You know the drill.
How many of Britain’s seaside towns/cities*, on end-of-the-line** stations, are still one direct train away from the capital?
Considering the synonymity of the British seaside and the railways, historically, I think it would be intriguing to see how today’s railway compares - and definitely since Covid and the resulting ‘Staycation’ phase.
I’ll say that any train in the last 12 months counts towards a ‘still happening’ claim, and that charters/weekend specials/one-off services count too - as they are all fairly within the criteria, and offer a deeper insight into the synonymity mentioned above.
*seaside, as in truly costal and ‘on the sea’, and not situated on an estuary, loch, river mouth or bayou, if possible.
**end-of-the-line, as in a terminus by definition, or as a terminus by the vast majority of services arriving at the station.
The list, so far:
The ‘not quite a termini/not quite the end-of-the-line/not quite seaside, but still worth an honourable mention’ section:
How many of Britain’s seaside towns/cities*, on end-of-the-line** stations, are still one direct train away from the capital?
Considering the synonymity of the British seaside and the railways, historically, I think it would be intriguing to see how today’s railway compares - and definitely since Covid and the resulting ‘Staycation’ phase.
I’ll say that any train in the last 12 months counts towards a ‘still happening’ claim, and that charters/weekend specials/one-off services count too - as they are all fairly within the criteria, and offer a deeper insight into the synonymity mentioned above.
*seaside, as in truly costal and ‘on the sea’, and not situated on an estuary, loch, river mouth or bayou, if possible.
**end-of-the-line, as in a terminus by definition, or as a terminus by the vast majority of services arriving at the station.
The list, so far:
- Brighton (Blackfriars/Bridge/St Pancras Int’l/Victoria)
- Bognor Regis (Victoria)
- Littlehampton (Victoria)
- Eastbourne (Victoria)
- Weymouth (Victoria/Waterloo)
- Portsmouth Harbour (Victoria/Waterloo)
- Blackpool North (Euston)
- Penzance (Paddington)
- Newquay (Paddington)
- Holyhead (Euston)
- Clacton on Sea (Liverpool Street)
- Walton-on-the-Naze (Liverpool Street)
- Southend Victoria (Liverpool Street)
- Swansea (Paddington)
- Paignton (Paddington)
- Aberdeen (Kings Cross)
- Pembroke Dock (Paddington)
- Swanage (specials from Victoria/Waterloo)
- Aberdeen (Euston/Kings Cross)
- Llandudno* (can anyone confirm?)
- Shoeburyness (Fenchurch Street/Liverpool Street)
- Plymouth (Paddington)
- Hawich Town (Liverpool Street)
- Scarborough (special from Kings Cross)
- Sheerness-on-Sea (special from Victoria)
- Great Yarmouth (special from Kings Cross)
- Minehead (special from Paddington)
- Edinburgh (Euston/Kings Cross)
The ‘not quite a termini/not quite the end-of-the-line/not quite seaside, but still worth an honourable mention’ section:
- Dover Priory (St Pancras Int’l)
- Ramsgate (St Pancras Int’l)
- Margate (St Pancras Int’l)
- Broadstairs (St Pancras Int’l)
- Hastings (Charing Cross)
- Sunderland (Kings Cross)
- Bournemouth (Waterloo)
- King’s Lynn (Kings Cross)
- Hull (King’s Cross)
- Liverpool Lime Street (Euston)
- Inverness (Euston/Kings Cross)
- Fort William (Euston)
- Ipswich (Liverpool Street)
- Weston-super-Mare (Paddington)
- Cleethorpes (special from Kings Cross)
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