An Anglia Adventure

Whilst this publication has little relevance to London or buses, these transport trips couldn't really miss out on a full write up. The Greater Anglia network will be completely revamped within a couple of years, with an entire fleet of new trains replacing the mixed bag of units currently operating services - I decided that their quirky branch lines would be more fun under the "old" and have subsequently made two trips out of the capital and into the countryside, which are in fact my first proper full days on the rails. Originally, the Anglia adventure was planned to be squeezed into one exhausting marathon of a day, but that prevented actually exploring any of the destinations where trains deposit passengers, so I decided to embark on the easier half on Sunday 29th July 2018.

Greater Anglia 360103 is seen at Harwich Town working the branch line.

My first and second trains happened to be of the Class 360 type - a model I'm all too familiar with thanks to living on the Heathrow Connect TFL Rail route. The 0902 departure from London Liverpool Street took me as far as Manningtree, the penultimate stop on its journey, stopping at a number of stations along the Great Eastern Main Line, which is pretty underwhelming and only provides views which are very "average". Nevertheless, the journey flew by and it was time for another one of these units on the Mayflower Line, which runs between Manningtree and Harwich Town.

Generally speaking, this branch runs at an hourly frequency, with a single unit ploughing back and forth along the 22 minute journey. There is one through service in rush hour to London Liverpool Street and sometimes there are special direct trains to Harwich International from destinations like Lowestoft, Cambridge and London, which connect with boat services to Holland. My train on the Mayflower Line was pretty quiet upon departure, with four carriages being more than adequate given the patronage. After splitting off from the Great Eastern Main Line quite hastily, the train ran through suburbs and some rural patches until Mistley, a quiet station which boasts a wonderful old signal box. However, after this tolerable section some water became visible and revealed why the Mayflower Line is so highly regarded among enthusiasts.

Some boats at Harwich Docks.

This train route runs along the River Stour for the majority of the journey and offers some incredible views of the water just before its estuary, with lots of boats sailing up and down too. After Wrabness the view is almost unspoilt by nature and is probably one of the best opportunities for viewing an admirable river from a train. Harwich International is a very odd station, given that it has hardly any custom outside of boat departure times - it is evident that the popularity of train services has declined given the lack of productivity on its three curved platforms, long enough to occupy an intercity train. On my visit the empty departure lounges looked very eerie and a solitary Class 321 unit was abandoned in one of the platforms, presumably having worked a "boat train" in the morning. The emergence of a huge Stena Line ship sitting in the port emphasised the attempt at integration here. After some more stunning views of the water, the train arrived at Dovercourt, which is the busiest station on the line and seems to contain a large enough selection of housing for it to be well patronised. Harwich Town, the end of the line, is a very short distance from the previous station and there are some lovely posters there about the community involvement with the Mayflower Line, although unfortunately during my visit this seemed to be sealed off.

I gave myself 60 minutes to explore Harwich itself and what became immediately apparent was how much more significant I had imagined the place to be. Outside the station there is a permanently closed First bus garage along with a pitiful "bus station", which is in reality just a small lay-by, along with a load of abandoned beer canisters. The town centre itself is comprised of very narrow streets, with some unusual architecture, although most of the properties here are residential. There are a few eateries, but are scattered everywhere with no singular parade of shops that were actually open at 11:30 on a Sunday. The place doesn't even have a Greggs. After investigating some roads off the beaten track and only finding a UKIP headquarters, I thought it would be wise to turn back and attempt to ignore my persistent hunger, given that the only open restaurant seemed overwhelmingly fancy and only served sea food at extortionate pricing.

However, what I found next was an absolute gem. Despite the torrential rain I envisaged that there would be some commendable views of the sea and maybe even some boats from the road closest to the docks and whilst my expectations were certainly met, it seems that coincidentally I had turned up during what appeared to be something quite significant. Even though some people had packed up and gone home for the day given the terrible weather conditions, music was playing and there were evidently a few market stalls, serving a variety of local produce. Whilst the streets of the town were deserted this place was busy in comparison, with all the community coming together and providing what was a remarkably admirable event.

