The beginning of the end

The end of the holiday and on my way home today. Big brother took me to the station at 9.30 this morning to begin the journey. This is my Blip today - the 9.51 coming in to Hampton.

Off at Waterloo, then the Underground to Euston, off at Glasgow Central, walk to Glasgow Queen Street, then train to Oban. Not a bad journey, though it was rather annoying to find that the sliding door at the end of the carriage, quite close to me, had developed a mind of its own, opening and shutting all the time. Unfortunately as it opened it screeched and as it closed it moaned. At an average of five times a minute, plus the opening and closing due to normal passenger movements, I estimated that during the journey from Euston to Glasgow it opened and closed some 1600 times - at least. Drove me mad!

Just to add to the frustration the train was 20 minutes late into Glasgow Central, arriving at 16.23 - the Oban train from Queen Street left at 16.34. Eleven minutes for a normally ten minute walk between the stations. I walked as quickly as I could with my luggage, boarded the train, found my seat, put the suitcase on the rack and sat down - just as the train began to move! Just as well I caught it or I would have had to have waited more than two hours for the next and last train!

Lovely run though - a really superb train ride. Along beside the River Clyde, the Gairloch, Long Long, Loch Lomond, Loch Awe and Loch Etive, with all sorts of beautiful scenery in between. It might take an hour more than the same journey by car, but it's worth it.

So here I am back home - I now need a holiday to get over the holiday!