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Planned / Booked Trips 2021

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Andy Pacer

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I've got some trips 'pencilled in' the diary but haven't taken the plunge and committed to booking any tickets / hotels etc yet. I know some things are refundable or changeable but I'm still just hanging on for now. However I have some RTVs that expire on 1st April so I intend to purchase some tickets in advance prior to then.

I'm interested to hear what train trips (and associated tickets, accommodation etc) people have booked, partly out of interest and other to get a feel for how much people have already planned.
 
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NorthWestRover

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I've not booked anything yet nor really done much planning. I'm not sure my head is in the right place to do so. I thi k I want to see 12th April happen before I get my mojo back.
 

Andy Pacer

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I've not booked anything yet nor really done much planning. I'm not sure my head is in the right place to do so. I thi k I want to see 12th April happen before I get my mojo back.
I quite empathise. I think I am going to go as far as buying a couple of day rangers (in advance) just to use up the RTVs that I have that soon expire - i'd rather use them than go through the hassle of sending them back for reissue etc etc. Think i'll hold off booking any overnight stays for now. There is plenty I can achieve using 1 day rovers that is fairly local to me.
 

NorthWestRover

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Yeah, same for me doing one day rangers - can do Lancashire, GM Wayfarer and Northern Explorer 55 (now I am 55) - plus Cheshire, South Pennines, WM with day returns to Warrington, Manchester, Crewe respectively.
 

Andy Pacer

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Yeah, same for me doing one day rangers - can do Lancashire, GM Wayfarer and Northern Explorer 55 (now I am 55) - plus Cheshire, South Pennines, WM with day returns to Warrington, Manchester, Crewe respectively.
Even if I don't stay over anywhere i'll be happy to just get out. Being in Leicestershire there are a couple of decent 3 in 7's I can do but still come home each night (East Mids, Heart of England etc) and i'm also happy to drive to get onto the patch of other day rangers to get better coverage (South Pennines, Lincolnshire, West Mids etc etc).
 

Iskra

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All I have booked is 3 railtours;

Pathfinder Cambrian Coast
Pathfinder Blue Boys Merrymixer
UK Railtours Tinsley Tugger

The UKR one is subject to the new date being acceptable to me.

I’m not going to play anything else but will keep an open mind about doing a South Pennine Day Ranger for the TP 68’s.
 

D841 Roebuck

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Yeah, same for me doing one day rangers - can do Lancashire, GM Wayfarer and Northern Explorer 55 (now I am 55) - plus Cheshire, South Pennines, WM with day returns to Warrington, Manchester, Crewe respectively.
You're not the only one who is just turned 55!

I've been looking at pairs of unvisited stations, with a hopefully pleasant walk in between, and served by Northern. Preferably with the scope to be linked together.

Ones that spring to mind are Bescar and New Lanes, Hoscar to Rufford, Croston to Euxton Balshaw Lane, Mill Hill to Cherry Tree and Rishton to Church & Oswaldtwistle.

Hoping for good weather on April 17th...
 

Techniquest

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Isn't it from 29th March the railway reopens to non-essential travel (just with recommendations against it)? This is what I've been led to believe, and I haven't looked myself just yet. I don't follow all the news with the world health crisis, as is no doubt obvious, as I have better things to do. If I have to wait until 12th April I'll be less pleased, kind of got my heart set on my first train journey of 2021 happening on the 29th of March!

For the record, that journey won't be anything massive, just a ride to Great Malvern or similar with the bike to ride some of the further out sections of Herefordshire.

In terms of my next proper trip, I have no day trips planned yet. I will soon be planning my week off in May, which will hopefully see me booking hotels in either Norfolk or Kent to do some exploring on the bike. As well as trying out the new trains in Norfolk or getting more 375s/395s done in Kent.

I did also think about getting the train to/from Portsmouth and doing some exploring of the West Coastway, which would also allow me a revisit to places like Bognor Regis and to see Littlehampton in the daylight. Ideally, I'd also try and get some 313s done while in the area.

Everything will be booked on refundable bookings of course, although the train tickets will be more awkward for that. In the event that I don't get to do overnight stays in May, I'll revert back to the continued work on one of my New Year's Resolutions which is to cycle more of my home county.

Generally though, until the 196s start in passenger service, I'll have very little to actually do on the railway for now. Still got a good few IETs to find on GWR, so I'll probably keep an eye on them but not when I'm on a journey that I need my bike with me.
 