The Harwich Sea Festival and Lifeboat Day had been meticulously planned for months and it was a shame that despite the previous persistent heatwave the adverse conditions probably lost a sizeable amount of custom. This didn't stop some people however - a number of young girls were cheer leading and the mayor/mayoress of Harwich even showed up for the opening ceremony. Coincidence can be a wonderful thing sometimes.

In the end I decided to actually invest in one of the stalls, as an attempted commendation regarding the fact they actually still bothered to serve food even though many others gave up. True, the roll was soggy as a result of the non-existent shelter and the overpowering wind meant Harwich Pier was littered with crumbs (sorry!), but there was something quite beautiful about undertaking what could've been someone's worst nightmare and simply standing in the middle of the pouring rain and watching the water, completely isolated from the market just metres away. No one dared to venture further than the designated stall area.

Whilst Harwich is probably not somewhere I will visit again, with a shocking lack of facilities, the memory of accidentally stumbling across this low-key but praiseworthy event and watching the whole community soldier on like that, is a memory I will treasure for life. It was time to get back on the train now though, the same Class 360 as last time, back to the Great Eastern Main Line.

A Greater Anglia Class 321 is seen at Wickford.

 Even though the connection from my ex-Harwich service to the intercity train to London was perfect, unfortunately I had to let this opportunity go as this service didn't call at Marks Tey, which was my required destination. Around 10 minutes later, the Ipswich stopper turned up, although in the form of an unrefurbished Class 321 this time, which was busy and due to their cramped interior made the experience rather unpleasant. I was also extremely tempted to correct the passenger sitting behind who claimed to boast about possessing knowledge of Colchester Station having the longest train platform in the UK - this is not strictly true as it splits halfway down and therefore I believe Gloucester wins this award. However, I decided not to cause a commotion and instead reflect on how I would spend my time at Marks Tey. Unfortunately, even though a considerable number of trains stop here and is one of the more prolific stations on the GEML, there is literally nothing to do. The station entrance leads out onto an unpleasant dual carriageway, with no sign of civilisation bar maybe a roundabout in the near distance and a few minutes of walking just ended up back at the station car park. Luckily, the station cafe seemed to be open on a Sunday and I enjoyed a pretty decent hot chocolate which helped to pass time. It did feel quite disorientating having to warm up however, given that the day before I would've been begging for a slushy instead.

Greater Anglia 153309 is seen at Marks Tey working a Sudbury service.

I always find it rather amusing when the announcement is played for a service "formed of 1 coach" - by definition that isn't even a train! It was quite surprising to get a Class 153 train on this line anyway, as usually these services are at least 2 carriages in length, although quieter loadings on Sundays mean this working is probably more acceptable. After a slight delay regarding holding the connection from a late outbound service from London, which proved useful for many passengers, my less than glamorous Sprinter train accelerated away from the GEML for my second branch line of the day. The Gainsborough Line is predominantly rural, with trains running at an hourly frequency between four stations all around six minutes apart, although at the start and end of each day there is a through service to Colchester, for the sake of physically getting the unit on and off the branch. For the entire length the line is single track, although the side which the platform lies alters depending on the station. The first section is quite fun as the train is surrounded by woods, with the leaves getting uncomfortably close at times, although after this a stunning view of the countryside is revealed from a beautiful and lengthy viaduct which this train fortunately uses.

Shortly afterwards, Chappel & Wakes Colne station appeared and was thriving as a seemingly popular event was taking place at the East Anglian Railway Museum, which the branch line seems to bisect. They have a wide variety of heritage stock on offer and even a lovely dining car - a proper visit to this place is certainly necessary. After this, the line is predominantly spent travelling through the Suffolk countryside, perhaps with an occasional village, although there is definitely a quaint atmosphere surrounding the Gainsborough Line. Before the terminus at Sudbury, however, where most passengers alighted, there is Bures Station, which was insignificant until a couple of months ago where it became a request stop and now holds the title of being the closest example to London. On both occasions my train did stop there though, making it look like one of the more popular request stops too. It was quite sad having to step off the unit at Marks Tey as the line provides a consistently entertaining 20 minute journey, although as I crossed the footbridge happiness returned as a Class 360 unit seemed to be the train taking me further down the Great Eastern Main Line, as far as Shenfield.

