That's The Kind Of Rain I Hate - Episode 31, Day 53 - Cardiff to Swansea
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
- It's the 28th June, we're in Wales, heading west! To Fishguard, and Pembrokeshire. We just wish the weather was a little better ...
Download the All The Stations theme tune from iTunes here: itunes.apple.com/gb/album/all... (other stores are available....)
Geoff and Vicki are visiting ALL 2,563 national railway stations in Britain - view the progress map and loads more information about the project on the website at: allthestations.co.uk/
ROUTE: Cardiff - Swansea - Fishguard Harbour - Whitland - Haverfordwest - Milford Haven - Pembroke Dock - Carmarthen - Swansea
To the Rains!...
The reason why the track doesn't end in Milford Haven is that there used to be a station further west called Hakin Docks which closed due to its close proximity to Milford Haven.
Why couldn't they close Milford Haven station instead?
Look at a map of the town and you'll see why.
The railway also ran beyond Milford Haven into the Royal Naval Armaments Depot.
You are correct.
Hang about, i thought it was Milford Haven Docks and Oil terminal? Or is that a bit further back up the line?
Slightly off topic, but if you two don't get offered a broadcast TV series then there is no justice in the world.
Been thinking the same thing!
I prefer them on CZcams. Broadcast TV with them in would be dumbed down and overproduced. They do deserve to make a living sharing their knowledge of and love for the railways though.
CZcams allows it to be seen by the world- Geoff and Vicki deserve $$$
All the Stations Ireland! 1:56 Prescient :-) :-)
Foreshadowing!
Clearly a teaser 😮
I love this project. I'm doing something similarly epic, although on a smaller scale. I have a black and white street map of Hemel Hempstead and, by the end of the year, will have walked the length of every road (and most of the paths) on it, colouring them in as I go. I only really have time to do it at weekends and I started in January, so I'm roughly halfway through at the moment.
How did it go?
Even the rough areas?
@@insignificantaftermathPROJECTS man up
@@andrei19238 Done. Now it's your turn.
Just chiming in to add a little more info about Milford Haven.
As mentioned by a few other commenters, the track extends beyond the station because of the short lived and stupidly close Hakin Docks station. After Hakin Docks closed and the track was lifted, the remaining stub was left in as a shunt neck so locomotives had a place to change ends (using the recently lifted passing loop, which had canned any chance of heritage railtours ever visiting the town again).
Milford was once a sort of major railhead. GWR advertised Milford as the place "where the fish comes from". The car park of the retail park parallel to the station was once mostly sidings for fish and goods trains, while a branch which ran behind the station car park took fish trains directly to the docks and in wartime, armaments trains beyond the docks to RNAD Newton Noyes.
Nothing rail wise exists beyond the station now, besides a warning sign (triangular road sign with a train, like at open level crossings) in the marinas dry boat storage (may not be there now, haven't looked for a while), a W board tucked away in some hedgerow along the old RNAD branch, and some partially in situ sidings at the end of the former branch.
There were some rumblings a few years back about an intermodal ship/road/rail freight depot opening on the former RNAD site but that seems to have vanished and now nobody really knows what's happening with the place.
You should definitely do an ATS Ireland!
Oh...nevermind, you already do now.....
Fun fact: the town of Fishguard is the site of the Battle of Fishguard, the last ever invasion of mainland Britain.
In 1797, 1,400 French troops landed near the town. They were opposed by a small force of reservists and local militia, but things took an odd turn; the French saw a large group of people on a nearby cliff in British military uniforms, a black hat and a red coat. What they didn't realise was that local traditional dress for Welsh women was a black top hat and a red dress, and the "soldiers" were actually local Welsh women gawping at the spectacle. So, 1797, vicinity of Fishguard, Wales, 1,400 French soldiers surrendered to a group of Welsh women in traditional dress.
Chwarae Teg/Fair play to Vicki for the Welsh in all of these videos.
Chi gwneud yn dda iawn / You're doing great!
