Holiday
WG’s Summer Cruise, June 2026 – Part Two
Wednesday 10th June – Home to Southampton and to sea Very little to do this morning before leaving home. I did have to lug my suitcase downstairs from a spare bedroom where I had been [more…]
Travelogue
Holiday
WG’s Summer Cruise, June 2026 – Part One
The Prologue I booked this cruise while onboard P&O Arvia in the Caribbean the Christmas before last (2024). P&O are a bit artful, they leave a copy of the latest cruise brochure in your stateroom, [more…]
19th Century
The Realer World of Little Trains
Burnham, Starmer, by-elections, defence reviews, World Cups, wars and the cost of living? Meh. Never mind all of that, what’s happening in the realer world of little trains? I have an embarrassing gap on my [more…]
19th Century
One Hundred Years Ago This Very Day
The ‘Grim up north’ trope reminds of Northern England’s story of endless decline. In reality, the region produced immense wealth through the likes of textiles, steel, coal and shipbuilding. Influential industrialists’ fortunes rivalled those in [more…]
Travel
Off We Go Again (Fingers Crossed)
Devastation struck Puffindom earlier in the year when readers heard of Mrs AWS’s Christmas present falling flat. Her once-in-a-lifetime diverted train trip from Carlisle to Preston via the scenic Settle-Carlisle railway suffered a last second [more…]
Diary
WG’s Christmas Cruise 2025 – Part Five
Friday 2nd January – at sea (mostly) The sea seems to have calmed down overnight. It is still rather windy, but the sea state has changed to moderate, with a long, slow swell, and it [more…]
Diary
WG’s Christmas Cruise 2025 – Part Four
Monday 29th December, Lanzarote I woke up about 05:30 and we were moving very slowly off the coast of Lanzarote. It is still dark and the lights along the coast were twinkling. Much too early [more…]
Geology
Carlisle-Settle-Preston
It’s Wednesday morning around 9:00 and I’m at Carlisle station. AWS didn’t manage to make his proposed rail journey down to Preston because of cancellations. Hongkonger has done rather better. The train at platform 3 [more…]
Diary
WG’s Christmas Cruise 2025 – Part Three
Thursday 25th December, Christmas Day at Sea I started my Christmas Day with the Bing Bong of the ship’s tannoy waking me from my slumbers and the voice of the ship’s Captain apologising for the [more…]