Greater Anglia 321430 is seen at Southminster.

The familiar sight of TFL Rail services, including the new Crossrail units, at Shenfield gave connotations of London and ultimately my home town, although the day was still incomplete and I was actually jumping on a train bound for Southend Victoria, another unrefurbished Class 321 unit. At Wickford, due to the cross platform interchange, the connection to the Southminster train was tight, but manageable and I successfully boarded this service on my final branch line of the day. There were only around eight people on this train and the number didn't become any higher either, although I imagine the line is used more substantially in peak hours. A scary ticking noise and a broken passenger information system made the train feel quite spooky, especially when stationary given that these units are almost silent. Trains on the Crouch Valley line run at an hourly frequency on Sundays, although on weekdays this is increased to every 40 minutes and some services in rush hour run to London Liverpool Street.

The intermediate calling points of Battlesbridge, South Woodham Ferrers, North Fambridge and Burnham On Crouch host some interesting names, whilst the third station is the only example to boast two platforms and is where the units can pass each other. There is a very desolate feeling to this branch - it is mostly rural but the fields it passes rarely serve agricultural purposes and instead feel rather abandoned, especially in gloomy weather. The surroundings are deserted too, with the middle section in particular having relatively few houses to the North and nothing to the South. Its stations just seem to appear randomly, sometimes coinciding with an emergence of industry, but the settlements are very remote and the lack of patronage on my trip certainly contributed to this feeling. There are some lovely waterside views too of the River Crouch, both as a substantial movement of water and the tiny streams it separates into, although this does not match the natural beauty seen on the Mayflower Line.

Upon arrival into Southminster, any signs of civilisation remained few and far between, with the general atmosphere of the Crouch Valley Line being very bleak and a reminder of what it feels like to be in the middle of nowhere - even the settlements have a sense of lifelessness surrounding them. I still loved my experience though and I'd struggle to believe there are any other lines like this out there, passing through such barren landscapes with no obvious natural beauty, yet also acting as a commuter service. If you have to kill time in Southminster I'd suggest finding somewhere with a mobile phone signal as all I found was some unremarkable housing within the village that was quiet enough to be unsettling, along with a Nisa Local store which acts as a lifeline to its residents. On Sundays there is a solitary bus service running at an amazing frequency of every two hours.

As a result, my only option was to take the train back down to Wickford again and enjoy the disorientating vibes given to me, although I can tell you that this wouldn't be anywhere near as effective on newer stock, as much as I dislike the unrefurbished Class 321s. However, my initially consistent luck with catching the trains would be really tested at Wickford, with a challenging three minute connection from the Southminster service to the London-bound trains, which depart from across the footbridge and halfway down the platform. Infuriatingly, the Southend and Southminster service's paths conflict and as the Southend Victoria train was late and (stupidly) not held in the platform, we were forced to sit outside the station and watch the London train sail past and arrive into the station before us. Despite sprinting, the connecting service decided to be awfully unkind and leave without us, which was pretty irritating as this could've really been handled better. Half an hour hardly seemed appealing, but news then emerged that due to a train fault the next train was cancelled! 60 minutes stranded in Wickford on a Sunday evening is not my cup of tea and I reached home much later than intended - not good at all!

Two First Essex Wright Streetlites are seen at Wickford, the front-runner being the rescue vehicle,whilst the bus in the background is broken down.

