Every once in a while I make a train journey to and from the Great Wen (London). I usually check three train companies for fares, East Coast, Southern and East Midlands. On this occasion taking notice of a flyer put trough my door on behalf of Northern advertising "free train tickets" and a "New online train ticket service" I tried their site first.
In three weeks from now I want to travel on the 12.35 East Coast train from London Kings Cross to Doncaster to connect with the East Midlands train that arrive sat Gainsborough Lea Road at 14.53. I use a senior citizen rail card so all the fares quoted below recognise this and have discounted the fare by one third.
The results were:
£49.15 Northern Rail
£42.40 Cross Country Trains
£16.50 South West Trains
£11.90 The Train Line
£10.90 Arriva Wales, c2c, Chiltern Trains, East Midland Trains, First Capital Connect, First Great Western, Grand Central, Hull Trains, National Express, Red Spotted Hanky*, Scotrail, South Eastern Trains, Southern Railway, Virgin Trains.
£9.90 East Coast Trains
*French travel agency that does not add any booking charges (Atos S.A.)
The moral of the story is shop around.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Trolleybus Centenary
June 20 will mark the centenary of the first trolleybus service in Britain. Leeds introduced the new form of transport on their route to Pudsey followed four days latter by Bradford's service to Pudsey. Bradford kept faith with the trolleybus until March 1972 when this form of public transport ceased in here.
Trolleybuses have proved popular with many towns and cities across the world and some of the newest systems in China are most impressive.
Trolleybuses being electric vehicles are smooth, quiet, fast, efficient and non-polluting. So 100 years on it is hardly surprising that Leeds want to bring them back onto British Streets. The coalition government have told Leeds that £200 million for two routes it is too expensive and I tend to agree with that view. Leeds want to introduce a German system supplied to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. We cant afford such luxury. As buses are made in Britain surely using standard British buses but replacing the diesel engine with an electric propulsion unit would be a cheaper option .
The government will announce its decision on Leeds proposal towards the end of 2011. So meanwhile lets wallow in some nostalgia.
Trolleybuses have proved popular with many towns and cities across the world and some of the newest systems in China are most impressive.
Trolleybuses being electric vehicles are smooth, quiet, fast, efficient and non-polluting. So 100 years on it is hardly surprising that Leeds want to bring them back onto British Streets. The coalition government have told Leeds that £200 million for two routes it is too expensive and I tend to agree with that view. Leeds want to introduce a German system supplied to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. We cant afford such luxury. As buses are made in Britain surely using standard British buses but replacing the diesel engine with an electric propulsion unit would be a cheaper option .
The government will announce its decision on Leeds proposal towards the end of 2011. So meanwhile lets wallow in some nostalgia.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Life Without Car - One Year On
In October 2009 I posted a blog entitled "Life Without Car". Now a year on I look back and note that :
1. My stress level has declined. It only rises on the very rare occasion that Messrs Stagecoach have let me down.
2. I have lost 3 and half stones in weight and now walk up to 30 miles a week.
3. I love seeing this great land from the top of a bus - views both urban and rural that cannot be experienced from a car.
4. No parking problems!
5. No visits to the supermarket. My shopping pattern has changed to little and often relying on the Lincoln Co-op and local stores.
6. Although I have spent money on trains and taxi's the net saving from not owing a car has been around £1000 over the year.
7. Some journeys are quicker by public transport such as York in one hour by train from Gainsborough.
Of course some adjustment to planning life has been made to accommodate the fact that public transport in Gainsborough is only available 6 days a week until 8pm (on Sundays there are no buses and only four trains with the first leaving Gainsborough at 2.30 pm). Timetables for services other than the principal Stagecoach services are hard to come by and considerable lateral thinking is needed when using journey planning sites, especially when working out how to access low rail fares. I also do rely on lifts from friends to reach places not served by Stagecoach.
However I am doing my small bit to save the planet so can sit on my bus or train feeling satisfied.
2. I have lost 3 and half stones in weight and now walk up to 30 miles a week.
3. I love seeing this great land from the top of a bus - views both urban and rural that cannot be experienced from a car.
4. No parking problems!
5. No visits to the supermarket. My shopping pattern has changed to little and often relying on the Lincoln Co-op and local stores.
6. Although I have spent money on trains and taxi's the net saving from not owing a car has been around £1000 over the year.
7. Some journeys are quicker by public transport such as York in one hour by train from Gainsborough.
Of course some adjustment to planning life has been made to accommodate the fact that public transport in Gainsborough is only available 6 days a week until 8pm (on Sundays there are no buses and only four trains with the first leaving Gainsborough at 2.30 pm). Timetables for services other than the principal Stagecoach services are hard to come by and considerable lateral thinking is needed when using journey planning sites, especially when working out how to access low rail fares. I also do rely on lifts from friends to reach places not served by Stagecoach.