Milford Haven is the end of the Earth. I had to drive there and back from Surrey, one Sunday about 18 years ago, only departing at about midday. That was the day I found out quite how much of Wales there is not only West of Cardiff but also beyond the end of the M4. Lots, is the answer. Lots and lots.
@@elizabethmh_465 - it was a service call to fix a fault on an alarm system.
BEST opening so far.... impressive apparating!!!!! 🤓👍
1:59 Be careful what you wish for, Vicki 😆👍🏻
Smoky Bacon, man I miss those. Keep up the great work. I love turning people here in Alexandria, Va on to the journey.
From an Arriva Trains Wales driver who signs the route to Milford Haven:
It was there for running a locomotive back around. The station used to have points and a second track alongside for the same reason.
This should really be a TV series
wait to you get to Scotland, you will experience "driech" which is that rain you were complaining about.
...and there's nowhere on earth more dreich than Breich, the second least used station in Scotland. ( 2.6 passengers per week 2015/2016.)
Paula White ha
What a great guide you had. He knew a lot about the area 👍
Trains are pretty good, mostly on time, get you reasonably to most towns ....... It is just the cost for one person is usually close to the cost of fuel to make the journey in a small diesel .... For 2 or more the cost of a train is just too much.
Unless you have a Two Together Railcard....
Geoff hates rain, Vicki - "I'm learning so much about you Geoff". 😂
Love how Vicki hinted the All the Stations in Ireland. Did they know they were going to do that already to give us a hint.
Yep it was an unscheduled teaser 😅
Sitting waiting for a train at Saundersfoot in 2023 and thought I'd check back to see when all the stations visited. (Pleased to report a bin bag blowing in the breeze is present in 2023)
I hope we'll get an episode which includes Barmouth. The railway bridge there is very special.
I travelled to see a friend in Swansea two weeks ago by train, now I have this fascination with British railway.
Swansea is a beautiful station and my favorite one.
Though I didn’t enjoy Liverpool Street or the Underground.
Also being stuck in Swindon for nearly an hour was scary.
But it was worth the trip.
There was a WW2 arms depot past Milford Haven Station. It's derelict now and has several underground storage tunnels. I'm gutted I missed you so close to me!!! I guessed you'd be around but my son was ill and I couldn't get out 😢
Constant reminders that many many Welsh settled in Pennsylvania (not surprising but there are more place names than I thought! especially around Main Line Philly...).
It was on the high speed HST boat train from Fishguard to London that I heard of Princess Diana's death. The guard announced it at around 5.00am-5.30am. I remember loads of people started crying.
According to Railways of Pembrokeshire by John Morris, Milford Docks station was opened in 1898 for a trans- atlantic shipping service. This was short lived as the ship became trapped in ice a few weeks later. The line beyond the station was retained for access to the docks. By the 1970s, dock trains were worked by locos kept in a shed under the old Hakin Bridge. By the early 80s, this had stopped and a buffer stop was in place after the headshunt for the run round loop. By this time, trains for the munitions trains to Newton Noyes reached the depot along the sidings behind the station where there was a gate at the start of a cutting. BR locos would leave the wagons there for an RNAD loco to take them onwards. From this video it looks like the run round loop was been removed.
I once got the first train out of Fishguard Harbour on a Monday morning at about 6:30am because I had been on holiday in Wales and needed to go back to work in Oxfordshire that afternoon. Thankfully I made it back by lunchtime!
Ahh, the Mighty Mug, been using one for about 6 months and it's brilliant. Magically brilliant, can't recommend then enough on the train or like me in the office near the keyboard if you're clumsy!
Wow ! My family went on holiday to Saundersfoot every yeard until I was 10 and I didn't even know there was a station there. I also remember going to Manorbier Castle
In a similar vein to Geoff’s treatise on types of rain, read So Long and thanks for all the Fish, by Douglas Adams, which also features a main character called Fenchurch.
1. It rains when it's even sunny. Also you can come across the 2nd 7 crossing and the English side glorious sunshine and minutes later on the Welsh side raining but then we don't care .
2. When are we going to see the Ebbw vale line and risca yes I do harp on about but I'm passionate about my line and my station .
