A relatively straightforward day in many ways. All the lines have relatively frequent services, though some are non-existent on Sundays, so it had to be a Saturday. And one ticket - the Valleys Explorer - covered the lot. As far as I could see I could get most of the lines in today. So I set off from Paddington earlyish on a cold but sunny day. I am so familiar with Paddington now but I never tire of departing from here. It's one of the last London stations to evoke that feeling of really departing for somewhere else. As you rise out of the tube, the cavernous cathedral like space opens around you. The smell of diesel exhaust evokes that feeling that you are about to go on a real journey. You look up at Brunel's great arched roof and see the clouds of smoke from roaring Cornwall expresses and you can really imagine it in the days of steam, with scampering crowds of excited children in shorts and raincoats heading off for two weeks in Bideford Bay.
My first stop is a bit different - Cardiff Central. The 125 arrives a bit late and there are long queues in the booking office, so I miss the next leg of the day's festivities. I do a quick mental re-jig then leap on to a 2 coach Pacer to the end of the short Coryton branch. This appears to be a suburb of Cardiff. I remain on the train as it makes its return. The re-jig means I get off at Cardiff Queen Street rather than Central; if I stay on I'll miss my next train as it passes us in the opposite direction.
This is a two coach Sprinter heading for the bleak post-mining community of Rhymney (pronounced Rum-ney). It actually has a junction with the Coryton line at Heath, where there are Low Level and High Level stations - a pleasingly old fashioned term largely removed elsewhere. But not knowing the territory it's safer to stick to Queen Street. At Rhynmney I have time to walk the steepish hill to the town for some water before returning to the waiting return train. I note Caerphilly Castle on the way back and mark it down for a return visit after all the nonsense of the quest.
True heads-down questing follows; there are three branches to plough through now. First up is Merthyr Tydfil. Once home to the mines and the ironworks, it is now home to Asda, and seemingly, a machine for duplicating chavs. I am pleased to bail out. I change trains at Abercynon. This has two stations - North and South - on different lines but within touching distance of each other, though you still have to walk up the road that connects them. I gather there are plans to rebuild the two stations as one interchange, which makes a lot of sense. Abercynon is a faintly grim town, though not exactly threatening. At the North station I take another Sprinter to Aberdare. I remember little of this trip now. However what strikes me is that the landscape in South Wales is beautiful, lush rivers and valleys in every direction, but tainted by graffiti and dumped cars in every stream.
I have to change at Pontypridd (Pontypreeth) which is at that point the most horrible place I have ever waited for a train. There are yobs EVERYWHERE, the presence of several police not putting them off but making me feel marginally safer. I will be pleased to get this one over with. A Sprinter takes me and the crowds up to Treherbert. This is rough. There are security guards on the return train. Kids throw stuff at the train. I've heard since that Arriva Trains are threatening to withdraw services because they cannot guarantee the safety of their staff. What a world. Despite having more sources of entertainment than any previous generation, the current bunch of kids are still using being bored as an excuse to be obnoxious. It's about time that someone taught them they don't have a right to be entertained. Grateful to be free of this painful area, I head back past the dreaded Pontypridd, where things are quiet now, and get off at Radyr.
This change is to enable me to return to Cardiff Central via the line that comes into the west of the city, having travelled east out of the city earlier. I have a moderate wait for this particular route, and have a wander round. It's dark now, so there isn't much to see. There are lots of new houses going up in addition to the many suburban streets already there. It's also a well-used Park and Ride facility, and it's gratifying to see that. A final two coach Pacer arrives from one of the three branches that I've just traversed, and heads along the river and into the Central station. Only a couple of other people are on board. I investigate the possibility of fitting in the Penarth or Bay branches, but neither can be easily accommodated; if there is a hitch I will miss the last train home, which is an early 7.30pm. Instead I decide to tackle these plus the Maestag branch on another day, and head back to the largest of the UK's capitals once more.
London-Cardiff
Cardiff-Coryton
Coryton-Queen Street
Queen Street-Rhymney
Rhymney-Queen Street
Queen Street-Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil-Abercyon South
Abercyon North-Aberdare
Aberdare-Pontypridd
Pontypridd-Treherbert
Treherbert-Pontypridd
Pontypridd-Radyr
Radyr-Fairwater-Cardiff Central
Cardiff-London
Saturday 3 February 2007
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