My unintentional exploration of Wickford wasn't particularly successful - admittedly the high street was much more substantial than anticipated but only dodgy kebab shops seemed to actually still be open. In addition to a broken down Wrightbus Streetlite and a rescue vehicle on the 16, I saw an E200 MMC on the X10, but other than that the roads were traversed by cars alone, which sums up the state of Sunday bus services outside of London. After this, I pondered on my thoughts about the timetabling of the Crouch Valley service and a previous conversation between a passenger and the guard which I overheard earlier. I would strongly propose that either Southminster services are given priority so the main services can wait for the connection, or that the branch is re-timetabled completely. Moving the departures and arrivals from Southminster to 15 minutes earlier, maintaining the deliberate passing point at North Fambridge, would allow leisurely connections at both ends, whilst not holding up any other services given that the branch is isolated. Three minutes is entirely inadequate and Greater Anglia need to realise this if they want passengers to be comfortable with using their services and making sure they are trustworthy. At long last, after my 60 minute delay, which is pending a partial refund after sending in the form, a "renatus project" refurbished Class 321 showed up, which was a bonus at least as I had been hunting these down for ages. The quality of the interior is stunning, a stark contrast to the dire state of the unrefurbished trains and makes the units seem almost brand new - it's a shame they're being withdrawn in a couple of years as this has finally made the backbone of the Greater Anglia network tolerable to travel on, with more comfortable seating, phone charging facilities, WiFi and many more useful facilities. This train was very busy due to to the cancellation, although I still enjoyed the journey and I still absolutely loved my first part of the Anglia adventure, despite the Wickford incident.

Greater Anglia 90006 is seen at London Liverpool Street

Part two of my Anglia adventure commenced at 0800 on Saturday 11th August 2018, with one of the loco-hauled intercity services, running every half an hour between London Liverpool Street and Norwich, serving key destinations along the Great Eastern Main Line at a rapid pace. This was my first ride on an electric locomotive - indeed the only "modern" hauled trains I'd been on before this trip were the HSTs under GWR and they offer a nice smooth ride as well as all the other joys of a slam door service. Surprisingly for such a short journey a buffet car is also available and the interior is perfectly adequate, with the seating in standard class being comfortable and the light grey colour scheme not being particularly flamboyant, but hardly unattractive. My only complaint is that the WiFi is pretty useless, although it's a shame that these trains will be replaced by electric multiple units in a couple of years, which will offer a very different experience. This trip to Ipswich was fairly uninteresting, especially as most of it was already familiar territory, although there are some nice panoramic views after Manningtree. We travelled at a consistently fast pace (non-stop to Colchester) with a punctual arrival at my destination, which allowed for a leisurely connection onto my first proper completion of the day. From this point onwards, right until the return to London, all my journeys were covered by the Anglia Plus Day Ranger, a brilliant tool which allows unlimited travel around the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire areas for a fixed price and as a result this day turned out to be significantly cheaper than part one and its confusingly high number of return tickets purchased for travel.

Greater Anglia 170203 is seen at the terminus of Lowestoft.

I was satisfied with a Class 170 unit for my lengthy trip to Lowestoft, as these trains are both comfortable and air conditioned, as well as offering large windows. The first stretch out of Ipswich is pretty decent, passing through its suburbs as well as some countryside to the South of the tracks. These trains decide to skip Westerfield Station and after travelling through the woods I was surprised to find patches of water emerging, as well as a smattering of boats. All of a sudden, however, an beautiful birds-eye view of the River Deben as well as various ships sailing away emerged, with this being almost on par as what the Mayflower Line supplies. What I find really special though is Woodbridge Station, where boats are moored literally inches from the tracks and subsequently the Westbound platform - apart from maybe the GWML at Dawlish I can't think of another example where trains run so close to water. This station was quite popular with lots of people disembarking for exploration of the surrounding countryside, whilst the next stop at Melton, which was only a minute or two away, offered residents of the village an opportunity to travel somewhere more civilised. Some outstanding panoramic views of the countryside were revealed afterwards and although this line is predominantly rural, unlike many main routes where the yellow fields are all identical, the scenery or terrain changes every few seconds and not once did I feel even an inkling of boredom. Wickham Market station serves a very small hamlet, but like the rest of the stops is incredibly well looked after and the locals clearly share a passion for their railway, which is very reassuring.

