What a journey!

I’m visiting my daughter in Cleethorpes and had a Murphy’s law type of journey (anything that could go wrong, went wrong). Unlike on previous journeys like that I didn’t get stressed.

As ever I’d prepared the night before so just needed to add a couple of items to my backpack (wash bag and iPad). So after I had breakfasted myself and my my 2 cats (Willow and Sparkles) I had some time to have a lay down and was hoping to nap.

It had been extremely hot for the UK for a couple of days (highs of 29 and 30°C) and the previous two days I’d had hospital appointments when I’d walked each way (thanks to my own clerical error my bus pass has run out). I wasn’t looking forward to walking to the station as I was still feeling a little fragile. Anyway I didn’t get my nap though I did lay down and relax for a while… then the first thing went wrong.

I checked my emails to see one from Trainline my Stevenage to Doncaster train was cancelled I could take the previous or next train instead. Since I’d booked my assistance I left at the time I planned and stayed strangely calm.

The heat was already climbing to the predicted high of 28°C so I literally found the last part of the walk an uphill struggle more than I normally do. When I arrived at the station my Passenger Assistance had already arrived which helped me to relax. In fact I had 2 assistants as my regular person was training someone.

The train ride to Stevenage went smoothly and the next assistant was on the train taking my bag and helping me off very promptly and quickly reassured me about being able to catch my next train.

And that’s when my apps went pear shaped…

Trainline no longer had my journey details because of course my original train was cancelled…

And the Passenger Assistance app my booked assistance disappeared in the ether and on the station’s system likewise so the lovely lad had to rebook it for the train I was going on.

My LNER train obviously thought he was a lovely lad too as when he popped me on the train and found me a seat the doors shut and he had to radio for help to get off.

Thankfully I buy first class tickets so it was easy to get an open seat (I reserved a seat in my original train but obviously that reservation no longer counted).

It didn’t take long for me to be enjoying my lunch and looking at the blurry countryside out of the window…

And messaging my daughter I was safely on the train…

Well got into Doncaster to be told the Cleethorpes train was going to be 35 minutes late so opted to sit on the shady platform rather than in the stuffy waiting room. Then when the Cleethorpes train finally arrived the first class carriage was at the other end of the platform. Couldn’t really fault the passenger assistance people as of course that information (that I was in first class) wasn’t on the revised booking.

It turned out that the Cleethorpes train had been late because it got stuck in the sidings at Sheffield where it had to wait longer than expected for other trains to get on there way before it could amble along (after the faster Doncaster train it seems to be just like Shakespeare’s school boy crawling like a snail).

Anyway I finally got to Cleethorpes and a member of the train staff came to help me off but a member of the public was already helping I’ve never seen such a busy platform hordes getting off the train, and greater hordes coming to get on the train for its return journey…

And the reality of how I explained to my first assistants of the day of how I can’t recognise my own family and am looking for a blur that’s waving and calling “Mum!”

The walk to my daughter’s was a doddle at first 22°C feeling cooler thanks to the breeze from the “sea”. Of course it felt a bit warmer once we were walking along the Grimsby Road sheltered from the breeze.

Now looking forward to marvellous week with my daughter and grandson.

Until next time