3. Once again great video thank you Geoff n Vickie 👍🏻
I like that the discussion on the English-Welsh divide was carried out while walking past something from Scotland. :-)
hi great work guys iv watched all your video and ive enjoy each one
All that moisture you see is my tears after you missed out Port Talbot Parkway. (PTA) :''(
Infrequent services (like the Saturday only Brigg Line) are so annoying. There are so many people using the trains these days that TOC's should look into operating more frequent services on all their lines. Also, maybe network rail could look into re-opening some old lines that would be really handy today *cough cough* Grimsby to Louth *cough cough*
Certain things will be in the way - like peaks parkway for one
H010 or the Mablethorpe Line
Cannock to Stafford would be lovely as well! It's only used for freight now.
I once arrived at Llaneli for a job interview (from Birmingham no less) in absolutely torrential rain. I got so wet that when I arrived at the location I was given a towel and told to dry myself off and take a few minutes to collect myself. During the interview I made the old joke about not being responsible for the weather but I never got the job so...
It turns out even Geoff has his vices!
I used Fishguard Harbour station once. I got the overnight ferry from Rosslare and then caught the 0150 train to Swansea. Swansea station at 3.30 in the morning was very quiet. I then got the 0350 first London train of the day.
I love Swansea, my ex went to Uni there and I always enjoyed the bit after Cardiff!
I came down to Cardiff literally the day you filmed this
When you talked about smoking, I expected a cut-away shot of Vicky with a Sherlock Holmes style pipe
Or a Camberwell Carrot™
I moved to Pembroke Dock in November, while the trains are irregular it's quite nice to have that connection, especially without owning a car
Kind of interesting fact about Pembroke Dock. It's home to Arriva Trains Wales longest service which goes on a regional class 175 all the way from Manchester to Pembroke Dock 2 times a day on Saturday afternoons.
Do have to say, on my two-week trip to Ireland and Britain a few years ago my only days with proper rain were the ones in Wales.
Walked from the Pembroke quay to the (lovely!) Pembroke Dock station in driving rain. Waited the better part of an hour under the canopy doing my best to dry off.
Bought that book after Geoff recommendation, great book.
Pembrokeshire is very popular with holidaymakers from the Midlands, which is probably where the 'Little England' nickname came from.
I'm not so sure about that, given how the English-speaking tendency of Pembrokeshire south of the Landsker Line goes back a lot further than the last century
As someone who lives in south east Ireland, Fishguard Harbour is my local station (only 110km away) and I've been there many times. About ferry services, prices start at £79 and rarely rise too far above that. Times were changed because there are four ferries to Wales from Rosslare each day and the two competing ferry companies' ships leave within 15 minutes of each other for years, leaving someone to wait 12 hours if the times didn't suit them. So Stena Line changed their times to give passengers better choice and they drastically cut some ticket prices for foot passengers (go to Ireland and back for £12 in an afternoon) and unfortunately it meant their ships no longer met trains, but it meant that passengers coming FROM Fishguard could get a train onward to Dublin from Rosslare... I was waiting for this video to come out for a while now and you did Fishguard justice.
That is good news! Last time I was in that neck of the woods, the ferry would have entered Rosslare Europort about the time the last train left for Dublin, as there are no trains any more to Waterford and beyond. In my case, the ship was delayed as well, so I was lucky to catch the last (?) bus of the day going into Wexford. I definitely have to check it out, again then.
Bart Van de Walle unfortunately so! Irish Rail are an awful train operating company, they have no interest in running a railway properly (a bit like southern!) there is very little real service down to Rosslare but it's not so bad if you're coming from Wales to anywhere along the Dublin line I suppose. It's a beautiful line with beautiful scenery but line speeds are awful in comparison to the motorway... a lot like the line between Fishguard/ Milford Haven/ Pembroke to Carmarthen.
Totally agree, loved the scenery in the Wicklow Mountains and along the coast near Greystones and along the river Slaney. I haven't seen all the Irish Network, but that line was, together with Coleraine to Derry, my favourite on the Emerald Isle up until now.