However I am doing my small bit to save the planet so can sit on my bus or train feeling satisfied.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Radio Three makes it to TV
Classical music , outside of the Proms, is hardly ever represented on British television these days. I can recall the great classical music television of my youth with the wonderfully informal and communicative Andre Previn conducting the LSO, the documentaries of Christopher Nupen and the operas produced by Brain Large.
So the screening of John Birdcut's film "Elgar: The Man Behind the mask" was a rare treat. I had long realised that the spin which gave the impression that Elgar was an Edwardian Gentleman was far from reality. He was the son of a shop keeper, albeit a music shop keeper, and self taught. He worked in the local asylum as a jobbing musician and composer. His Harmony Music for wind quintet, played by Elgar (he took the bassoon part) and his friends to patients reveals much about the music to come. Singers who have performed his part songs also appreciate what a wide ranging and wild composer he could be. So it was refreshing to have one's view of the composer upheld with even more evidence of the artistic and insecure temperament that was hidden behind the moustache.
Mr Birdcut's film was well researched, he interviewed the best musicians to explain Elgar (Edward Gardner, Mark Elder, Colin Davis, Natalia Luis-Bassa), and the performances were excellent, even though only brief excepts for the most part.
However at the end I wondered if the additional cost in providing visual images added anything to the story. In a climate where the BBC has to face a 16% cut I doubt this sort of film will ever appear on our screens again. Sad but I expect true, so expect classical music to retreat to the confines of Radio Three.
So the screening of John Birdcut's film "Elgar: The Man Behind the mask" was a rare treat. I had long realised that the spin which gave the impression that Elgar was an Edwardian Gentleman was far from reality. He was the son of a shop keeper, albeit a music shop keeper, and self taught. He worked in the local asylum as a jobbing musician and composer. His Harmony Music for wind quintet, played by Elgar (he took the bassoon part) and his friends to patients reveals much about the music to come. Singers who have performed his part songs also appreciate what a wide ranging and wild composer he could be. So it was refreshing to have one's view of the composer upheld with even more evidence of the artistic and insecure temperament that was hidden behind the moustache.
Mr Birdcut's film was well researched, he interviewed the best musicians to explain Elgar (Edward Gardner, Mark Elder, Colin Davis, Natalia Luis-Bassa), and the performances were excellent, even though only brief excepts for the most part.
However at the end I wondered if the additional cost in providing visual images added anything to the story. In a climate where the BBC has to face a 16% cut I doubt this sort of film will ever appear on our screens again. Sad but I expect true, so expect classical music to retreat to the confines of Radio Three.
A Year in the Country
A slide show using photos I have taken over the past twelve months mainly in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Walking the Cut
This summer I walked the 31 miles of restored Chesterfield Canal and repeated the experience during the longer and colourful autumn. The waterways of England are one of its hidden treasures. Back in September I sailed the Warwickshire ring covering 124 locks in 72 hours of sailing over the space of six days. All this is excellent keep fit and more scenic than a gym.
The coalition government have indicated that they will allow British Waterways to transfer from the public sector to the third sector and register as a charity. This could be great if the estate currently managed by BW as a government agency transfers too allowing BW to become a National Trust for our waterways. Somehow I don't trust the government not to mess up and transfer ownership of the waterways to the totally incompetent Environment Agency. leaving BW to maintain and manage them.
The coalition government have indicated that they will allow British Waterways to transfer from the public sector to the third sector and register as a charity. This could be great if the estate currently managed by BW as a government agency transfers too allowing BW to become a National Trust for our waterways. Somehow I don't trust the government not to mess up and transfer ownership of the waterways to the totally incompetent Environment Agency. leaving BW to maintain and manage them.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Weight Loss - The Crusty Way
Some moths ago the medics declared I was dangerously overweight. Like many people in such circumstances I was in denial. It was only the threat of becoming diabetic that brought me to my senses.
I'm 184 cm in height and weighed in at 109 kg. According to NHS weight calculator I was off the scale at the red end. A combination of diet exercise and the discipline of being weighed at my doctor's surgery every two weeks resulted in me now being only 87 kg which is still overweight according to the NHS weight calculator but only just.
1. Diet
>>WARNING<< This diet worked for me but it may not be suitable for everyone, especially if you have high cholesterol and blood pressure levels, so do check with your doctor before embarking on this diet.
Food falls into three categories.
1.1 Eat as much as you like:
Vegetables ( except potatoes)
Nuts
Pulses
Fruit
Eggs
Turkey
1.2. Restricted
Dairy products - a matchbox size piece of cheese is the daily limit
Margarine/butter - use polyunsaturated spreads
Oil - use cold pressed rape seed oil
Fish/sea food - steamed or grilled (not fried)
Bread - wholemeal - 2 slices a day
Pasta - wholemeal - 20z per day
Rice - one tablespoon full a day
Cereal - avoid wheat based breakfast cereal, use oats
Meat - low fat meats such as chicken in small portions, avoid red meats.
