I thought a pre-ride blog post would be in order. Firstly, because I have time to kill on a train to Aberdeen. Next, because I have a new (to me) iPad mini to try out. And also, because I have had an entertaining journey and these elements of my adventure are all part of the bigger story.
I booked the long journey in 3 parts: from Hathersage to Doncaster (my place of birth, and newly made a city in honour of the Queen’s jubilee, thank you very much), and then from Doncaster to Edinburgh, and finally from Edinburgh to Aberdeen. It makes it a little slower but a lot cheaper to split up the tickets like this. It also makes it much more likely that you will find those elusive bike spaces, without which train travel with a bike is a risky business.
Things started badly. I had to cycle the 5 minutes from my house to the station in heavy rain. Good for the garden, certainly; but not for the adventure cyclist. I was dressed for a non cycling day. The result was that my hair, shorts, socks and shoes got drenched before I even set foot in a train. One was not amused.
Things slowly got better. The first and second trains were on time and the bike spaces were free. I shared 30 minutes from Sheffield to Doncaster with a surprisingly large contingent of what must have been Cleethorpes bound holiday makers and their suitcases. I then alighted at Doncaster station to discover that they have some very fancy new digital screens announcing the coming trains, providing more detail than I have ever seen before anywhere. That is how I found out that my train to Edinburgh was cancelled due to an attempted theft of signalling cables! You really couldn’t make it up, and nor could you blame the train operators on this occasion. Who would do such a thing?
I asked a man in uniform what to do. ”Follow me” he instructed and set off up the long platform to a lonely area that the back of a long train would presumably reach. A few minutes later, as he chatted to his colleague after uttering not another word to me, I gave him an enquiring look. It turned out he was going to try and get me and my bike on the next train that was about to arrive. Subject to there being a free bike space, of course. As an afterthought, he now asked where I was going. All of which led to the revelation that in another 30 minutes or so there would be a delayed train going all the way to Aberdeen! Again, with no guarantee of a bike space. A decision was needed. I plumped for the Aberdeen train. All of the trains were running full with passengers standing in the aisles (according to the fancy new information boards), so I decided to throw caution to the wind.
When it arrived, the Aberdeen service was entirely bereft of bikes and instead the bike storage cupboard areas were occupied by standing passengers. But as this is Britain, and none of us were supposed to be on this particular train anyway, they stood aside obligingly, apologised for doing nothing wrong, and by York, 30 minutes later, I even had a seat. This became a double seat from Durham all the way to Aberdeen, a 5 hour journey in total. And, despite the morning chaos of the disrupted East Coast line, with many cancellations and delays, I arrived 3 hours ahead of my own original schedule for a fraction of the likely cost of this train I had not planned to take. The train itself was 68 minutes late in Aberdeen, causing a few people to rush unduly to board as it quickly set off south again. But I didn’t care. I had enjoyed a rice~pot meal deal and a very scenic ride up the coast. I was even dry! And the sun was shining brightly in Aberdeen.
I found myself with unexpected time on my hands to see Aberdeen in the evening. There is a lot to admire about this granite city. It has many lofty spires, turrets and towers, some very fine. There is a feeling of grandeur and importance. The main drag, Union Street, is as long and impressive a high street as you will find, and it is as broad, empty and pedestrian friendly as can be. You could almost see the tumbleweed. There were plenty of major urban improvement projects underway, and evidence of some already recently completed. There really was much to like.
And yet, with all of the civic pride on display, you couldn’t help wondering how some of the 60’s monstrosities that scar this fine city were ever allowed. Almost every fine vista was somehow compromised by a building of equally impressive ugliness. These architects should be named and shamed. I know fashion changes with time; but these buildings are more than the commonly seen peripheral housing schemes. They are brazen and brutal city centre interlopers, rising up incongruously in places they never belonged. And it is painfully obvious now how unwelcome they are in a city blessed with so much to admire. What were they thinking?
Tomorrow is a big cycling day that starts and ends in Aberdeen. But the official map miles are from Elgin to the east coast. So an early start is required. Bed time, I think.