How dare you insult Southern. They have been very good for the last two months! Hope it continues, though. It's been, abysmal, and nobody that counts give a sh*t. We had foreign students walking from West Worthing to Durrington due to lack of trains, with no assiatance or advice. What a tale they will have told back home. It's bad for our reputation as an engineering and knowledge-based nation. In the long-run, that means decline.
Neil Wilson Southern have absolutely zero credibility the only miracle is that they haven't collapsed already. The UK network is one step away from disaster these days. If something major were to go wrong at any London hub there would be carnage in terms of transport. The UK desperately needs transport investment...
The line past the station went on to the old RNAD depot which closed in 1991 which use to have MOD trains in and send out
Milford Haven is also famous for having a few kings visit: Henry II and his army caught the ferry there (rather than Fishguard) to invade Ireland thus contributing some thousands to the foot-traffic statistics. This feat was repeated centuries later by Cromwell. The Haven was also the landing spot of Henry Tudor who sailed from France. He made his way to Market Bosworth near Leicester. He must have caught the train with a few changes, perhaps at Swansea, Cardiff, Birmingham and others to get up to Leicester for match day to defeat Richard III.
My favourite episode, Swansea lass 🦢
Ferryside beach is the one i was talking about and it is amazing. you can see the trains from the beach :D
Yes, do all the Irish stations!!! There are definitely fewer than 2,563 :)
Well, they did it later on, and I'm looking forward to watching their adventures in Ireland when I've finished this series.
Nice looking stone shelter on the platform at Manorbier.
13:40 - I have a thoroughly overactive imagination. The clip showed two young people getting off the train and talking to each other for like 5 seconds - and in that time I already made up a full-on Romeo and Juliet type family situation that will spin out of control because one of the mean brothers watches this channel and sees the two talking to each other, carnage and violence throughout the small town, disrupted lives and a story that will live in local legend - all started by an unaware couple that just wanted evidence that they had been at every station. Maybe I should become a writer... :D
Well at Mildford Haven the line just carries on a little way and stops just short of a roundabout. It probably went down to the docks originally.
Thank you for having us Geoff and Vicki! Let me know where to send an untippable mug to so you can use it on your journey! :D
hey Darryl! send us a FB msg, and we'll give you an address. you were great on video! thank you!!
All sorts of lovely old photos about of Milford stations as they were if you go rummaging. Line went over to Hakin Point, and passed though the Fish Docks where the trawlers landed their catch which could be taken out directly by rail to the rest of the country. I just about remember the fish dock platforms (and the smell!!) and a wonderful old stone built Ice Factory nearby. The modern Marina complex is there now. The RNAD armaments depot at Blackbridge was also rail connected and had armaments delivered from Trecwn (you passed that branch line on the way to/from Fishguard) I will have to look to see how far track still reaches at Milford - I know it used to get at least as far as the Maritime Museum but not been down in a long while, it may be the connection to the depot was mothballed rather than being taken up.
I know it's a late comment but on Thursday my mum finished her charity walk at Amroth and I saw the line you were on in this vid all the way down and it's brilliant that arriva give free wifi
I've been to Manorbier Castle. Some of the 1988 BBC production of The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe was filmed there.
The castle is a long long way from the station.
Another great video. let us know when your coming to Burton :)
i love your videos u speak Welsh very well I'm from Llanelli
Yay for visiting all the stations in Greater London! But some grey spots on the map really bugged me, such as Corby and the Leatherhead to Horsham line, and Retford too. I might be wrong though, Geoff and Vicki may have already visited these places.
yes, that's because we haven't been to them yet!
Before your best friend PETER starts replying, at 4:46 is that GEOFF doing RESEARCH! I may be wrong ;) but this is a great video I was ready to hear Quaint for Pembroke Dock station, Geoff and Vickie please keep these video coming they are amazing Quaint to watch
+Sim0nTrains so are yours!
You should come back and check out the new station at Port Talbot! Although the d*cks that built the place won't finish the platform, and Network Rail won't clean the damn place until they finish the platform, the outside and structure of it is really a sight to see in my small town. Really cool station!
