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Awkward Stations to Find in towns

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33056

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In a similar vein to Tring, Leighton Buzzard isn't even in the town of that name, it's in Linslade. Somebody unfamiliar with the area went to collect me from there several years ago and had great difficulty finding it though it is rather better signposted now.
 

dk1

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Took me several attempts to get my bearings when alighting at Torre. Not that convenient for Torquay but then again neither is Torquay :lol:
 
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This subject has been on here before and I'll give the answer I did then. Unless you are in Waterloo Road or the imax end of York Road, Waterloo can be very difficult to find. I work in the area and have been stopped on many occasions asking about how to get into the station.

Waterloo was my mainline station to Isleworth when I lived in London in the 1990s, yet never had any problems finding the station from whatever end I came from. I did however have many people ask me how to get there too!
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Gainsborough Central,found it by accident.No sign posts that i see,do'nt even know if i could find again!!:|

Easy, just behind Marshall's Yard.
 

Robinson

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Some years ago I was given a cross-town connection at Warrington, walking from Bank Quay to Central. Took me absolutely ages; pretty much nothing in the way of signposts and I must have gone round the same block a few times. Then when I eventually did find the station the main entrance was blocked; the alternative way in was not clearly indicated.
 

IanD

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Walthamstow Queens Road - even if you find Queen's Road in Walthamstow, the station isn't on it.
 

route:oxford

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Bucester Town is in an industrial estate

Bicester Town Station now forms part of Bicester Village.

Whenever I've used the service at the weekend, it's always been well loaded with BV shoppers - indeed the on-train staff announce the station as "Bicester Village". Quite sensible really with the large number of tourists that arrive by rail.

It's also only 100 metres or so from the main town shopping centre.
 

6Gman

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In a similar vein to Tring, Leighton Buzzard isn't even in the town of that name, it's in Linslade. Somebody unfamiliar with the area went to collect me from there several years ago and had great difficulty finding it though it is rather better signposted now.

The London & North Western Railway seemed to have an inclination to build their stations well away from the town centres they claimed to serve!
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The 'new' Llanrwst is closer to the town centre than the 'old' Llanrwst (now Llanrwst North) but in a cutting off a fairly obscure street. Not easy to find.

Cannock is not too hard to find from the town centre, but boy is the town centre hard to find from the station!!

Birmingham Snow Hill is a tricky walk from New Street - and when you get there you then half to walk through an office block and all manner of tunnel/corridors to actually find the trains!
 
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In a similar vein to Tring, Leighton Buzzard isn't even in the town of that name, it's in Linslade. Somebody unfamiliar with the area went to collect me from there several years ago and had great difficulty finding it though it is rather better signposted now.

..and so is Hemel Hemstead railway station which is actually in
 
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Someone, unfamiliar with Manchester, would get lost looking for Piccadilly station. It's definitely not in Piccadilly Gardens. It's in Fairfield Street.
 

dvboy

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The New Street to Moor Street walk is an interesting one. I guess it really depends on which exit from New Street you use. If you go out of the "main" doors by the taxi rank then it should be fairly easy unless you get sidetracked by gawping at the Bullring. If you go up the escalators or out onto Stephenson Street it might be a but more of a challenge.
Conversely, Moor Street to New Street is a doddle as you can see the big tunnel you need to walk through as soon as you leave Moor Street station. There is currently a lot of work going on at the front of Moor Street, I think the council are improving access to the station frontage for taxis and I do hope that putting back the double red lines for pedestrians to follow is a part of that works. But I doubt it. (if you don't know the area, there is a strange dual carriageway at the front of Moor Street, it's all one way but has a central reservation which is very pedestrian friendly. Problem is if you are a vehicle coming from New Street or Smallbrook Queensway/the A38 inner ring road as a lot of public transport tends to do then getting access to Moor Street station itself is a problem)

If you are a vehicle coming from Smallbrook queensway you are breaking the law as it's buses and taxis only.

