Far North – Manchester – Aberdeen

Posted on 24th Jul 2026 by insightndes

A trip to the south, or the northwest of England as it is known, and then to the northeast of Scotland. This got off to a bad start when the ScotRail app told me at nine in the evening, before I was due to go, that the 0650 train was cancelled as it had broken down. Good that I was informed, bad that it was late in the day. The ScotRail app works well.

Could I catch the later train, and arrive late in Manchester or find an alternative? I went for the alternative, booking the Ember electric bus, meaning an earlier start, arriving an hour earlier in Inverness. The Ember bus is easy to book onto via the web.

The ride experience in the Ember bus was good, but still prefer the train. Early start meant packing a breakfast sandwich for the journey.

The elevation of the bus meant I could see far more than what I normally see from a car.

A wait in Inverness and then on to the next leg, back on track.

It is on to Edinburgh, where I changed trains. The temperature is far higher than further north.

Changed trains at Carlisle. The forecast temperature here is 24 degrees but the temperature in the glass roofed station is more like the mid 30s. It’s a greenhouse.

It was a twelve hour journey.

I am staying at the Premier Inn near the station, which is extremely close and convenient. I am on the ninth floor, a room with a view.

There are lots of canals in the centre of Manchester.

Manchester is an interesting city.

It is off to Crewe to catch the sleeper.

The Caledonian Sleeper is due at 2345, but as ever it arrives late at Crewe. I get to bed just after midnight and I wake up in Scotland.

Tourism

Liverpool

Posted on 10th Jun 202610th Jun 2026 by insightndes

I am staying at the Premier Inn at the Albert Docks, a brilliant location,

An amazing view of the Albert Docks, the Mersey and the nearby iconic buildings. The hotel is in a re-purposed warehouse.

I didn’t just stay in my room, as wonderful as it was.

They’re sculptures and monuments near the Tide Dock.

The propeller from the Lusitania, torpedoed in the First World War.

For a day of sight seeing it is worth while getting a day saver ticket. Travel on trains, buses and the ferry.

Looking from the train towards the Tabaco Warehouse.

Had a look around Crosby.

Turbines and Anthony Gormley Sculptures.

Back to the city centre and it’s time to take the Ferry Across the Mersey. With bike.

The ferry is a bit smoky.

Crossed the Mersey and cycled to New Brighton.

Liverpool Docks from the other side of the Mersey.

Cycled towards Birkenhead.

Departing cruise ship.

The ferry.

And it’s back across on the ferry. A band boarded with their instruments, I assume to do a show on the ferry later.

Albert dock with the Anglican cathedral behind.

Cycled a bit around Liverpool on return to the shore.

Visiting the largest Anglican cathedral, anywhere, I believe.

And then visited the Catholic cathedral.

Sunlight being caught on the uni buildings.

Liverpool is a vibrant, interesting city.

Environment, Tourism, Travel

Glasgow

Posted on 1st Jun 2026 by insightndes

I cycled in Glasgow and tried out the buses. Glasgow has some proper cycle lanes, separated from traffic. The drivers are polite and the cyclists obey the traffic lights.

Comprehensive bus service.

I visited the old Govan Church following a recommendation.

Fascinating old grave stones from 800 AD onwards are displayed in the church.

I had a proper explanation of the history of the kingdom of Strathclyde from the guide. A language close to Welsh was spoken here.

Meanwhile across the river.

Had to wait for the bus for a long time due to a Scotland international friendly messing up the buses.

There are some surprising places in Glasgow.

Lots of food options around.

Tourism, Travel

To Glasgow

Posted on 31st May 2026 by insightndes

https://videopress.com/v/hFKZb3rl?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Off from an overcast Caithness.

The clouds give for atmospheric landscape views.

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Rushing along the Dornoch Firth.

Some blue sky started to appear.

That was a seven and half hour journey. Arrived only slightly late.

Tourism, Travel

To Chester

Posted on 1st May 2026 by insightndes

I had a realisation on this trip that not all trains have luggage racks and not all trains have toilets.

Didcot to Chester involved four trains, which is strange as I only needed three trains from the far north to Didcot.

Changed at Oxford, no need to change platform.

Change again at Birmingham, the most confusing station that I have come across, not helped by poor signage. Slightly stressful due to a slight delay in arriving. Had to go to platform 4B . Was that a left or right turn at the bottom of the stairs? Guessed correctly as left.

Accents a mixture of brummie and scouse on the train to Chester.

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Changed at Crewe.

Only a 1 minute 23 second bike ride from the station to the Premier Inn. Easy.

And even closer is the Shropshire Union Canal.

Had a little explore of Chester.

Near the Little Yellow Pig- Gostall Alley.

Chester is pretty with lots of interesting alleys.

Tourism, Travel

Sunny flit in and out of London

Posted on 25th Apr 202625th Apr 2026 by insightndes

What can you see from the train when travelling in and out of London?

Turns out there are a lot of good views from the train, and when the sun shines the countryside and London can look amazing. It beats being stuck in traffic.

Environment, Tourism, Travel

To Oulu -reflections

Posted on 1st Mar 20261st Mar 2026 by insightndes

That was an amazing trip to Oulu and back.

Negatives: getting food poisoning and train delays. Germany really struggles to get trains to go on time. Eurostar also had its issues. I did have a 77 minute delay on the sleeper to Stockholm, but that worked in my favour. The sleeper Stockholm was also too hot and the curtains were poor allowing flashes of bright light into the cabin while travelling.

Questionable things: seeing people smoke on train platforms in Germany was strange, and also a bit objectionable. The speed that cars drive at in Hamburg is ridiculously high and not suited to the roads. Also objectionable.

