nearby Eskdale Valley.
Another weekend and another adventure in our campervan. It was our longest weekend away as we stayed at Castlerigg Hall campsite Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. We also tried out our new posh inflatable tent awning, which amazingly stayed up through the winds of storm Kathleen.
Castlerigg Hall campsite was very friendly with immaculate toilets and showers. Definitely a popular spot, with views across Derwentwater and onto Catbells. The Catbells light festival was the main reason for our trip. Unfortunately, it was cancelled due to the storm, which was the right decision. It has been rescheduled for the summer and we’ve booked a spot at Castlerigg Farm campsite, as Castlerigg Hall campsite was already fully booked.
Anyway, Friday morning the weather was mostly rain free, so we walked into Keswick. Gordon wanted to make friends with some cows.
Keswick wasn’t too busy, but with a break in the weather we opted to walk up to the top of the nearest Wainwright, namely Latrigg, one of the smaller fells. Being an idiot, I mapped the shortest route to the top, which appeared to be almost vertical. The view from the top wasn’t too bad, as we were just below the clouds.
We took the easier route back down, sensibly, returning to the campsite to dry off. The campsite had a mobile pizza van on a Friday night, which was a good alternative to cooking. That evening was wild in the van, with the wind and rain howling. We survived, albeit with very little sleep. The people in the campervan nearest to us had decided to take down their awning, we probably should have done the same as we had to dry it out when we were home.
Saturday morning was dry and sunny. The forecast wasn’t great. However, it was pleasant enough for me to run into Keswick to join in with Keswick parkrun, which was celebrating their tenth anniversary. The run director also mentioned that the previous weekend, Easter Saturday, there had been over 500 runners and walkers. Hats off the volunteers. My advice would be to avoid the Lake District at Easter, if you can.
After a shower the three of us returned to Keswick, which was far busier. We bought some snacks for Gordon and had a coffee and cake in a very pleasant little dog friendly cafe. Gordon was too friendly and far too excited, so we sat outside, just as it started raining.
That evening, the weather was even wilder, if possible. The funny thing was that down in Keswick you wouldn’t have known that there was a storm at all it was so calm. After another restless night worrying if the whole van was going to blow away, we packed up and headed home.
This was our first three nighter and once again we learned a lot. We learned that we needed better tent pegs to hammer the awning into the hard standing pitch. We also learnt that the awning wasn’t too difficult to put up or take down, even in the wind, although we will probably won’t use it every time.
We’ve had our campervan for two months now, and we’ve been away another three times, and each time we learn more about it and what works best, and what doesn’t work at all.
Skelwith Fold
It was another day filled with rain. Our initial plan was to head to the Langdales and go for a walk, possibly to the top of Lingmoor Fell. However, with the rain we opted for Wray Castle, a National Trust property on the northern banks of Windermere. The Castle was closed, but we had a mostly dry walk along the quieter side of the lake and then heated up some soup in our van.
The Castle did look quite impressive, and even though it wasn’t open, the toilets were. Also, one of the best things about the National Trust is that I’m a life member, bought for me by my grandmother when I was only five years old. There aren’t too many National Trust properties in the Lake District, but there loads of car parks, which are free for members. It’s the little things.
In the cold and rain we drove to Skelwith Fold Caravan Park, which had only just opened after their winter break. It was huge, mostly filled with private static caravans, but also with a number of large areas for caravans, campervans and motorhomes, all within a short walk of toilets and showers, and all with electric hookup.
This was our first time using a hook up, and it seemed easy enough. However, the leisure battery didn’t seem to be charging. Despite that, Helen cooked an amazing meal in the van and we snuggled down with a couple of beers and the diesel heater blasting away. That night we were cozy on the fold out bed with an additional layer beneath us to make it more comfortable.
The next morning the rain had cleared. I ran into Ambleside for parkrun and then ran back. Gordon was enjoying being able to sit outside. He is definitely a fair weather dog.
We were still worried about the leisure battery not charging, so I had a look at the hook up again. There was a switch inside the box that we hooked up to that I hadn’t turned on. As I said, we’re still in the learning phase.
