Tag: train travel

Early to Rise ….

Several readers of my blog threw up their hands in horror in reading of our horrid journey-from-London-to-Yorkshire-that-wasn’t yesterday. The frightfulness we and hundreds and hundreds of others encountered made the national news. So I thought I’d bring the story up to date.

Today was easy. The train company, LNER had announced that anybody affected yesterday could, for the next two days, catch any train that would reach their intended destination. We imagined that every one of these trains would be full to bursting, standing room only. Unless … we travelled early.

So….

5.00 a.m. Catch the first train of the day from Hither Green.

5.30 a.m. Arrive London Bridge tube station as entrance gates clatter open, and take escalator to Northern Line.

Wait on platform till 5.45 for train to Kings Cross., with just a few scuttling mice for company.

6.00 a.m. Catch train bound for Edinburgh, which takes us to the station nearest our home.

Near York, begin to understand what yesterday’s difficulties were about.

8.55 leave train to be met by a friend who arrives with his car to spirit us home - the long way round because of flooding. Nearing home, we see a rainbow ….

9.29: Arrive home.

Perhaps this proves the truth of that old saying about the early bird who catches the worm. I only wish I’d taken Before and After shots of the concourse at Kings Cross Station yesterday (maelstrom) and today (perfect peace). Two nervous little Country Mice are rather glad to have finally scuttled home.

The Passenger Pigeon

There’s an American bird – the Passenger Pigeon – that is thought to be extinct. It turns out this isn’t true. It’s come to London. Let me explain.

We’ve had a bit of a horrid day. After our wonderful Christmas with the family (London Branch) we were due to travel home today. Kings Cross Station, when we arrived, was crammed with travellers staring at the Departures board, unable to begin their journey. We joined them. Five minutes before our train’s scheduled departure, it was cancelled. Not that we had been able to fight our way through the throng to get on it. And so it went on. Finally, we abandoned all hope. We turned round to beg another night from the London Branch.

And that’s where the Passenger Pigeon comes in. As we got onto our local train, we spotted a bird – a pigeon – in the luggage rack, intent on joining us for the journey.

He must have realised he didn’t have a ticket. Just before the doors closed, he pulled himself energetically together … and flew off.