Afterwards, a number of level crossings, sightings of a main dual carriageway and another river occupied the view until Saxmundham Station, whose archaic name refers to the small market town it serves, and is one of the more popular destinations on this route. Some more handsome countryside saw the train through Darsham, which has nothing to surround it bar the A12 trunk road and perhaps some rambling paths, although afterwards the town of Halesworth and its stunning station increased the number of passengers on the train by a commendable margin. Brampton Station is a request stop that seems to be in the middle of fields and unsurprisingly there were no takers here, although the next stop at Beccles proved to be the busiest, with the station being surrounded completely by settlements. One of the most good-looking stretches was between here and Oulton Broad South, which seems to be separate residential properties and the Norfolk countryside. The last section to Lowestoft, despite being urban in comparison, should not be overlooked however. After quickly joining up with the branch to Norwich, the train tracks travel through the suburbs of the town and its many retail parks, but all of a sudden a gleaming body of water appeared, which turned out to be a harbour and a gateway to the North Sea. The train also managed to get pretty close up to an enormous ship, which seemed even bigger than the one on display at Harwich. The boats and surprisingly clean appearance of the port made the approach to Lowestoft truly superb and ended an incredibly relaxing journey through so many lovely little villages.

A panoramic view of Lowestoft.

From an exterior perspective, Lowestoft Central is quite marvellous to look at, with the vintage sign at the front emphasising that there were perhaps more stations serving the town in previous times. This town is actually the most Easterly settlement in the United Kingdom and to my delight boasts a seashore and a pier. I expected this place to be equivalent to Harwich but is actually bustling with activity. Its beach is modest, but also very tranquil and not overwhelmed with tourists - interestingly the seaside itself is quite lengthy but sectioned by fortified accumulations of boulders, whose "do not climb" signs are blatantly ignored. A ferry service operates from the South Pier through to Oulton Broad and its sailings temporarily disrupt the through traffic on the main road, as the bridge lifts allowing the boat underneath to pass through, just like Tower Bridge in London. Whilst the pier does not contain amusements, its impressive view of the coast makes the spot very peaceful and interestingly a sailing competition seemed to be taking place in the distance, which was very fun to watch. At one particular moment, I just froze in awe as the moving clouds, waves and boats all seemed to interact, despite being on completely different courses. I could've spent all day here, although I thought it would be equally interesting to explore the more urban part of Lowestoft too.

A First Gemini 2 is seen leaving Lowestoft Bus Station offering an express departure to Norwich.

Its wide, pedestrianised high street seemed to be thriving too, with both recognisable chains and equally popular independents jostling for space close to the hive of Central activity. The shopping centre is humble, being of the old-fashioned style similar to that of Edmonton Green in London and not dissimilar to an indoor market, except with retail units instead. At one end, First Eastern Counties offer a selection of services from Lowestoft Bus Station, with most being town services but also some express routes to destinations like Norwich and Great Yarmouth. They might need to sort out timetabling though as having every single route leaving at 11.30 and five vehicles reversing almost simultaneously didn't end very well. After my enjoyable visit to Lowestoft, it was time to return to the trains and a 2-car Sprinter, or Class 156 unit up to Norwich.

This service was extremely busy, being almost fully seated even five minutes before departure, with the impending Norwich FC game partially explaining the popularity of the service. Nevertheless, I was successful in finding some slightly worn out seats, still sporting the East Midlands Trains moquette and the less than elegant train departed Lowestoft, thankfully sharing the glorious part next to the harbour with the branch to Ipswich. Immediately after the splitting point, Oulton Broad North station saw even more people embark on the service, from what appeared to be an extensive residential area. After this though, the train entered the Norfolk Broads, where it remained for a considerable part of the journey. Even though the general view largely remains the same, it is arguably one of the best panoramas you'll ever find on the rail network; due to the flat nature of the broads the bright green fields and occasionally hills stretch out for miles and miles, with this view becoming incredibly addictive. There were also moments where the River Waveney turned up to make the area even more picturesque, whilst Somerleyton swing bridge was great fun to cross over.

