“I enjoy travelling by train, especially long journeys, so the chance to complete this trip was a must before it makes its last journey in May'" said Graham. "I quickly got into planning mode as I had to firstly get to Aberdeen and then return from Penzance. I came up with the following itinerary after considering my options including whether I stayed overnight in Penzance or came straight back home. As the Night Riviera Sleeper was cheaper than an overnight stay, and given it would avoid the extra cost of the journey home the following day, it was a no brainer. The main potential problem, having booked my tickets, was that the Aberdeen train is scheduled to arrive at 2131, and the Sleeper departs at 2145, but I do have the option of alighting at St Erth or Redruth should we be running more than 10 minutes late as the Sleeper stops at these two stations at 2153 and 2213 respectively”.
“I've been watching the performance of both the Cross Country and Night Riviera services and to be fair to the Cross Country service it keeps considerably good time, generally arriving on time and occasionally even early, but always with enough time to get from platform 4 to platform 1. However, when it's late, it tends to be very late!”
The Itinerary
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Sunday April 27 |
Monday April 28 |
Tuesday April 29 |
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Station |
Time |
Station |
Time |
Station |
Time |
|
Depart home walk to station |
d. 0800 |
*Aberdeen |
d. 0614 |
Paddington |
a. 0504 |
|
Falconwood |
a. 0813 |
*Kintore |
a. 0631 |
|
d. 0545 |
|
|
d. 0822 |
|
d. 0647 |
London Bridge |
a. 0559 |
|
London Bridge |
a. 0848 |
Aberdeen |
a. 0706 |
|
d. 0610 |
|
|
d. 0902 |
|
d. 0820 |
Lewisham |
a. 0618 |
|
Kings Cross |
a. 0912 |
Penzance |
a. 2131 |
|
d. 0626 |
|
|
d. 1000 |
|
d. 2145 |
Falconwood |
a. 0639 |
|
*Stonehaven |
a. 1649 |
|
|
Walk Home |
a. 0652 |
|
|
d. 1712 |
|
|
|
|
|
Aberdeen |
a. 1730 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
d. 1800 |
|
|
|
|
|
*Inverurie |
a. 1823 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
d. 1851 |
|
|
|
|
|
*Dyce |
a. 1905 |
|
|
|
|
|
Bus |
d. 1948 |
|
|
|
|
|
Aberdeen Bus Station |
a. 2025 |
|
|
|
|
“Oh yes, I’m using the opportunity to visit a few new stations on my quest to visit all the stations in England, Scotland and Wales and the five starred above will be station numbers 2246, 2247, 2248, 2249, 2250.”
“So how much is this little trip costing? Excluding the station hopping and that fact that I have a freedom pass to get me to and back from London, I paid £52.50 for an Advance ticket Kings Cross to Aberdeen, £168.95 for an Advance 1st Class single Aberdeen to Penzance, £57.70 for a Super Off-Peak Single Penzance to London Terminals plus GWR Single Cabin supplement of £79.00. My overnight stay at the Aberdeen Travelodge is £25.99. Currently a 1st class anytime ticket between Aberdeen and Penzance is £313.45.”
“I could have purchased a standard class advance ticket on Cross Country with split ticketing for about £45.00, but given the nature of Cross Country trains, with short formations, often being very busy (standing being common), I didn’t think it would be very comfortable to travel that way on such a long journey, not to mention the need to change seats at each split. I therefore went for a bit of comfort, well as much as you can on a Cross Country service, more leg room, more comfort and space, at seat complimentary service, but I’m not holding my breath!”
“So, what are my concerns? What happens if the train is cancelled whilst I’m in Aberdeen, what happens if I miss the sleeper? Dehydration, leg cramp and a sore bum. The service does dwell at Edinburgh 16 minutes, Birmingham New Street 8 minutes, Bristol Temple Meads 14 minutes where I can stretch my legs, plus lots of other stops for 2 or 3 minutes. Apparently the train spends over two hours in total during station calls. But my biggest concern is the state of the toilets - say no more!”
Photo courtesy of Arriva / CrossCountry Trains
