Acton Bridge – Runcorn – Frodsham – Manchester Victoria – Reading – Paddington

This trip came about because I still have 10 days left on my Interrail pass, but fortuitous timing has meant that I can tag things I want to do in the UK onto both ends of the trip.

I’m meeting people at various points of the trip and also have pre-booked concerts, ferries and even a flight, so am a little more planned than I would normally be. We will see how that goes, sticking to a plan is never my strong point!

I was up early to head to the first train of the trip. I’d arranged to leave Iris moored at Saltersford Lock, where Martin had agreed to keep an eye on her. It’s still early in the year and there is a real chance of the river going into flood so I didn’t want to leave her on the mooring where a rise in water would put her into the overhanging trees.

My nearest station is Acton Bridge which is great for trips south or to Liverpool, but despite being on the West Coast Main Line, is no use for trips north or towards Manchester. With the last of these being my first destination I needed to do a rather odd little shuffle to get going. A single stop in the direction of Liverpool got me to Runcorn. A reverse and single stop in the direction of Chester took me to Frodsham, where one more reverse took my back onto the West Coast Main Line through Warrington before a sharp turn at Newton-Le-Willows to Manchester Victoria.

Frodsham station still has a lovely main building. I had considered this station as the starting point for the whole trip, as it is close to home, but the return journey would be more complicated and also the car parking isn’t free! I’m not sure why the station clock was saying it was mid afternoon though.

As we both approached and left Frodsham, I spotted the steam ship Daniel Adamson moored by the swing bridge at Sutton Weaver. They have spent the winter there and were making final preparations for summer trips to begin the following day.

I’m sure Victoria was a lovely station when it opened. Much of it still is, but the addition of the tram station on one side and the Manchester Arena on top of the platforms have created a rather odd space. I do love the huge map though.

I picked up a drink and sandwich for later before returning to the platform. Unusually, this was a pay on board service, but the station staff were happy to let me back through the barrier.

I’d seen photos of this train online a few days earlier. It is literally just out of the paint shop, and looked stunning in a classic Inter City colour scheme.

I found my way to the onboard shop where I paid for a ticket and was told to sit in any available seat in coach H. It turned out that I was the only person in there at the start of the trip, though a few volunteers from the 125 Group gathered here as the morning progressed.

Manchester is so dominated by new buildings these days it is sometimes difficult to spot the historic bits but the first part of the run took us over the viaduct at Castlefield, which has great views of the canal.

At Stockport I was impressed by the new interchange which has gone in since I last came this way. I used to do the Manchester to Stoke journey all the time but now it is a rarity to travel this way.

There was time to get off and take a few photos at each of the station stops. The newly-painted train was attracting quite a bit of attention and we collected more passengers at each stop.

The service was primarily a positioning move for the main event tomorrow, and after skirting the edge of London terminated at Reading. After consulting with a member of staff on the platform I was advised not to use the Elizabeth Line train as I’d expected, but the GWR to Paddington, which was a much quicker non-stop service for the same price. This is another station that I rarely use and we pulled in adjacent to a statue of Brunel that I’d not seen before.

From here I took the Underground to King’s Cross, from where it was a 10 minute walk to my hotel.

I can’t put into words the feeling I get when I step onto the Underground, other than to say that it’s really not like anything else. my Oyster card is truly a treasured possession and the moment I arrive on the first platform of a given trip is the moment I feel properly back in this wonderful city.

I’d arranged to meet Tim, Sarah and Nick for dinner this evening, back in Paddington. A reverse of the earlier journey seemed a simple enough idea, but shortly before arriving at Baker Street we were held in a tunnel for around 10 minutes. On arrival we were told that there had been a points failure at Edgware Road and the train was not going any further. Fortunately from here, the Bakerloo Line also goes to Edgware Road, from where I can walk to Paddington. I do love the Bakerloo, a real feel for what the Underground used to be like.

We were going to the Cheese Barge, a bit of a favourite for three of us, though Nick was a first timer. The entire menu is based around cheese, and the curried curds in particular are incredible.

This weekend is IWA’s Canal Cavalcade so we went for a walk around Little Venice and said hello to a few friends who had boats at the event.

Sarah and Nick were staying at a canalside pub nearby so we went for a drink there before saying goodnight and I walked to Warwick Avenue to get the tube back.

I really should have checked, following the earlier problems as having changed at Edgware Road I arrived at the Circle and District station to find it locked up with a sign saying there were no trains because of the points failure.

I returned to the Bakerloo and changed instead at Baker Street, walking to my hotel from King’s Cross, as I had earlier.