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Category: Railway History

May 27, 2022

northernvicarwalks – December 2021 to April 2022

I started to write a monthly “northernvicarwalks” blog when church crawling was impossible during Covid, and it helped me keep my sanity. I hope it also proved to anyone who reads this blog that I am still active (or, more likely, sedentary). During Covid I did a daily facebook ramble, and this seemed a good place to store them – if posterity will be interested. I post less often now, and won’t be archiving these any more. But here I am at the end of May 2022, and I have not touched this blog for almost six months. I...
Categories Railway History Comment: 1
December 26, 2021

northernvicarwalks – November 2021

This was the month we finally managed to restart our Toddler Group, and that was a huge pleasure. Remembrance Sunday was busy too – I felt mixed emotions, pleased that the place was full, but worried about the number of people who were there. I managed two train trips – a day to Hull and a morning up the Joint Line. An almost-daily Facebook Ramble. We had two lovely days out. Sadly Bourneville church was locked, though the bookshop was open. Kenilworth church was open, but there was a wedding in progress (how dare they be busy when northernvicar...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Derbyshire/Railway History Comments: 0
December 26, 2021

northernvicarwalks – September 2021

I don’t know if anyone reads these monthly summaries, but if – in the future – I want to know what railways I did, what walking I didn’t do, or my thoughts on facebook, at least I will know where to find them. There was a railway jaunt based on Sheffield. As well as the London churches I blogged about, I did the Docklands Light Railway and the whole of the Circle line. A ride on the Tyne and Wear Metro while up North with Harry and Sarah. And a couple of journeys while we had a week’s holiday...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Railway History Comment: 1
October 23, 2021

Oswestry, Shropshire – St Oswald

We spent the last week of September 2021 on holiday in Wales, and on Wednesday 29 we crossed the border and went to Oswestry. Julie enjoyed Booka Bookshop, and then we went to St Oswald’s church. The last time I came here was for a job interview in 2008 – the world could have been very different if I’d got that! It was good to find the church open, and they have a website – https://www.stoswaldsoswestry.org.uk/church-history/. In 642 Oswald, King of Northumbria, was killed by Penda, King of Mercia – tradition has it that he died on the spot...
Categories Railway History/Shropshire Comments: 0
September 1, 2021

northernvicarwalks – August 2021

I should entitle these monthly summaries “northernvicardoesn’twalk” or “northernvicarridestherails”. I only walked 20 miles this month. I rode lots of trains. The Wrexham Bidston line, Sheffield trams (though I had to walk the final mile when they took my tram out of service!), the Apedale Railway, two days in Bristol (including a ride through St Philip’s Marsh Depot), Edinburgh and the tram, Birmingham (with two freight lines), and Bedford/Leighton Buzzard. I can feel your excitement! There was a lot of work done – an email from On High “hoping I was having a quiet summer” got a resounding raspberry....
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Railway History/Yorkshire Comments: 2
August 26, 2021

northernvicarwalks – July 2021

Northern Vicar is not very good at walking. I only managed 17 miles this month, partly because of an ingrowing toenail. I did manage railway trips to Marple, the tram curve in the middle of Sheffield, the early morning curves used in Toton yard, the line at Amerton, and the East Coast Main line from Doncaster down to Peterborough and back via Pyewipe Junction in Lincoln. Here are the railway records – part of my campaign to do all British Rail track for a third time. I did manage to do some work. We have 10 am services in...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Northumberland/Railway History/Roman Britain Comments: 0
August 26, 2021

northernvicarwalks – May 2021

Lotherton Hall in Yorkshire, my second railway jaunt (Sheffield across to Lincoln), and Darley Abbey Day (mainly on line, but with a decorated “moment” in the churchyard – have a look at the church website (www.stedsandstmatts.co.uk > News > 2021 January to July) to see more. Renishaw Hall again, with stunning bluebells and bulbs, and an afternoon chasing trains in Liverpool. A trip to the Black Country Museum in Dudley, a trip to the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway, and a few days “up north”. 18 miles walked, but facebook ramblings done almost every day.
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Railway History Comments: 0
August 26, 2021

northernvicarwalks – April 2021

I am sorry the blog has been ignored for ages. People make comments, which I read, but I cannot see how I get those comments on to the pages so you can read them. (I’ve just wasted an hour trying to find out – can anyone help?). We did Holy Week on Zoom (getting far more people for Compline than when we’ve done it in the buildings) and then opened both churches for Easter Sunday morning. We asked people to book so we didn’t have too many in church – Dave Walker in the Church Times summed this Easter...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Railway History Comments: 0
October 21, 2020

northernvicarwalks September 2020

You know it is going to be a bad month when, on 1 September, you go for a 5 mile walk which has as one of its goals, posting a small parcel at the Post Office. Hannah had prepared it, and asked you to post it to a friend of hers’. You stand outside in the queue for 20 minutes, sweltering under your face mask, and text her to ask what the parcel contains. “Face masks”. 4 miles walked the next day at Kedleston, then 4 on my Derwent Valley Walk. We had Scarecrows in Allestree on Saturday, and...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire/Railway History/Yorkshire Comments: 0