That mug is magic and he looks like a Weasley! Hmmmmmm
Thank you :P
And is £15. Too expensive. I'll just keep using a standard mug or bottle.
Ive watched every single one
Fishguard harbour is the equivalent of a heritage railway station that has occasional network rail service
Except Fishguard has the 💨 form people and heritage railway station doesn’t have the 💨 form people
The line carries on due to there having previously been a naval dockyard and port there and the line extended further though the town
All the Stations in Ireland?! Oh, yesyesyesyes!
All the ferries
Thanks Just me my next character for November part of my project. 'Unsung Pioneers in History'.
that beach that you went through at the start of the video opposite the water i have been to
You’ve found a matching Anorak!🤣👋
It would have been good to hear about the 2012 reopening of Fishguard & Goodwick station.
I ❤️ 🏴
It really is funny that you guys seem to know somebody at most of the stations that can give you a ride from one station to another. They have to be someone you know well enough to ask that favor from. And then to even remember where all these people live to ask in the first place.
Aren't they often people who've made contact through following their adventures? So not old friends but new ones.
>Stena Line
>Foot passengers aren't seen as important.
See also Stranraer, which had its ferry moved to Cairnryan, losing the railway connection.
Damn, you didn't show Gowerton and, even worse you missed out the lovely castles of Pembroke, Carmarthen, Kidwelly and Swansea. Hardly 'All the Castles', or is that next year's project?
Interesting aside. As the railway crosses the river Llwchwr (Swansea side) at Loughor there is a small castle built on top of a Roman auxiliary fort for a cavalry unit. When I was a kid and the road bridge was being built there was a World War II pillbox uncovered with a view down the Burry inlet. An interesting continuation of defences through history.
Depends how far in advance you book, but it can be as "cheap" as £79 one way to take your car across from Fishguard to Rosslare. Not a bargain but not £300.
SailRail fares are relatively cheap; £41 advance from Paddington to Rosslare. Considering it's £32 just from Fishguard to Rosslare, I can't imagine the train companies make any money on the SailRail fares.
uncriticalsimon I agree with you maybe that's if you book on the day at short notice. or a return after so many days.
uncriticalsimon very rarely less than 200, and often more than 300! Rosslare is close to me, I'd use the ferry more often if it wasn't so expensive.
Andy Linton Return? Or one-way?
uncriticalsimon return. It's 320 next weekend.
Andy Linton I remember it being less when I last did it, but I also went on the night boat.
Stena Europa was built as M/S Kronprinsessan Victoria in 1981 for Sessanlinjen and went between Gothenburg and Fredrikshavn. After Sessanlinjen was bought by their competitor on the same route Stena Line it was renamed Stena Saga in 1988 and started to traffic Fredrikshavn - Oslo. In 1994 it was renamed Stena Europe and was transferd to the English channel were it was stationed untill 2002 (had a short visit to Karlskrona - Gdynia in -97) when it again was transferd to its current route Fishguard - Rosslare.
Not their best ship, I must say. I was sick as a dog (there had been a storm the day before I sailed) the one time I took it, but ok. I used Stena Brittanica on the Hook of Holland line, Stena Adventurer on Holyhead-Dublin, Stena Superfast X on Belfast-Cairnryan (not the usual ship, which meant the foot bridge coudn't be used, if I remember correctly), and I used Stena on some Scandinavian routes as well. They were all ok, but Stena Europa had the most tired look of them all.
It's the oldest ship in their fleet, with Stena Danica from 1982 as no 2. It should be retired in a few years time if not the route is withdrawn. It's the same with Gothenburg - Fredrikshavn where Stena Danica has been since it was taken in service to compete with Sessanlinjens then new Kronprinsessan Victoria (Stena Europa).
Let's hope it gets replaced, then, even if only by a vessel replaced at an other route.
Yes, knowing Stena it will not be a brand new ferry.....
The 1994-97 stint was on the Harwich - Hook of Holland route, alpngside the Dutch vessel Koningen Beartrix, which also operated the Fishguard - Rosslaire service whilst Stena Europe was on Karlskrona - Gdynia. They were later swapped over.
