I had started my day in Carlisle. I was on a rail rover ticket which meant I could travel anywhere in the UK for a week. This was day 6 of my travels and I started early with the intention of visiting Cambridge and finishing in York. The plan was to catch the 06:30 train to Nuneaton, change, and catch a train to Cambridge to see the sights. I boarded the 06:30 and we just sat there. And sat there. 2 hours later we were still stood in Carlisle. There had been a fatality near Penrith and no trains were moving.
Eventually they got us all to switch to another Pendolino that took us as far as Oxenholme where we would be transferred on to a bus to Preston and made to travel onwards by train again. At Oxenholme about 300 people piled into the car park expecting a replacement bus service. Sure enough there was a bus there but this was a regular replacement bus service to another location and, although the driver was sat there doing nothing, he refused to take us to Preston. An hour later and a bus turned up. Imagine the scenes...300 people with luggage all fighting to get to the bus to guarantee a seat. I had no chance. 2 buses later and I was aboard a vehicle en route to Preston and then I changed on to a train, heading for Nuneaton.
I changed trains and caught a train towards Cambridge. However, the day was getting so late now there would be no time to actually spend in Cambridge so I got off at Peterborough and decided to rethink my plans if I wanted to get back to York that night. I jumped on a train to Doncaster as I decided I wanted to spend an hour or two instead. The next thing I knew I'm arriving at the terminus...Leeds. I had fallen asleep on the train inadvertently and now I was in a different city to what I'd expected! A whole comedy of errors. The next train back to Doncaster wasn't for another 40 minutes so I decided to write the whole day off and head to York.
The rover ticket wasn't cheap and I'd travelled from Carlisle in the North West to York in the North East but in about 15 hours, via the Midlands. I didn't see many sights but I did get to see the inside of several trains and my eyelids!
K Bevins