After passing by a windmill, the train paused at Haddiscoe Station, which seems to exist purely for the benefit of ramblers, whilst yet another swing bridge at Reedham, this time with boats moored in front of people's houses, made the journey even more thrilling. The emergence of an old signal box was the icing on the cake and this whole line still uses semaphore signalling which is really satisfying to still see in action. As the train continued along its path, the sudden exposure of industry was surprising, although this was in fact Cantley Sugar Factory, which is surprisingly expansive despite its old-school infrastructure which looked slightly worse for wear. Inevitably, a station followed suit, which I'm sure is very popular with workers.

The speedy run through the countryside was uninterrupted for a while, as this service skipped Buckenham Station, which also appeared to be in the middle of nowhere and receives a few trains a day at weekends only. Brundall Station is lovely too, with a signal box and well looked after staggered platforms, whilst there is a brief section alongside the River Yare before Brundall Gardens, which this train decided to skip. A stunning view of the lake, before some suburbs and a train depot, drew this tremendous journey to an end, with the rural scenery in my eyes being unbeatable and consistent too.

A First Norwich Gemini 2 is seen at Norwich.

 Unfortunately, my exploration time at Norwich was limited due to the necessity of catching a very special train, so in hindsight winging it for lunch probably wasn't the best idea. Norwich Station is also an annoyingly large distance away from the town centre and whilst the castle was lovely, my break here turned out to be quite stressful and I spent more time searching for food outlets than actually admiring what this promising city has to offer. A proper visit is certainly justified, although I only just about made my train out of there so I would allow at least 90 minutes if you want to discover the delights of Norwich properly.

Greater Anglia 37407 is seen at Great Yarmouth

Rail enthusiasts are always excited by a "proper" locomotive and the Class 37 units in particular get them rather worked up - it was the hype surrounding these units and their imminent withdrawal that prompted the trip up to Norfolk in the first place. Whilst during the week these trains just work regular diagrams, on summer Saturdays they run supplementary non-stop services from Norwich to Great Yarmouth, which are aimed at tourists visiting the resort. Usually, these trains run via the direct line through Lingwood and Acle, although on my visit all services were going through Reedham and Berney Arms, although no enhancements were made for the intermediate stations with all diverted trains just running as "express" instead. One thing I love about the Class 37s is how they pull away, with that distinctive sound, almost like a helicopter, being instantly recognisable. The presence of smoke, which was visible from inside the carriages, was equally amusing.

These trains do accelerate very quickly and offer a really soothing ride from inside the carriages, which have received an extensive refurbishment and look immaculate despite the age of the locomotive. This made the journey through the broads very pleasant and the separation point at Reedham changed nothing regarding the beautiful scenery, which I certainly wasn't complaining about. My train flashed past the one intermediate station on this line, more on which later. The final approach to Great Yarmouth is another belter, with the River Yare transforming into an almost endless lake which fits in perfectly with the surrounding broads. Twenty eight minutes after departure, the train had already arrived at its destination and it was quite funny to see at least six other rail enthusiasts here, all photographing the Class 37 locomotive. These trains really do attract train spotters - it's almost guaranteed there will be one on every journey!

A First Yarmouth ALX400 is seen sporting a wonderful heritage livery.

