This thread brings to mind a book which some might find of some interest. Published within the past couple of years its Tiny Stations, by a chap called Dixe Wills who Id never heard of before I happened on the book. Wills is an author and journalist, specialising on writing about eco-friendly travel, mostly in Britain. Hes not a railway enthusiast as such; but the book gives some interesting insights into a particular aspect of Great Britains railways, from the perspective of a mostly sympathetic non-gricer. I found him sometimes, from my point of view, a bit irritatingly socially and politically right-on; and equally irritatingly, tending to be facetious and whimsy (a touch of the Bill Brysons) but nonetheless, on balance enjoyed the book.
It basically concerns his setting out to explore, in Great Britain, those national-network rail lines featuring stations which, above all, appear in the timetable as request stops: said stations and halts often physically very small, and / or difficult of access other than by rail, and / or served by overall, extremely few workings. Berney Arms shows up in the book; as do Dovey Junction, Sugar Loaf, and Corrour, all mentioned in this thread. Another venue featured is Shippea Hill, on the Ely Norwich line; whose service if I have things rightly, is just: Mondays to Fridays, one morning working eastbound (nothing in the opposite direction) -- and Saturdays, one morning working eastbound and one a couple of hours later, westbound. I am in many ways not immensely well-up on the present-day (IMO largely depressing) British real, as opposed to preserved, rail scene; and was unaware until recently, how surprisingly large, to me, a number of stations on the network are extremely meagrely served to the point of their practical usefulness seeming almost nil.
). If you're lucky you may get a photograph of Reedham swing bridge open to river traffic from the road bridge over the railway, an unusual shot. Then enjoy a pint by the river.