We walked into Ambleside, had a coffee and some lunch in a busy cafe and then in the icy rain walked back to the campsite. When we arrived, the campsite was in darkness with a site-wide power failure. All three of us were cold and wet, but our van should be fine without a hook up. The diesel heater refused to work. We now know that these things can be temperamental, but we reset it and checked that we had over half a tank of fuel, but it still wouldn’t work. We were left with no option but to head home as the temperature had dropped to almost freezing.
Our second weekend away in our van hadn’t gone as planned, but we were more confident than our first weekend away. With our van still under warranty, we had the key mechanism changed, which was the reason for the engine not starting every now and again. We also had a new Sat Nav/Radio unit on order, along with new wing mirrors. A specialist in Preston also serviced the diesel heater, which reported a number of error messages, but didn’t state when. Anyway, the diesel heater should be fine for many years to come, fingers crossed.
Torver
A last minute decision to book a spot behind the Wilson’s Arms in Torver. The popular pub has six hook up berths behind the pub, and once again it chucked it down. We could hear the wind blowing down the hills all night.
We parked up and connected the electric cable, which worked. Inside the van in one of the cupboards where a fuse box is located, there was also a light which came on when the hook up was working. We hadn’t known about that when we’d been at Skelwith Fold a couple of weeks earlier. That was a revelation and put our minds at ease knowing that we had power and didn’t have to turn off the fridge. We could also fill up the water tank, which lead to another revelation. Our van has piping hot water, but only when connected as the water heater uses too much electricity for the leisure battery to cope with on its own. The salesman who we’d bought the van from had erroneously informed us that our van didn’t have hot water.
With everything sorted in the van, we took Gordon for a short walk. It pelted it down, but he was a good lad and didn’t make a fuss. He’s beginning to realise that going for a walk or a run in the rain is preferable to not going out.
Back at the van we changed out of our wet clothes and Helen cooked an amazing tea, before we headed into the pub for a drink. It was incredibly busy and stressful for our tired little pooch. The second we returned to the van he curled up in his bed. We set up our bed and rolled out a new thin mattress and settled down to read for a bit, all snuggly. Naturally, Gordon climbed into our bed during the night, but me and Helen had a much better sleep than we’d had the previous two nights away.
The following morning the wind had dropped, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. We had thought about walking a couple of Wainwright’s close to Coniston Old Man, but our legs said “no”. Instead, we walked into Coniston and had a coffee and a sausage bap. Inside the dog friendly cafe we met a man who used to work on a farm which had 20 Pointers. That must have been a crazy place.
The village felt alive, probably in part due to the return of Bluebird. Unfortunately, the museum where the iconic boat is housed doesn’t allow dogs in. We will visit another time.
With the sun shining, we took the advice from the cafe to head back to Torver along the lake. Gordon had a little play in the water. Our previous pointer wasn’t overly keen on water and only swam on one occasion, so we’re interested to see what Gordon does in the summer when we visit Loughrigg Tarn.
As you can see from the photo, Gordon now wears a GPS tracker. We don’t let him off the lead very often as being off the lead is far more exciting than returning to us. Everyone we meet who has or has had pointers has a tale to tell about the time their dog ran off and only returned when they felt like it.
Back at the van, we opened up the awning to allow it to dry and had another brew before heading home. Our best night away yet.
Ribblehead
We had looked at going away for Easter, but everything appeared to be fully booked, and any campsite that wasn’t fully booked probably wasn’t somewhere we wanted to stay. Two of Helen’s schoolfriends who she follows on Facebook were spending a couple of nights at Ribblehead in their van. Apparently it was rammed with people enjoying a rare sunny Easter weekend. We loaded up the van with essentials and headed out there for 5 pm. By that time, almost all of the day visitors had left, leaving plenty of space to park.
We took Gordon for a short walk to the viaduct and back, complained about the number of full discarded poo bags and returned to the van. Rice with lemon and coriander with fried slices of haloumi, washed down with wine and beer, all while enjoying amazing views.
We also tried something different with the sleeping arrangement. Me and Helen decided to sleep in the pop-up top with our new mattress, leaving Gordon with the backseat, and also not having to fold out the bed. Helen climbed up first and made herself comfortable and then I followed. Almost as soon as I was lying down, Gordon was on the front seat wondering where we were. Helen told him to go to bed, and he did. He knew where we were and he appeared quite happy with the backseat. We didn’t hear a peep out of him all night. It also meant that we don’t need to bring his bed with us, which took up too much space.
