Back to Normal

Normal service has been resumed today as I went to play trains.

I haven’t actually been into Llangollen since we arrived by boat around 30 years ago so it was a primary aim of this trip. Having noticed the availability of a bus service (just, it shuts down a week on Saturday) I decided it wasn’t worth driving in to the town. There was nearly a problem as the bus doesn’t take contactless (it’s EasyCoach who operate the service, owned by one of the pioneers of internet based travel!) I thought I’d only got a £20 note which the driver reckoned he couldn’t change, fortunately I managed to find the £5 fare in change.

First order of the day was a coffee, I was fairly early as the bus only runs every couple of hours, but one of the cafes was open. I resisted the temptation of a sausage sandwich having had bacon butties in the ‘van before I left. I took the opportunity of the early morning sunshine to take some photos of the River and had a bit of a wander before having another coffee at the station. The line is definitely more scenic than some I’ve been on recently as it follows the Dee up the valley. They’re gradually extending things and don’t yet have a passing loop beyond Carrog so the train has to reverse completely back from the end of the line. I’m not sure how they reconcile this with H&S as I know other lines have had issues doing this with longish trains. We stopped for about 20 minutes at Carrog for the engine to run around which gave us a chance to get off. The LNER Teak coach that was shown on telly being restored is there and you can go inside. It does look good!

The train was crowded on the way back as a lot of people had joined (including a tour party) but I grabbed a few more pics. It was lunchtime when we got back but inevitably the station tearooms were packed so I walked back into the town. I’d noticed the Oggie (pasty) Shop already and decided to try a minted lamb one. I finished it but it nearly defeated me! It was huge! In hindsight something a bit smaller might have been a better bet. I again fell fowl of the infrequent bus service as I didn’t want to leave immediately so then had a couple of hours to fill. The local museum took up a bit of time, it’s OK but very disjointed. I also popped in to an outdoor equipment shop primarily to drool over the Granfors Bruks axes, they are superb bits of workmanship but eye wateringly expensive. Strolling down by the river led me to a small Christian books and crafts shop. I didn’t buy anything but it filled a few minutes and I had a brief chat with one of the ladies manning it. I also found a spot to get a last photo of the railway.

The bus back took a much more scenic route than on the way there, once the driver had got his cup of tea! He arrived but then locked up the bus while he went to fill his mug. I wonder why they’ve timetabled a stop at Fron Community Centre which is barely 50 yards from the stop on the main road and which entails the bus backing in to a narrow entrance where people are walking about. A couple of the other stops seemed almost as pointless. Back at the ‘van it was time to relax before having dinner (sausage, potato and shallot all fried up together). After washing up I did have a sort out and tidy ready to move to a hotel in Llanberis. That included emptying the toilet as frankly it’s a lot easier using the site facilities than it is at home.