Trivia: Coast-to-coast services in the UK

[zwk500]

The City and County of Bristol are one and the same, and even include a big chunk of sea. The built up area extends to Avonmouth which is downstream of the lowest crossing point of the Severn so would count as 'coast' for this thread.

Bristol city centre is 7 miles upstream from the mouth of the Avon, in a gorge. To claim Bristol Temple Meads counts as a 'coastal' station because the county of Bristol includes the coast would be similar to claiming Norwich is coastal because Norfolk has beaches.

 

[flitwickbeds]

Does Margate to Dover count?

 

[Dai Corner]

Bristol city centre is 7 miles upstream from the mouth of the Avon, in a gorge. To claim Bristol Temple Meads counts as a 'coastal' station because the county of Bristol includes the coast would be similar to claiming Norwich is coastal because Norfolk has beaches.

Liverpool city centre and Lime Street station are a similar distance from Crosby which is the nearest bit of coastline I think. It's not even in the city of Liverpool. If Lime Street counts as a coastal station, surely Temple Meads should too?

 

[nw1]

If former ones are of interest too, then the late 90s/early 00s Virgin Cross Country network provided a Portsmouth Harbour to Blackpool North on a mix of 2 car 158, 47 or HST haulage.

... and indeed a Portsmouth to Liverpool (both directions) in 1986/87, and soutbound only for the preceding two years. Have the feeling Virgin did this route for a time as well. (EDIT - if we count Liverpool as coastal, just seen the post discussing this above)

 

[Surreytraveller]

Hastings to Brighton
Brighton to Portsmouth

 

[zwk500]

Hastings to Brighton
Brighton to Portsmouth

Hastings to Brighton is unequivocally the same coast. Portsmouth could be argued to be on a different coast because it's an island, but I think that would be labouring the point.

 

[Bald Rick]

would be similar to claiming Norwich is coastal because Norfolk has beaches.

Well the Wensum at Norwich is tidal

 

[zwk500]

Well the Wensum at Norwich is tidal

On that point, do people think of Hull as a coastal city?

 

[Dai Corner]

On that point, do people think of Hull as a coastal city?

Well, it's downstream of the lowest crossing point of the Humber.

 

[Geoff DC]

Penzance - St Ives must be one of the shortest

 

[Dai Corner]

How about Sittingbourne on the Kent coast and Sheerness on the Sheppey coast?

 

[158747]

The Brighton's are currently diverted to Bristol Parkway due to the engineering works at Temple Meads.

The GWR Brighton services currently start / terminate at Bristol Temple Meads.

 

[mpthomson]

Without putting too much thought in and no doubt breaching the criteria.

Lancaster to Edinburgh. Runs generally South to North but from West to East coast. (The Lune is tidal under the railway bridge at Lancaster which is the last bridging point)

Glasgow to Plymouth? Glasgow probably doesn’t meet the criteria due to the Erskine bridge further down the Clyde but this would link West, East, West again at Bristol and South Coasts.

Dumfries to Newcastle. Again, Dumfries is inland and Newcastle not quite coastal but you certainly see the sea on the west coast on the journey then go what most would deem across the entire country.

In times past there was a Sunderland to Whitehaven.

Used to be Stranraer to Newcastle as well.

 

[D6130]

Mildly off topic, but how did that work? Did they call at Portsmouth and Southsea or Fratton twice? Were they set down only southbound and pick up only northbound?

No....they run/ran direct from Fareham/Cosham to Havant and vice-versa via the Farlington triangle (Portsmouth avoiding line).

 

[Dai Corner]

The GWR Brighton services currently start / terminate at Bristol Temple Meads.

Actually, having checked, I don't think they're running at all at the moment.

 

[InOban]

As the north-western limit of the North Sea is Dunnet Head (International Hydrographic Organisation via Wikipedia again), Thurso-Wick is also a coast to coast journey. However, it is quite some years since trains made this journey alone.

except that all trains on the FNL visit both Wick and Thurso and so, by the IHO definition cross from one sea to the other. It's many years since the trains divided at Georgemas.

And if it was not for the RMT dispute, there would be a summer Sunday train between Edinburgh and Oban.

 

[PHILIPE]

Actually, having checked, I don't think they're running at all at the moment.

They should be running between Brighton and Bristol TM but the last two days they have been disrupted due to the derailment on Fratton Depot

 

[DelW]

Liverpool city centre and Lime Street station are a similar distance from Crosby which is the nearest bit of coastline I think. It's not even in the city of Liverpool. If Lime Street counts as a coastal station, surely Temple Meads should too?

