It’s nice to get away from it all.
Not that there’s all that much of an all to get away from. I mean, yeah, there’s the usual aches, pains, and inconveniences of life, and yes there are elements to said lie that are less than ideal and oft lead to a degree of stress and upset, but who doesn’t have those?
Still, it’s nice to leave it all behind for a few days, and this past weekend was just such an occasion. A trip to see good friends in distant and exotic Derbyshire. Not the farthest flung destination, but a break from the norm. New air, different surroundings, and the promise of a stress free break.
Well… in theory.
Access No Areas
To set the scene, this weekend’s little adventure was seeded a few short weeks ago, when an old friend (well, not quite as old as me, but we’re all getting there) pointed out the local Travelodge had some cheap rates. Acting on this information, diaries were quickly synced, a date settled on, transport and accommodation booked, and a few days away for myself and Tina, my ever-extraordinary wife. We even booked the car into a long term parking facility for a couple of nights. All was sorted. All was done.
Right up until I rang the train company to book disabled access.
We were due to leave from Leeds Train Station, a large, well frequented facility with all mod-cons. It’s a station I’ve used many times before without much in the way of a problem. The difference this time was the day of our departure was also the day selected to service the station’s lifts.
This meant getting to our designated platform went from being a formality to almost an impossibility. Luckily the guy from Northern Rail (who are in charge of organising ramps and the kind) had a solution. A taxi was booked (by them) to take me from Leeds to Wakefield Westgate Train Station. From there getting to, and boarding the train would be a doddle. He even booked the same service for our return on the Sunday (which, it turned out, we didn’t need).
One Direction
So, job done, right? Well that all depends on twenty hours notice being enough time for said taxi service to source and book a disabled friendly taxi. Something that, apparently, is not the case.
Cue, several long minutes of panic, a plethora of phone calls to the taxi firm, northern rail, and, I think at one point, Horsforth Train Station (No, I don’t know why, either). Eventually, fed up and sick of it all, I went in search of a human being to speak to. A dash to the information desk, a couple of sentences to the bloke manning it, and we were following said bloke to the freight elevator, which was working, and from there on to our platform.
This was not the end to the fun.
Once safely on our way, we were faced with the task of presenting out e-tickets to the train’s conductor, a gentleman who asked if we knew Alfreton Train Station (our destination) was only accessible from one direction, and it wasn’t the one we were headed in. Which we didn’t.
Admittedly, this was an oversight on our part (yes, Tina, I’m dragging you into this). I mean, it might be said that in 2024, one might expect most if not all train facilities to be accessible. One should still probably check, though. I’m not sure what we could or would have done upon checking, mind you. The only solution offered by our conductor friend was to go to Nottingham, where the train changed direction and travel black up the line to the accessible platform.
Away Days
The added mileage added forty five minutes to our journey, and another spike of anxiety to our frazzled minds, but, luckily, there were no pre-planned connections we were in danger of missing, so the additional time and stress didn’t, in the long run, count for too much. It didn’t improve my mood when we found out the Travelodge was of the smaller variety, and the pre-booked breakfast, rather than a civilised, Full English style buffet, would be cold, served in a box, and accompanied by freeze dried coffee. Something that only seems to have become widely and noticeably advertised after the fact (I wouldn’t have booked it had I known). Still, the room was nice, the bed comfy, and the staff friendly and accommodating, so I guess you can’t have everything.
This meant getting to our designated platform went from being a formality to almost an impossibility. Luckily the guy from Northern Rail (who are in charge of organising ramps and the kind) had a solution. A taxi was booked (by them) to take me from Leeds to Wakefield Westgate Train Station. From there getting to, and boarding the train would be a doddle. He even booked the same service for our return on the Sunday (which, it turned out, we didn’t need).
One Direction
So, job done, right? Well that all depends on twenty hours notice being enough time for said taxi service to source and book a disabled friendly taxi. Something that, apparently, is not the case.
Cue, several long minutes of panic, a plethora of phone calls to the taxi firm, northern rail, and, I think at one point, Horsforth Train Station (No, I don’t know why, either). Eventually, fed up and sick of it all, I went in search of a human being to speak to. A dash to the information desk, a couple of sentences to the bloke manning it, and we were following said bloke to the freight elevator, which was working, and from there on to our platform.
This was not the end to the fun.
Once safely on our way, we were faced with the task of presenting out e-tickets to the train’s conductor, a gentleman who asked if we knew Alfreton Train Station (our destination) was only accessible from one direction, and it wasn’t the one we were headed in. Which we didn’t.
Admittedly, this was an oversight on our part (yes, Tina, I’m dragging you into this). I mean, it might be said that in 2024, one might expect most if not all train facilities to be accessible. One should still probably check, though. I’m not sure what we could or would have done upon checking, mind you. The only solution offered by our conductor friend was to go to Nottingham, where the train changed direction and travel black up the line to the accessible platform.
Away Days
The added mileage added forty five minutes to our journey, and another spike of anxiety to our frazzled minds, but, luckily, there were no pre-planned connections we were in danger of missing, so the additional time and stress didn’t, in the long run, count for too much. It didn’t improve my mood when we found out the Travelodge was of the smaller variety, and the pre-booked breakfast, rather than a civilised, Full English style buffet, would be cold, served in a box, and accompanied by freeze dried coffee. Something that only seems to have become widely and noticeably advertised after the fact (I wouldn’t have booked it had I known). Still, the room was nice, the bed comfy, and the staff friendly and accommodating, so I guess you can’t have everything.
As for the weekend itself, well that made the whole rigmarole worthwhile. It was fantastic to meet up with good and overly generous friends again, and lovely to visit their lovely home for the first time. Add in the meal at a local Italian Tapas restaurant, an evening of drunken karaoke and vintage computer games, lashings and lashings of alcohol, a small difficulty with Tina’s footwear (shhh!), and a visit to a couple of the nearby small towns and villages (the immediate area being a loose network of the same) we really enjoyed our little trip away.
The journey home passed with far less eventfulness (just one half-hour delay at Sheffield, courtesy of Storm Bert, leaving both Tina and I tired but smiling. A break away is worth a lot, but good friends, well they’re priceless.
Until next time.
Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think.
New Tales Of Old
Death Ship
Pestilence: Drabbles 1
Reaperman: Drabbles 3
The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu
Eldritch Investigations
The journey home passed with far less eventfulness (just one half-hour delay at Sheffield, courtesy of Storm Bert, leaving both Tina and I tired but smiling. A break away is worth a lot, but good friends, well they’re priceless.
Until next time.
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Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think.
New Tales Of Old
Death Ship
Pestilence: Drabbles 1
Reaperman: Drabbles 3
The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu
Eldritch Investigations
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