Initially, Great Yarmouth seemed rather underwhelming upon arrival at the station, with the only pathway being surrounded by red barriers and works and no sign whatsoever of civilisation. However, after a few minutes some shops revealed themselves and all of a sudden I was caught in the middle of the bustling hubbub created when merging a market and a high street. This parade seemed to serve everything typical of a seaside town, whilst all the mainstream stores were lodged into the fairly modern shopping centre around the corner. A left turn confirmed to be a wise choice, with a gently sloping pedestrianised street that was incredibly busy with both shoppers and those heading to the seaside. After around twenty minutes, I was finally at the main promenade that runs alongside the beach, which has something called a "road train" that seems to be operated by two rival companies. I imagine things can become really nasty between them...

This beach in particular was quite draining because of its steep gradient and the sheer distance between the sea itself and the road - the sand had a very rich depth too which probably wrecked my trainers. I was initially surprised that there wasn't more competition for space, although the beach is so expansive I imagine that all the tourists were spread out effectively. It was a pretty nice experience, although Great Yarmouth pier doesn't actually extend into the sea and a wind farm really spoils the view to the left as it has been placed in such close proximity to the land. There also seemed to be a lack of local businesses nearer the seafront, although I imagine this was more my fault than anything for not stopping off for souvenirs earlier at the market.

After a brief explore it was time to head back to the station - I'm really glad I have visited Great Yarmouth now but my view is that the place is slightly glorified in regards to its facilities. Oddly, I preferred the slightly less conventional Lowestoft. Even though the express to Norwich had just departed from the station, I wasn't fussed as the next departure was another very special train.

Spot the station only served four times a day!

Admittedly, using a Class 170 on this line seemed surprising given the local stations don't produce significant patronage at all, although the advantage of selective door opening could justify the manouevre in the instance of short platforms. As I relaxed in the air conditioned carriage, the friendly guard walked through the train, asking if there were any takers for Berney Arms Station. That is because it is a request stop, served by only two trains in each direction from Monday to Saturday, although this is doubled on Sundays for some reason. This station is quite special because it only really exists for the sake of a pub of the same name, although whether it is still open is another matter. There are no roads for three miles and other than a windmill, there is nothing to see apart from fields, making it one of the most isolated halts in the country. There is the option of boat travel as the River Yare is nearby, but I'd be very surprised if anyone actually used a boat to catch the train from there. Its remote nature makes this place a station I really want to visit, although unfortunately spending 2.5 hours in the Norfolk Broads didn't seem viable on my already jam-packed adventure.

The vintage sign at Berney Arms, seen through the window.

I was really hoping for an opportunity to step out onto the platform (which can't even accommodate the full length of a 1-car train and just looks like an accumulation of grains), although it was saddening to find out there were no takers for Berney Arms and the train sailed past, so this shot through the window is the best I managed. After this, the train travelled through the delightful broads and its spectacular views, before depositing me at Norwich, which was slightly less crowded this time as thankfully the football match was still ongoing (I would've had to deal with angry fans anyway judging by the result, hard luck Norwich). The slightly worrying connection onto my London train was more than adequate and I settled in for a comfortable journey back to London, again on an intercity electric loco-hauled service. There is some nice scenery around Diss, but other than that the journey was uneventful and ultimately just a recap of what I've seen earlier, so I even managed to sneak in a snooze just after Ipswich. As the surroundings became gradually more urban, purple trains started to run alongside my express, the wonders of the Olympic Park towered next to the main line and the all too familiar pitch-black approach into Liverpool Street was completed, stepping off this train brought my Anglia adventure to a close.

As someone who still has a lot to learn about railways and is very inexperienced with using them outside the oyster zone, this type of day was certainly stepping outside my comfort zone of route completions. However, I loved every second of it (okay maybe not at Wickford but you get the idea) with every single line being incredibly entertaining whilst unique at the same time. This will, hopefully, be the start of a few more train trips and it'll be interesting to see what other operators have to offer. With the London bus service declining so much, whilst the railways thrive, it's no surprise that I'm trying to become more interested in the latter. I hope you have enjoyed this post despite it deviating slightly from what this blog primarily covers and I hope the length isn't too excessive either - with a last minute holiday coming up I had to really cram this into my schedule and no attention was given to condensing!

Thanks for reading and stay safe!