I'm not disputing your logic or distances, but Liverpool waterfront *feels* much more coastal to me than does the harbour front at Bristol. Mainly I suppose because the Mersey is so much wider, and the deep water docks at Seaforth are visible whereas Avonmouth's are not.

 

[peteb]

How about services between stations on coasts where you can see the sea? So eg: Bristol out but Dawlish in.....

 

[DaiB]

Without putting too much thought in and no doubt breaching the criteria.

Lancaster to Edinburgh. Runs generally South to North but from West to East coast. (The Lune is tidal under the railway bridge at Lancaster which is the last bridging point)

Glasgow to Plymouth? Glasgow probably doesn’t meet the criteria due to the Erskine bridge further down the Clyde but this would link West, East, West again at Bristol and South Coasts.

Dumfries to Newcastle. Again, Dumfries is inland and Newcastle not quite coastal but you certainly see the sea on the west coast on the journey then go what most would deem across the entire country.

In times past there was a Sunderland to Whitehaven.

Newcastle is the lowest bridging point on the Tyne. That’s why it is there.

 

[52290]

You used to be able to see the sun rise over the sea in Douglas (IOM) and get a train to Peel just in time to see it set over the same sea.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Would Llanfairpwll to Valley count? Or indeed Holyhead to er... Holyhead?

 

[norbitonflyer]

You used to be able to see the sun rise over the sea in Douglas (IOM) and get a train to Peel just in time to see it set over the same sea.

That's a very slow train. It's less than 12 miles, and even in the depths of winter you get nearly 10 hours of daylight at the latitude of the IOM.

St Ives to Penzance, though I think there's only one journey a day now direct.
There's a summer Saturday only Plymouth to Paignton at the moment too.

Do any do Penzance - Hayle - Dawlish - Weston Super Mare?

If we allow any tidal water to be on the coast, there used to be a Waterloo-Cardiff service which crossed the tidal Thames by the Cremorne Bridge (West London Line) and the tidal Severn by way of the Tunnel.

 

[32475]

Does Margate to Dover count?

You beat me to it! Yes because it’s North Sea at one end and the English Channel at the other. One of the cheaper coast to coast options.

 

[DelW]

I don't know if there has ever been a regular service from Liverpool to Edinburgh, but if so, it would have had the odd status of being a trip from west coast to east coast that finishes further west than it started.

 

[Dai Corner]

I don't know if there has ever been a regular service from Liverpool to Edinburgh, but if so, it would have had the odd status of being a trip from west coast to east coast that finishes further west than it started.

I seem to remember Liverpool and Manchester portions joined at Preston, ran to Carstairs as one train, then split for Edinburgh and Glasgow.

 

[Failed Unit]

There was certainly some quirky routes back in CT days.

Yes, that was a once per week Saturday service. Probably got turned back at Grimsby Town more often then it made it to Cleethorpes (before CT permanently turned it at Grimsby). But they certainly knew how to string routes together.

I don't know if there has ever been a regular service from Liverpool to Edinburgh, but if so, it would have had the odd status of being a trip from west coast to east coast that finishes further west than it started.

Yes, Cross-Country ran it with a 158 for a while (very possible it joined with another service). It left Liverpool around 1700 from memory and was only a 2 car 158.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

I'm sure that some of the Cardiff to Portsmouth Harbour and return services used to be extended to Brighton.

Mildly off topic, but how did that work? Did they call at Portsmouth and Southsea or Fratton twice? Were they set down only southbound and pick up only northbound?

I don't think it ever happened

I'm now not sure that it did happen, but I think that they went into Portsmouth Harbour, reversed and went on to Brighton. I'm happy to be proven wrong though!

 

[TheSel]

The "rules" for this thread don't appear to ban 'circular' services that return whence they began, merely that the start and end point(s) is /are coastal

So I offer:

West Kirby - West Kirby

Realtime Trains - 2W34 1719 West Kirby to West Kirby

Realtime Trains is an independent source of live realtime running information for the Great British railway network.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

and
New Brighton - New Brighton

Realtime Trains - 2N31 1556 New Brighton to New Brighton

Realtime Trains is an independent source of live realtime running information for the Great British railway network.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

(example services only - they're every few minutes every day!)

And during the height of the Covid crisis, the services even ran West Kirby - New Brighton (and vice versa).

 

[zwk500]

The "rules" for this thread don't appear to ban 'circular' services that return whence they began, merely that the start and end point(s) is /are coastal

Doesn't the requirement for the start and end to be on different coasts do that?