They are turning Moor St Qwy back into a two-way street.
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If you stand in the right spot at the front of Moor Street or New Street you can clearly glimpse one station from the other, they're that close. But when the Bullring was rebuilt the opportunity for a decent link, rather than a gloomy bit of road tunnel under the shops, seems to have escaped the minds of planners probably still fascinated by the shiny alien blob that is Selfridges.

When you cross Smallbrook Queensway in front of the station now there are signs which give you the option of walking through the tunnel or through the Bullring.

I've noticed recently they have added a lot more overhead signs inside the Pallasades to direct people down the escalators.
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Better signed than the Southeastern High Speed lines but I understand your point. a shame they couldn't have added St Pancras as an additional calling point to Kings X Thameslink.

I get lost trying to find the entrance to St Pancras from Euston Road, I usually end up going through an entrance to the Underground.
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I've only ever had to change at Retford but the connection was a long one and it appeared to me that the station was in a middle-of-nowhere part of town. Likewise Grantham is a bit awkward finding the town centre from the station so must be the other way.

Neither of Canterbury's stations are within the city walls.

I've been asked for directions to the station in Wolverhampton as it's outside the ring road, but for those arriving there's only one direction you can go.

Coventry station can be hard to find. Last time I was there they were replacing the paving on the main walking route into the city centre from the station which was previously marked by a painted blue line. I hope they repainted it.
 

Francis

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May I nominate Blackpool South? You walk along Waterloo Road from the prom prom prom - no signing at all - past a load of charity shops, tattoo parlours, amusement arcades and betting shops. You come to a bridge over nothing, with vast expanses of car parks either side. Hidden beneath on the right, with no BR sign or indication, down a little footpath amidst foliage, is the sad single platform of Blackpool South. And a lovely Pacer unit to transport you to the raptures of Colne.

They really must have wanted to shut this line completely. It is operated from Kirkham as a super-long single-track siding. Obviously they still don't want people to find it or to use it, but the OS map stubbornly insists on depicting it to heathens and non-Blackpudlians.

You could still reopen the old line, along the side of the mega car-parks, back into Blackpool Central almost. (A line of newplanted trees would be the principal fatality). Terminating the line in a rundown suburb 1 mile short of town makes it worthless as a link into central Blackpool for the well-heeled citizens of Lytham St Annes and that southern coast of the Fylde.
 

Rhydgaled

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Here's another thread I can nominate Haverfordwest station in! It has a dual carriageway on two sides, with most of the town being on the other side of them. There is a bridge over one of the dual carriageways, but coming from the station you have to cross the other without such saftey.
 

Scotty

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Likewise Grantham is a bit awkward finding the town centre from the station so must be the other way.

Out of the station, go left and walk to the end of the car park, and there is a walkway. Follow this down, over a road and then turn right at the end. At the traffic lights, turn left or right (or straight in front is Wetherspoons).
 

RJ

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Sydenham Hill station is very difficult to happen upon and would certainly be a challege finding for anyone coming from Sydenham or even Sydenham Hill itself.
 

PR1Berske

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Lostock Hall is my nomination. The western platform down an unlit tree-lined slope is a particular highlight.
 

Ivo

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I once spent nearly an hour finding Fenchurch Street, when the entrance near the tower hill / Gateway was shut. I couldn't find the way in the main entrance and kept passing folks with the same problem. And all the polaks doing the work could do was laugh and flick "v"s at people who asked them directions.

Sorry to say this but I don't believe it's difficult at all. The first time I had to go from Tower Hill from the main entrance I had a large suitcase and a sunburn so I wanted to avoid stairs. Too bad I encountered some <(

If you aren't sure of the way the easy solution is to walk up to the Aldgate area and then head back into the City. Alternatively, just use Aldgate instead of Tower Hill, which is much easier and probably roughly equidistant from the main entrance.
 

