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OK so what is this one about. Relax!
This trip is is to see if it is possible to gett from London to Holyhead and back in a reasonable time scale without having to spend a night away. Holyhead is one of the places I've wanted to visit for a long time but I also want to stop off at LlanfairPG (Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch). My problems with it are
1. Services aren't condusive for a visit from London AND to/from Holyhead
2. I mentioned it to SWMBO and she wasn't enthusiastic.
Still it can wait until another time.
Why the North Wales line and Holyhead?
Firstly my Nan's brother was the area manager on line in the early 1970s and was on duty when the Britannia Bridge went up in flame. The Bridge is on my to see/photo list as well. I have memories also of visiting him and him taking us to Llandudno Junction in the 1980s, where uopn he introduced me to his former work collegues and promptly began singing an Al Jolson song with a megaphone on a office desk. Oh how fun the railways appeared to me and his love of railways that inspired me to join in the late 1980s.
Secondly I'd like to visit the remanants of the Holyhead Breakwater the former home of the Class 01 shunters.
Let's start. I have to get up to and across London so the day has to be resonable. So let's look at the time from London. I a couple of options;
Option 1: Mon-Fri times only
Option 2: Mon-Sat times
| Option 1 | Option 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station | M-Ch | 1H63 | Station | M-Ch | 1D83 |
| Euston | 0-00 | 08:33 | Euston | 0-00 | 09:02 |
| Crewe | 157-35 | 10:08 | |||
| TID | 1D54 | 10:21 | |||
| Crewe | 0-00 | ||||
| Chester | 21-11 | ||||
| TID | M-Ch | 1D84 | |||
| Chester | 0-00 | 10:55 | |||
| Holyhead | 84-31 | 12:28 | Holyhead | 263-13 | 12:50 |
Looking at the arrival and departure times, getting to the breakwater is pretty much a non starter. It's about a 30 minute walk in each direction according to Google Maps. Whilst I could theoretically I really can't face racing there and back with a minimal time to be at the site.
So what about the return trip?
| Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station | M-Ch | 1XXX | Station | M-Ch | 1XXX | Station | M-Ch | 1XXX |
| Holyhead | 0-00 | 13:37 | Holyhead | 0-00 | 14:49 | Holyhead | M-Ch | 15:38 |
| Chester | 15:25 | Chester | 17:31 | |||||
| TID | TID | |||||||
| Chester | 15:32 | Chester | 17:52 | |||||
| Crewe | 18:15 | |||||||
| TID | ||||||||
| Crewe | 18:32 | |||||||
| Euston | 17:35 | Euston | 18:35 | Euston | 20:09 | |||
Looking at the options coming back we have option 2 will take me back all the way to London - No hassle.
Option 3 will give me a chance of more trains and a possible likihood of not doubling up on haulage on the day. Option 1 would be the one that I'd use to bail out early due to weather.
A Few Stats:
Miles coverable: see above.
Number of Moves: see above
Possible Haulage: 390, 156, 158, 221.