Andy Pacer

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Isn't it from 29th March the railway reopens to non-essential travel (just with recommendations against it)? This is what I've been led to believe, and I haven't looked myself just yet. I don't follow all the news with the world health crisis, as is no doubt obvious, as I have better things to do. If I have to wait until 12th April I'll be less pleased, kind of got my heart set on my first train journey of 2021 happening on the 29th of March!
I *believe* the "stay at home" rules end on 29th March and it replaced the "stay local" message which then ends on 12th April. Although when reading the official rules on the government website its actually quite tricky to work this out.
 

NorthWestRover

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Yeah, my reference to 12th April wasn't anything to do with travel rules as such. It was more that I'll believe we are moving to Step 2 of the roadmap when it happens.
 

route101

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Not booked anything, first trip will be a daytrip somewhere. May try and go to Wales in the summer.
 

Techniquest

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I *believe* the "stay at home" rules end on 29th March and it replaced the "stay local" message which then ends on 12th April. Although when reading the official rules on the government website its actually quite tricky to work this out.

Thanks for clarifying what's going on there, and yes I agree the guidelines when I did read them in January were both confusing and contradictory at the same time.

By my understanding then, the idea is to stay home as much as possible until 29th March, then stay local until 12th April, and I think in May it changes again?

I interact with less people, believe it or not, on my cycling training sessions outside than I do indoors. I live with 4 other men in a shared house, and the less said about cleaning standards etc the better...Which does remind me that I have some overdue spring cleaning to crack on with this week, but with the strong gusting wind due back on Thursday it can wait until then!

Assuming I do go out on a local train journey on Monday, and that is a big if right now based on the Met Office app, Malvern is still very much local to me. Quite, Colwall and Ledbury are closer and a train trip to Ledbury, for a cycle ride home, would mean I'd get to fill in some very frustrating gaps on the map :idea: Similar for Leominster.

Back to the topic of trip planning, and I have vague plans for the summer which, like many of my plans these days, involve a combination of cycling and trains. I'm hoping at some point to do some trains and cycling in Lincolnshire this summer, which would hopefully lead me to finally getting my last 170 in the book. I also have vague plans to travel to Cheshire to do some exploring up that way, and a combination of train to Southport and cycle back to Liverpool (or vice versa) is also on the cards.

Plenty of other ideas come to mind, but nothing set in stone. My approximate mission for 2021 is to do as much of the UK as possible before the world reopens, at which point I intend to get back to exploring the best of the world!
 

james60059

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I have a day trip to London booked on 17th April, from Nuneaton. Aiming to do Heathrow for a few hours and then some tube photography.
 

scotrail158713

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I’ve now got tickets booked to Carlisle for the middle of June. It’s mainly to go to parkrun again, however it’ll also be a first trip on a TPE Nova 2 for me as well.

I’m hoping to get to Newcastle for a similar trip as well, but tickets aren’t on sale for that yet.
 

Kite159

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I have many (many many) ideas for trips this year, although so far no advance tickets booked.

Got a couple stays coming up in the summer time at Stockport Travelodge, weather dependent what I end up doing (hoping to do the Middlewood way on one of those trips. A couple railtours booked up. I might look into booking somewhere in the Liverpool area as I've got a few ideas for walks in that area (old railway lines)
 

rg177

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I've booked a BA flight to London for Friday, returning by train, purely as that's as close to flying as I suspect I'll be getting for a while yet.

My annual leave is last week of May/first week of June so provided hotels open on the 17th May I'll look at something like an ALR for a week.
 

D841 Roebuck

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You're not the only one who is just turned 55!

I've been looking at pairs of unvisited stations, with a hopefully pleasant walk in between, and served by Northern. Preferably with the scope to be linked together.

Ones that spring to mind are Bescar and New Lanes, Hoscar to Rufford, Croston to Euxton Balshaw Lane, Mill Hill to Cherry Tree and Rishton to Church & Oswaldtwistle.

Hoping for good weather on April 17th...
Looks like the 17th is on, weather wise.

Tempted to head to the Near East. A day return to York and an East Yorks rover look tempting. Of Northern's 170s, I need 11, and these seem to work in that area, and there are reams of unvisited shacks. Hunmanby to Filey looks a particularly attractive (ie downhill) walk, with proper Fish and Chips at the end.
 

NorthWestRover

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Think I'm doing a trip to Ulverston. Straight there on whatever 195 turns up, bit of touristy stuff, then wend my way back home via a few required units taking slight diversions if necessary.
 
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