VTPreston_Tez

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Anything on the Blackpool South branch line within Blackpool looks like a collection of tracks that aren't even connected. The stations are even more annoying to find, as Squires Gate is well hidden, Pleasure Beach isn't even near the theme park (well in FNW days there was no signage...) and is virtually invisible. North can be tricky to get into with the tunnel entrance and everything and I've never used South.

Also Burnley Barracks. Went looking for Central and ended up running through a mass of streets using my ear to listen to the ever-blazing Sprinter horn, winding up at Barracks. The signage is horrible and with closed roads Burnley becomes a maze so you end up at the wrong station (at least all stations go to Preston)
 

6Gman

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Thank you for reminding me of Coventry!

From the city centre there seem to be several possible routes. All of them endless!

And then a Ring Road to cross.

:)
 

Statto

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Chester can be hard to find, i've almost got lost walking from the City Centre to the station a couple of times.

Crewe can be hard to find from the Town Centre, if you don't know how to get there.

Merseyrail has a few hidden stations, Manor Road can be hard to find, but hardest St Michaels, Cressington is quite hard to find as well.
 
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Dumfries isn't easy to find. (on the edge of town). IIRC there aren't any bus services, that stop near the station? I'm willing to be corrected on this,though.
 

6Gman

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Chester can be hard to find, i've almost got lost walking from the City Centre to the station a couple of times.

Crewe can be hard to find from the Town Centre, if you don't know how to get there.

Merseyrail has a few hidden stations, Manor Road can be hard to find, but hardest St Michaels, Cressington is quite hard to find as well.

Chester - straight along Foregate St to the roundabout; left onto City Road. Easy. OR follow the canal to City Road.

Crewe - straight along Market Street and Edleston Road to Nantwich Road; turn left.
 

Andrew Nelson

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Sorry to say this but I don't believe it's difficult at all. The first time I had to go from Tower Hill from the main entrance I had a large suitcase and a sunburn so I wanted to avoid stairs. Too bad I encountered some <(

If you aren't sure of the way the easy solution is to walk up to the Aldgate area and then head back into the City. Alternatively, just use Aldgate instead of Tower Hill, which is much easier and probably roughly equidistant from the main entrance.

Sorry, can You try that again?

Is that from Tower hill, or from the main entrance of the Station I was trying to get TO?

As for the easiest way, maybee some better signage!!!!
 

Andrew Nelson

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Anything on the Blackpool South branch line within Blackpool looks like a collection of tracks that aren't even connected. The stations are even more annoying to find, as Squires Gate is well hidden, Pleasure Beach isn't even near the theme park (well in FNW days there was no signage...) and is virtually invisible. North can be tricky to get into with the tunnel entrance and everything and I've never used South.

Also Burnley Barracks. Went looking for Central and ended up running through a mass of streets using my ear to listen to the ever-blazing Sprinter horn, winding up at Barracks. The signage is horrible and with closed roads Burnley becomes a maze so you end up at the wrong station (at least all stations go to Preston)

http://www.coaster-park.fr/plan/plan-blackpool-pleasure-beach-1024.jpg

Top righthand corner, right next to the Pleasure Beach itself.
 

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RPM

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Bicester Town Station now forms part of Bicester Village.

Whenever I've used the service at the weekend, it's always been well loaded with BV shoppers - indeed the on-train staff announce the station as "Bicester Village". Quite sensible really with the large number of tourists that arrive by rail.

It's also only 100 metres or so from the main town shopping centre.

I wonder if Chiltern will be able to resist the temptation to rename it Bicester Village once the EG3 upgrade is done? I do hope so.
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Another one that people sometimes struggle to find from the town centre is Princes Risborough. On more than one occasion I've known people end up at Monks Risborough instead - easier to find because it is signposted from the main Risborough - Aylesbury road.
 

frodshamfella

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I used to live in Bexleyheath. Always thought for visitors to the town , that station was a bit tucked away.Certainly not in the main shopping area.
 
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