It was a cold night, but with a winter duvet we were fine. There was also very little traffic at night along the Ingleton to Hawes road, which is notorious for speeding motorbikes during the day.
The next morning, after a brew and cereal, we went for a walk up Whernside, one of the famous Yorkshire Three Peaks. We walked under the famous viaduct and along a track through a few farms before we turned sharply to head up the climb to the top. We were going in the opposite direction to the classic route as it meant that we would have a steeper climb but an easier walk back down.
The paths are very well maintained due to the sheer number of visitors each year as we headed up. A few people passed us in the other direction, but not too many as it was still quite early. However, as we climbed the wind picked up and at the top it was wild. Helen tried unsuccessfully to take a selfie with all three of us in it, but Gordon was too excited, so we quickly headed on down.
I have to say that Gordon was incredibly excited on the whole walk. It was a new experience for him with bird noises everywhere. He was bordering on being a pest.
As we headed down the wind eased off and loads of people passed us in the other direction, some of whom didn’t look like they were prepared for the wind at the top. We crossed over the railway line and admired the empty and almost derelict Blea Moor Cottage next to the signal box. The house was on the market for a long time before being withdrawn. It needs a lot of work, has almost no facilities and would require a sturdy four wheel drive vehicle to access the house for many months of the year. I can’t understand why no one’s bought it!
When the viaduct came back into view, we marveled at the number of cars and vans parked where we were. It was to be expected as it was a sunny Easter Sunday. Back at the van we brewed up and relaxed, before packing away and heading home. It was our best night away so far and I think we’re getting the hang of it. Next weekend we’re away for three nights to enjoy the Catbells light walk, which we’re both excited about. I can see us enjoying our campervan for many, many years.
While me and my lovely wife were in London to watch ABBA Voyage (read about it here), I took the opportunity to run a tourist parkrun. The closest one to where we were staying was Hackney Marshes, the home of Sunday league football. I was astounded by how many football pitches there were there. I Googled it and apparently there are 82 pitches, mostly football but also a few cricket and rugby pitches thrown in for good measure. That’s a lot of sport!
The start and finish of the parkrun was about two miles away, mostly through the Olympic park and along the River Lea. I arrived a little early and did a bit of the run route before lining up for the pre-run briefing. There were quite a few people there, but not too many, if you know what I mean. The start was spread across a wide area which meant that it wasn’t too chaotic.
The route was an out and back with a loop from the mid-point. About half of it was on paved paths and the other half on grass. However, the day I was there the grass was dry and good to run on. What I did come across was quite a few runners who weren’t doing the event and were running the course in the opposite direction. The only other time that I’ve come across this was at another London parkrun, Fulham Palace (read about it here). I know that park runners don’t have sole use of a park, but I know that I wouldn’t want to try and salmon my way against hundreds of runners.
Anyway, it was an enjoyable parkrun, nice and flat, which makes a change from Lancaster. I finished in a time of 22:44, 64th overall and 2nd in my age group. In Lancaster or Morecambe, that finishing position would have placed me 5th or 6th in my age group. I have an idea that people over 50 have long since moved further out of London, or they just don’t partake in parkrun. It was also the 644th event at Hackney Marshes and my third highest event number behind Bushy Park (event #786) and Woodhouse Moor (event #783).
Hackney Marshes was my 64th different parkrun location and was my first “new” event of 2024, even though I have run at Lancaster, Morecambe and Rothay Park. Hopefully it won’t be my last “new” event of the year.
Would I run there again? Probably not, and that isn’t because I didn’t enjoy it, I did. It’s more that if I was in the area again, there are another ten parkruns less than five miles away.
My lovely wife, Helen, mentioned last year that she would like to see ABBA Voyage. Seeing as I wanted to see it as well, I bought us both tickets to see the show on her birthday.
It was an almost stress free journey. Avanti West Coast train to London, and then two Tube rides to Stratford station near to the Olympic village. A small detour and we found our hotel. It was a Travelodge, and it wasn’t particularly good. We won’t be staying with them again.
We found a local bar serving food, which was mostly filled with people who looked like they were going to see ABBA. A couple of drinks later we headed to the purpose built arena, which holds 3,000 people and has sold out every night since the show opened. Long queue for the ladies toilets, as always. I don’t understand. It’s a purpose made arena. Why didn’t they build more loos? Anyway, another drink before the doors opened and we could enter.