Maybe you can try Northern Ireland next year, starting from Great Victoria Street Station in Belfast.
And they eventually did an All The Stations for the whole of Ireland
I'm only a minute and a half in, but you've already got a thumbs up for talking about Eileen Beasley.
But the video title's wrong, so minus 200 points. Fire one of the Dans.
Hi I'm an American so I don't know much but you might want to read the bizarre yet epic book "Wild Wales" by possibly kindred spirit George Borrow. He walked from the North end of Wales (Llangollen) to Cardiff. Walked. Literally. Also he was a nut but it's a fun read. Lots of Wales has changed hardly at all since when he wrote the book (around 1851 or 2, during the Crimean War).
A big ferry born here in my home city of Gothenburg.
I believe its a shunting neck for locos.
The ferry is usually about 300, sometimes more, less if there's special offers. I'm sure if they reduced it they'd get much more traffic. At Rosslare, in even more of an effort to dissuade foot passengers, the station has been moved further away from the boats, and the trains don't really coincide very well with ferry times. And you should come to do All The Irish Stations! It'd probably take a couple of weeks.
For example, return next week is £320.
The train connections have become better, I read. The trains were of no use in Rosslare, before, leaving before the ferry arrived, or arriving after it had sailed. Really a pity, with a station that is owned (!) by Irish Rail... Now you have a 90' connection, which is not ideal, but at least, it's relatively reliable and not too much of a problem. Too bad the line to Waterford is gone, in spite of the protest. It, too, had a timetable which came down to a boycot...
Good call Vicky! Smokey Bacon crisps - much better than smoking.
Now I know how to pronounce Manorbier. I always thought it was pronounced as 'Man-or-bee-er'!!
Man or beer?
10:30, the train carries on to a now closed line to hacking docks and newton noyes.
You didn't go to Tenby!!!!!!
Edit: This is a 3 years older me, with a new comment, thanks to the enlightenment i recieved from @Andy McCabe, who so kindly reminded me of my heinous ignorance from 3 years ago.
It's a shame they didn't show any footage of Tenby! It has a lovely old Victorian station similar to Pembroke Dock's station which (If i remember correctly) Geoff liked.
Please can someone explain to this person what the phrase 'all the stations' means - and what 'editing' is .........?!?!
you know morar on the west highland line also has a non automatic level crossing
Re: Daren from Haverfordwest's amazing untippable mug. I remember when you were in Derbyshire, for some reason you posed the question "Whatstandwell?". So you now have the answer, Daren from Haverfordwest's amazing untippable mug.
Yay Ireland 🇮🇪 try learning Irish it's so hard but the train in Rosslare Europort leaves 10minutes before the boat arrives so expect a long wait (if you were going to Ireland 👍)
Did you find Irish hard in school?. I had an exemption from Irish so I didn't have to learn it but I had to sit in the classes and I saw my friends learning it. I think some of them struggled with it. I bet half of them left school well able to learn off poems and essays but not able to order a pint in Irish. They need to change the syllabus, focus on spoken language and grammar and leave the literature stuff as an optional subject. The literature could be optional after Junior Cert. They should do the same with English.
stephthestar90 Ah I'm still in school so yeah it's hard but when you get the jist it gets Easier But most people don't Listen when class is on it kind of depends on how I feel on the day but I'm still in school 🤷♀️ I don't know really sorry
What year are you in? How did you find learning Irish so far?What's the hardest part of it? Was it hard in primary school? I guess when people are messing it makes things harder no matter what subject. Plus some people are not great at languages. I have looked at the Irish exam papers and it seems they teach it like English. What are your favourite and least favourite subjects?
cell phone needs to be further from the camera at 3:48, i can here the "hand shake" signal. heard it occasionally on other episodes .
gotta love pacers
Isn't the shortest distance between stations on the National rail network between Culrain and Invershin on the Far North line?
your should do all the stations in Ireland
Pacers Pacers here and there, Pacers Pacers everywhere!
Made the classic wales mistake: You must always be prepared for it to rain, whether that is having a coat or not caring if you get wet doesn't matter