Travelling home

Aka A nightmare journey?

I’ve learned that rail journeys are never straightforward at holiday times (Christmas and Easter) and today was no exception.

It began well arriving at Cleethorpes station in plenty of time and being taken straight to the train and seated.

I’d be changing at a new to me station, Retford in Nottinghamshire and was travelling with Northern trains. It turned out it was only 13 miles inland as the crow flew from Cleethorpes… of course the railway does go in a straight line.

According to information found online “It has four platforms, two of which serve the East Coast Main Line while two located at a lower level and at right angles to the first pair serve the Sheffield to Lincoln Line.” It was an interesting walk from the Sheffield to Lincoln line the train from Cleethorpes arrived at to the ECML which leads down past my home. There wasn’t long to wait for my LNER train to Stevenage but there were already messages that we would be arriving in Stevenage late with the possibility of missing the train home (which didn’t bother me because I thought we were on the every half hour timetable).

The loo door was faulty someone explained how to force it closed and lock it so crisis was averted.

Sat and ate my late lunch (a delicious cheese and Christmas coleslaw sandwich, chocolate and hazelnut pot, and salted crisps with a bottle of water).

All was chilling along fine through the foggy landscape until we got to Peterborough…

Then there was the classic “you’re in my seat.”

Calmly I explained it’s reserved for me from Retford to Stevenage.

“It’s reserved for me to Kings Cross” and a phone is thrust towards me. I show my reservation and point to my walking stick and long white cane. Luckily a guard checks both our phones…

Tells the person it is my seat till Stevenage and points out they weren’t meant to get on at Peterborough as their ticket was Newcastle to Stevenage to then change to my train/seat… oops.

Anyway Stevenage was the next stop about half an hour away with me expecting to leap off my train and either straight across the platform to my next train or to wait half an hour for my next train if I missed it.

I get my backpack down 5 to 10 minutes before we’re due in the station and start getting ready to get off as I know passenger assistance is always busy and expected as has happened before I’d need to get myself off and then find someone…

My phone starts ringing… unknown caller I let it go to voicemail…

I haven’t even got chance now to silence it 7 calls within 5 mins and only when I’m in the taxi do I get the chance to silence my phone…

Oh but I skipped a step.

I’m helped off the train and told because there’s no staff at Welwyn North they’ve arranged a taxi to take me there… as my train to Welwyn North slowly left the station…

Another passenger asks my assistant when the next train is and is told it’s Sunday/ holiday timetable so in an hour.

I feel grateful to get the taxi provided.

Walking from Welwyn North to home I enjoyed some Christmas lights.

Getting home I finally check the phone calls I couldn’t answer on the train/ platform/ and in the taxi which were from Passenger Assistance to let me know they’d booked me a taxi and from the taxi to let me know where it was *facepalm*