Trivia: A Circular route?

[ElectroSoldier]

So I was just planning a trip from Liverpool South Parkway to Warrington and I thought I could go to Central direct or I could mix it up a bit, kill some time and do a circle.
Are there any other places you can think of where this type of trip is possible outside of the maze of London underground/overground stations?

Leave from Liverpool South platform 2 in the down direction and arrive at Liverpool South platform 2 in the down direction.

New mills Newtown and Central count as you dont back track on yourself. you cant use the same line in the opposite direction. It has to vaguely be a circle.

I could buy a return trip ticket at Liverpool South to Warrington and not arrive back at Liverpool South in the opposite direction. The linking stations kind of have to be in the same place. Warrington Bank Quay > Warrington Central.
Is there one that could use Wigan Wallgate and Wigan North Western?

 

[TheSel]

There must be hundreds! Without any thought at all, you could do exactly the same starting at any point on your "circle" other than Lime Street (because it's a terminal station, you will always go in and out the same way). And unless your 'circle' includes going via Manchester, presumably you're including a walk across Warrington?

But not a million miles away, how about Meols Cop - Wigan Wallgate - Kirkby - Sandhills - Southport - Meols Cop (and by the above logic, doing this from any station en-route except the 'reversing points' of Wigan Wallgate, Sandhills and Southport).

With no reversal at all, how about Blackburn - Accrington - Todmorden - Manchester Victoria - Bolton - Blackburn. Time it right and you'd only need two trains / one change.

 

[DelW]

I suspect there are quite a few...
Exeter St David's is one, GWR to Paddington leaves northwards, SWR to Waterloo leaves southwards. So you can do a 'circle' either way.

 

[ElectroSoldier]

There must be hundreds! Without any thought at all, you could do exactly the same starting at any point on your "circle" other than Lime Street (because it's a terminal station, you will always go in and out the same way). And unless your 'circle' includes going via Manchester, presumably you're including a walk across Warrington?

But not a million miles away, how about Meols Cop - Wigan Wallgate - Kirkby - Sandhills - Southport - Meols Cop (and by the above logic, doing this from any station en-route except the 'reversing points' of Wigan Wallgate, Sandhills and Southport).

With no reversal at all, how about Blackburn - Accrington - Todmorden - Manchester Victoria - Bolton - Blackburn. Time it right and you'd only need two trains / one change.

I was actually looking for more imagination than that.
You could use Lime street as it has two different lines, you cant use the same line in opposite directions, so you can use the Up and Down ditton lines and the Chat moss lines....
You couldnt do Crewe > Man Picc > Warrington > Crewe as you would end up using the same line when it gets back into crewe as the warrington > crewe service would use the same line and the Crewe > Man Picc.

West Allerton <> West Allerton has already been done, same as Earlestown <> Earlestown

 

[TheSel]

I was actually looking for more imagination than that...

Ah, well - that's me told!

 

[ElectroSoldier]

Ah, well - that's me told!

No Its me told, and I apologise for that as that was a bit short.
I didnt really explain it right to begin with.

 

[Llama]

Huddersfield - Huddersfield changing at Brighouse, Manchester Victoria and Manchester Piccadilly

 

[sd0733]

If it has to be ending up facing the same direction can do Shrewsbury-Birmingham-Crewe-Chester-Shrewsbury or Crewe-Cardiff via Heart of Wales, to Birmingham via Cheltenham upto Stoke, then Stockport.and back to Crewe

 

[duncanp]

Birmingham New Street to Edinburgh Waverley (Virgin Trains via West Coast Main Line) and then Edinburgh Waverley to Birmingham New Street (Cross Country via East Coast Main Line)

 

[ElectroSoldier]

London doesnt count. There are to many ways

Huddersfield I like, I didnt know about that one.

 

[M28361M]

You could do Chester-Runcorn-Liverpool-Birkenhead-Chester via TFW Rail and Merseyrail.

Or (a couple of times a day) Ellesmere Port-Birkenhead-Liverpool-Warrington BQ-Helsby-Ellesmere Port.

 

[d9009alycidon]

Birmingham New Street to Edinburgh Waverley (Virgin Trains via West Coast Main Line) and then Edinburgh Waverley to Birmingham New Street (Cross Country via East Coast Main Line)

Did a Freedom of Scotland once, Glasgow Queen Street to Mallaig, Mallaig to Armadale (Ferry), Armadale to Kyleakin (Bus) Kyleakin to Kyle of Lochalsh (Ferry - no bridge back then), Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness, Inverness to Aberdeen, Aberdeen to Edinburgh, Edinburgh to Newcastle, Newcastle to Carlisle, Carlisle to Glasgow Central

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Leeds to Leeds via Garforth, York and Harrogate.

Huddersfield to Huddersfield via Barnsley, Sheffield, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Victoria, Rochdale and Brighouse.

 

[TheSel]

No Its me told, and I apologise for that as that was a bit short.
I didnt really explain it right to begin with.

No worries.

 

[Techniquest]

Hereford-Worcester-Cheltenham-Bristol Parkway-Newport-Hereford.

Or, even bigger, Cardiff-Craven Arms-Llandrindod-Llanelli-Cardiff

 

[TheSel]

How about Reddish South - Stalybridge - Huddersfield - Sheffield - Stockport - Reddish South. You get back on the "next" train. Admittedly a week later, but no timescales were set out!

 

[TravellingPhil]

More challenging would be a circular route where you never backtrack and must always leave each station the opposite way to the way you come in to complete the route (so terminus stations would be out).

Everytime I try to think of one, I come across a station on it where you leave the same direction you came in.

Edit: Think I've got one, Carlisle to Carlisle via Edinburgh and Newcastle.

 

[TheSel]

Several variations on this theme are possible, but taking advantage of the layouts linking Calder Valley, Brighouse and Huddersfield, how about something like:

Rochdale - Hebden Bridge - Brighouse - Huddersfield - Sheffield - Manchester Piccadilly (pl 14) - via Ordsall Curve to Manchester Victoria and back to Rochdale.

 

[sftfan1909]

How about Newcastle to Newcastle via both bridges

 

[_toommm_]

When ScotRail had their season ticket offer on, I did (along with a CS ticket and a ferry ticket): (Crewe) to Edinburgh (starting point) to Fort William, Jacobite (or ScotRail) to Mallaig, ferry to Armadale (Skye), walk in to Armadale itself, bus to Kyle of Lochalsh, train to Inverness. Stop overnight, then Inverness to Aberdeen, Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street, then on to Edinburgh Waverley. Perfect way to spend a summer weekend.