Positives: the trains in Finland, Sweden and Denmark were great, excluding the sleeper. In time. The rolling stock was high quality throughout including Germany. Met some great people. The cycle facilities in Copenhagen and seeing so many cyclists was incredible. We should be doing this in the UK.

Exceeding expectations: The ferries between Stockholm and Helsinki were amazing, good prices, amazing views, great facilities. Finland in winter, incredible, stunning snowy landscapes.

Tips:

Don’t plan to catch the last train of the day.

Don’t make connections too tight.

Travel in your sports gear, make it multi purpose. (Sensibly)

Travel as light as possible.

Plan for the weather.

Don’t arrive late and leave early, it’s exhausting.

Staying for more than one night is more pleasant .

Rucksacks are better than wheelie luggage.

Make use of the late checkouts in hotels.

Carry just in case food and drink.

Make use of sleeper services.

Double check reservations.

Download apps for local public transport. They can be used to get the correct tickets and give directions.

Double check routes given by apps, sometimes they are sending you to the wrong place.

If in doubt, ask a local.

Chat to people on the trains.

Use tracking apps so friends and family can follow your progress. It’s fun and good for safety.

Give someone your itinerary- routes, hotels etc.

Look at and enjoy the landscape, as you travel through.

Environment, Tourism

Copenhagen

Posted on 26th Feb 2026 by insightndes

I am staying in a hotel where the room is modelled on a cabin.

It’s practical and located close to the station in the middle of the city.

I went off to get some food.

Heading to a restaurant in the meat packing district.

Copenhagen had proper infrastructure for cyclists. I came across a cycle flyover.

Cycle flyover

As I was walking I spotted a group coming out of a sauna and entering a swimming pool which still had some ice on top.

Swimming pool with sauna cabin to the right.

Next morning it was a stroll around Copenhagen to find some breakfast and explore.

And back to the hotel.

The number of cyclists in the city was impressive, taking cars off the street. Everyone was wearing their normal clothes. It was noticeable that the cyclists followed the traffic signals. I had to keep my wits about me due to high numbers of cyclists, although they all seemed very attentive and careful.

Tourism, Travel

Oulu-Helsinki-Stockholm-Lund-Copenhagen

Posted on 25th Feb 2026 by insightndes

It’s back on the train heading to Helsinki.

I had not reserved a seat. The train conductor pointed out that the train was going to get very full. She found a seat with a cancelled booking for me.

Some of the trees are heavily laden with snow.

Some pretty houses on the way.

Its then on to a tram to go to the ferry.

It’s warmed up in Helsinki do the snow is getting slightly slushy.

We get sightings of the different waterways from the tram.

Some interesting buildings on the way.

The tram arrives at the ferry terminal

Checking in and going through passport control is fast and straightforward.

Off to find my cabin which is on the fifth deck, the level we entered on.

The sun is setting as we leave Helsinki giving some magical views.

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How close !

A wander round the boat, some food, then to bed. There is live music on board and a massive dinner buffet. However I got up for the breakfast buffet. Again with a view.

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Then it’s a trip with a bus and underground to the Central Station.

Temperatures have risen since my previous visit.

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A little walk to the central station.

The snow is reducing.

I changed to a regional train at Lund. No pictures as I spotted a train leaving before my planned connection so did a rapid change. Now I was 35 minutes ahead of schedule.

The sky is grey with very low cloud.

Malmo sky

Disappointingly the crossing on the bridge from Sweden to Denmark is very foggy.

The bridge crossing.

Modern buildings not far from Copenhagen Airport

Tourism

Oulu

Posted on 22nd Feb 2026 by insightndes

Oulu is sixty miles south of the Artic circle and is this year’s European City of culture. Consequently there is a lot happening, even in February.

I walked from the station to the island Pikisaari, where I was staying. Walking mainly on compacted snow.

Crossing over frozen waterways.

Passed the oldest restaurant, which is on Pikisaari.

The oldest restaurant , Sokeri-Jussin Kievari.

Onto my accommodation, TurusenSaha.

There is a supply of socks, eating area and cooking equipment.

The socks must be for those who have under estimated how cold it can be- outside. Very thoughtful.

I had a walk back to the centre.

The market has a cafe, fish, meat shops and shops aimed at tourists.

After buying some provisions in a supermarket, I headed back to my accommodation. It’s now getting dark.

It’s all well lit up.

While walking back I spotted something strange.

What was going on?

Holes in the ice are being cut to provide the competition pool.

The next day I was out and about.

Headed towards Nallikari Beach from Pikisaari.

Cyclists are out despite the cold.

I went to see the ice sculptures that had been made the previous week. That must have been quite a spectacle when they were being made.

I walked down to the beach.

Where does the beach start and end?

I could tell when I was on the beach as the snow was soft.

I then started walking on the sea.

Standing on the sea.

There were tents scattered around and one man was fishing in a hole. No idea if he caught anything.

Heading back to Oulu via Pikisaari island. The steam generating industry buildings in the distance looked very atmospheric.

Looking towards the sea from the bridge heading onto Pikisaari.

After having a coffee in Oulu centre and buying some food I headed back. It was snowing.

Bridge connecting Oulu to Pikisaari.

If there is snow covering the ground for a large part of the year the markings on the ground will be covered. The solution is to project the markings on to the snow.

The compacted snow got a dusting of soft snow overnight making it harder going as I headed to the station.

Insight

Insight

No fly zone

Category: Tourism

Far North – Manchester – Aberdeen

Liverpool

Glasgow

To Glasgow

To Chester

Sunny flit in and out of London

To Oulu -reflections

Copenhagen

Oulu-Helsinki-Stockholm-Lund-Copenhagen

Oulu