Tag: thames

Tourism, Travel

Surrey and beyond

Posted on by insightndes
It’s green next to the railway lines
Interesting location for a coffee.
Debenhams demolition in the distance
The worst cycle infrastructure on Epsom Road in Guildford.

The cycle lanes marked out in Guildford are beyond useless. No segregation, suggesting a totally inappropriate position for the cyclists to take on the road. I would cycle at least at the line. I actually cycled in the mostly in the middle of the lane to take the decision away from the drivers, so they did not attempt to overtake at the frequent traffic islands. Of course I was hooted at, but ironically I was going faster than the motorised vehicles. Guildford suffers from pollution,

Clandon

There are plenty of stations in the commuter belt.

Delays

Someone had pulled a communication alarm on a train causing all the trains to be delayed.

Heading into Guildford.

Two days later headed back to Oxfordshire. Dodged the rail replacement buses by travelling from Farnborough.

Farnborough
Change at Basingstoke
Church spire Mortimer
Approaching Reading from the south
Boats at Goring
Boats on the Thames at Goring
Thames near Cholsey.
Bromptons
Didcot – another change
Cholsey
The Thames at Wallingford – The Boat House.
0
Travel

North to the south

Posted on by insightndes
Heading off in the sun.
Bromptons
Blue skies and a few clouds heading south.
River Helmsdale
Helmsdale
Beach near Helmsdale
Dornoch Firth

Changed from the far north line to the sleeper at Inverness.

Speeding away from Inverness.
Near Kingussie
Breakfast going through Birmingham

Not sure this breakfast looks appetising. It tasted ok. A few issues on the train. The lock on the cabin was not fully functioning, no pull out table in cabin, coffee machine in buffet car not working. There are some maintenance issues it appears.

Aston
Canal in Birmingham
Euston

Arrival in Euston is 20 minutes late due to work in the line. I had been forewarned by text.

Cycled over to Paddington.
HS2 works
Oxfordshire

Then headed back east

Boats on the Thames approaching Reading
Reading station

I witnessed an old couple falling over on the escalator just after getting on. while they were heading up. I was heading down. A woman at the top shouted for someone to hit the emergency stop. A hapless woman holding a dog appeared transfixed and unable to hit the button. After what appeared to be an age someone finally hit the button. Chaos. No staff about.

Change trains
It’s sunny again
Ash
Farnham
0
Environment, Travel

Didcot to Paddington plus ULEZ

Posted on by insightndes
Didcot Parkway
Crossing the Thames

Caught a long delayed train instead of the one that I was meant to catch so I thought I’d get to London early. But further delays due to signal issues resulted in long delays on the way into London. But got there in the end. The train was 47 mins late according to the announcements. I was only 20 mins late.

Anecdotally the ULEZ is a success. London smells better. The traffic moves more freely. Pollution has reduced in London and I wonder if the pollution outside London has reduced. Pollution rises into the atmosphere in London and then comes down in Oxfordshire. Has anyone measured this?

In last weeks election the Conservative Party made much of the ULEZ. Unfortunately the primacy of the car still exists for a lot of people and is considered a vote winner. To me health and the environment trumps-why do we still think that poisoning people is acceptable?

0
Travel

Strike!

Posted on by insightndes

It is strike day on the railways of England. So I cannot get to my intended destination of Guildford by train, so instead I head to Woking and jump on my bike for the remainder of the journey.

The cycle from Euston to Waterloo is pleasant and quick, taking in some of the sights of London on the way.

0