The area in front of the stage doesn’t have any seats so that people can dance, although people are encouraged to get up and dance wherever they are sat. There were also a few dancing pods set half way up the seating area for larger groups.
On to the show. What can I say? It was brilliant. A live band. All of the hits and spectacular in every way. So good that you completely forget that ABBA are not actually there. I would absolutely recommend it to everyone.
In hindsight, I should have booked a hotel in the center of London, close to the Docklands Light Railway, which has a station which couldn’t be any closer to the venue. Next time, as we will be going again.
The following morning we had a walk around the Olympic village, although the funny tower thing was closed for maintenance, which was a shame as it appeared that there was a huge slide to take people back down again.
That evening we planned on meeting Helen’s eldest son, who works in London, and his girlfriend, for a meal at Mercato Metropolitano, a huge warehouse filled with dozens of different food stalls, close to the Elephant and Castle.
Afterwards, we went to Puttshack for 9 holes of indoor crazy golf. This was also brilliant, with electronic scoring that recognized each ball. With three different 9 hole courses, this is also somewhere I would like to go again.
I feel another rant coming on. I have blogged many times about the trains in the UK being shocking, but it is time for a recap.
Last weekend, me and my lovely wife, Helen, travelled to London for a few days to see ABBA Voyage for her birthday. It was fantastic, and I will write about that soon. Anyway, late on the Friday night I received an email from Trainline to say that our train the following day had been cancelled, and that it was okay for us to either jump on the one immediately before or immediately after the one we were supposed to catch. Not too much of a problem as we made it to Euston in plenty of time to catch the train an hour earlier. We even managed to find a pair of unreserved seats facing forwards. The email from Trainline also mentioned that we were due a refund via delay repay.
In theory, delay repay should be easy. I have never found this to be the case, especially as I always buy train tickets through Trainline. I do this because there are three different train companies who use Lancaster Station, and I want to be able to have a better choice of price or times.
First thing I did was find the Avanti West Coast Train website, which I registered for. Once I had found where the delay repay was hidden and followed the link, I was told that I had to re-register, as the process for delay repay was different. Eventually, I managed to submit our tickets for the refund. Within an hour, one of them had been deemed unsuccessful. The short booking reference was the same for both tickets, which I’d had to input on the form. I have appealed. Hopefully, within 30 days I will have a £55 refund.
This process feels deliberately difficult, almost as if the train companies don’t want people to claim refunds that they are due. Northern Rail always used to send vouchers, which were incredibly difficult to use, no matter how often I requested a cheque to a direct payment into my bank account.
Historical rant.
I used to have to travel to Manchester one day a week with work. In the first six weeks, my train was delayed every single time, which was annoying. However, what was more annoying was the different train companies. The cheapest ticket, at the time, would be from Northern Rail at approx. £16 for a return. TransPennine would be approx. £26, and an anytime return over £30. However, there were only two trains an hour, one run by Northern and the other by TP. If one was delayed or cancelled, you are not allowed on the next train if it was run by the other company. Why can’t we have just one train company in the UK?
Also, the trains in the UK are the most expensive in Europe, even though they are heavily subsidized. Where does the money go? It goes to the shareholders of the privatized rail companies and isn’t ploughed back into the services. Some of the rail companies are co-owned by the French and German national railways, meaning that our rail fares are being used to subsidize the French and German railways. If that annoys you, I would suggest you don’t look at the water industry.
HS2
Was anyone surprised when HS2 was cancelled? Over the years, each section was scaled back, until only the London to Manchester section remained, which has now become just the London to Birmingham section. If the construction work had begun in Manchester, would the London section have been cancelled? Of course not.
The latest news is that the new HS2 trains will be used beyond Birmingham, all the way to Manchester. This will actually reduce capacity and speed. Let me explain. The current line is used by trains that can tilt. HS2 trains can’t and the maximum speed will be less than current trains.
Each HS2 train has a capacity of 550 seats, but these were going to be run as two units. However, these are too long for the existing platforms and will have to run as a single unit, which has far less capacity than the current trains.
This is nothing less than a kick in the teeth for people travelling from Birmingham to Manchester. Slower trains with fewer seats at a higher price. This doesn’t sound like progress to me. Once again the north is hung out to dry.
Beards and Triathlons 
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