Riding the epic railway from Shrewsbury to Swansea The whole of the Heart of Wales Line should have been consigned to the history books, along with milk churns, Bernard Cribbins look-alike porters from the Railway Children, and racing pigeons in baskets waiting to be released. But it survived, to become one of Britain’s most… Continue reading
Ferry force – two villages linked by swift boat across the Towy
The ferry Glansteffan began regular services across the Towy Estuary, from Ferryside to Llansteffan in Carmarthenshire in August 2018. Ferryside and the ferry were the subject of the BBC Radio 4 documentary series, The Patch on Tuesday, September 10th, 2019 – https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005sxl For years Llansteffan has been a tantalising prospect for people in Ferryside and the many… Continue reading
The Girl on the Train arrives on schedule in the West End
The stage version of The Girl on the Train, adapted from the novel by Paula Hawkins, has just arrived at the Duke of York’s theatre in the West End. No waiting at faulty signals, or delays by the wrong type of leaves on the line for this play. It travelled directly from the West Yorkshire… Continue reading
England and New Zealand – the greatest cricket game ever?
So, was Sunday’s World Cup final at Lords the greatest cricket match ever? Some are certainly calling it that. Others stop short with “the greatest ODI final ever.” Sky commentator Ashley Giles slipped in a qualifying ” one of the”, but the Sky website (after all, they were the broadcaster) called it the greatest… Continue reading
How the looming battle over Oxford to Cambridge Expressway might be won
Could the purposed Expressway be the next big road battle in the UK? And is it winnable? Until last month (June 2019), few opponents would have held out much hope of resisting the combined forces of the Highways Agency, which first advanced the £1.5 bn project, and the Westminster government, which almost without fail wins… Continue reading
How BeaconLit was built – creating a book festival in an English village
BeaconLit, a literary festival in Buckinghamshire, was launched in 2013. This year (July 13, 2019) is the seventh festival. People keep coming back, to be inspired, informed and to enjoy the beautiful mystery of what happens when you turn a page (in books both physical and virtual). http://www.beaconlit.co.uk Authors and moderators this summer include Quentin Bates, a… Continue reading