Potatoes - two egg size potatoes a day
Yogurt - use low fat versions
1.3. BANNED
Processed foods - especially crisps
Cakes and biscuits
Chocolate and sweets
1.4. Drink
Water- lots of it, we don't drink enough.
Fruit juice - one cup full of any on fruit per day, however you can consume more by varying the fruits i.e. one cup of apple juice, one cup of orange juice, one cup of cranberry juice.
Milk - skimmed
Tea and Coffee - as much as you like provided you don't adulterate it with milk.
Booze - no alcohol
1.5 When to Eat
Eat from 6am to 6pm, but then give the body 12 hours to process what you have consumed. Always feel a bit hungry after meals. If you have sated your hunger you have eaten too much.
2. Exercise
2.1 I was invited to attend the gym once a week but declined, not my scene. It was then suggested I go to the swimming pool one a week. This to held no attraction for me. However I do walk. At the start I was walking around 3 km per day at 3 m.p.h. Now its more like 7 km per day at 4 m.p.h. Don't over do the exercise. Do it every day and as you loose weight you will find it easier to do more. At the end of your walk you should just feel a bit sweaty.
3. Discipline
3.1 The discipline of being weighed regularly by another person on fixed dates (usually fortnightly) gives you an objective. Weigh yourself each day and write it down, likewise keep a note of the amount of exercise you have taken that day , my case the number of km walked. Your weight will fluctuate, loss does not happen In a straight line. If you loose 1 kg in 2 weeks that's fine. If you loose weight quickly you will have to fight off urges to binge on food, bad news.
3.2 The occasional lapse is human, and you can recover with this programme by a combination of less food and more exercise.
Afterwards you will find yourself not only lighter but fitter. Recently I walked up to the Cow and Calf rocks above Ilkley without noticing the climb at all. I would have been puffing and panting doing that a year ago.
Good luck, you will need it.
I'm 184 cm in height and weighed in at 109 kg. According to NHS weight calculator I was off the scale at the red end. A combination of diet exercise and the discipline of being weighed at my doctor's surgery every two weeks resulted in me now being only 87 kg which is still overweight according to the NHS weight calculator but only just.
1. Diet
>>WARNING<< This diet worked for me but it may not be suitable for everyone, especially if you have high cholesterol and blood pressure levels, so do check with your doctor before embarking on this diet.
Food falls into three categories.
1.1 Eat as much as you like:
Vegetables ( except potatoes)
Nuts
Pulses
Fruit
Eggs
Turkey
1.2. Restricted
Dairy products - a matchbox size piece of cheese is the daily limit
Margarine/butter - use polyunsaturated spreads
Oil - use cold pressed rape seed oil
Fish/sea food - steamed or grilled (not fried)
Bread - wholemeal - 2 slices a day
Pasta - wholemeal - 20z per day
Rice - one tablespoon full a day
Cereal - avoid wheat based breakfast cereal, use oats
Meat - low fat meats such as chicken in small portions, avoid red meats.
Potatoes - two egg size potatoes a day
Yogurt - use low fat versions
1.3. BANNED
Processed foods - especially crisps
Cakes and biscuits
Chocolate and sweets
1.4. Drink
Water- lots of it, we don't drink enough.
Fruit juice - one cup full of any on fruit per day, however you can consume more by varying the fruits i.e. one cup of apple juice, one cup of orange juice, one cup of cranberry juice.
Milk - skimmed
Tea and Coffee - as much as you like provided you don't adulterate it with milk.
Booze - no alcohol
1.5 When to Eat
Eat from 6am to 6pm, but then give the body 12 hours to process what you have consumed. Always feel a bit hungry after meals. If you have sated your hunger you have eaten too much.
2. Exercise
2.1 I was invited to attend the gym once a week but declined, not my scene. It was then suggested I go to the swimming pool one a week. This to held no attraction for me. However I do walk. At the start I was walking around 3 km per day at 3 m.p.h. Now its more like 7 km per day at 4 m.p.h. Don't over do the exercise. Do it every day and as you loose weight you will find it easier to do more. At the end of your walk you should just feel a bit sweaty.
3. Discipline
3.1 The discipline of being weighed regularly by another person on fixed dates (usually fortnightly) gives you an objective. Weigh yourself each day and write it down, likewise keep a note of the amount of exercise you have taken that day , my case the number of km walked. Your weight will fluctuate, loss does not happen In a straight line. If you loose 1 kg in 2 weeks that's fine. If you loose weight quickly you will have to fight off urges to binge on food, bad news.
3.2 The occasional lapse is human, and you can recover with this programme by a combination of less food and more exercise.
Afterwards you will find yourself not only lighter but fitter. Recently I walked up to the Cow and Calf rocks above Ilkley without noticing the climb at all. I would have been puffing and panting doing that a year ago.
Good luck, you will need it.
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