An Enthusiast's Travels

At the start of the year, especially when the days get a bit longer by February, I always formulate a list of where I want to go taking photos or visiting for bus purposes. As the year is drawing to a close, and knowing my itinerary for next month I'm unlikely to get out again, I thought I'd see how I've done.

Local(ish) - i.e. morning or afternoon:
* Romsey, Lymington, Ringwood, Christchurch, Salisbury, Andover, Basingstoke, Winchester, Havant, Chichester

Day Trip:
* Poole, Bournemouth, Swanage, Weymouth, Brighton, Guildford, Bath, Bristol, Isle of Wight

At a Push:
* Taunton, Oxford, Exeter, Plymouth, Truro

Firstly, if I look at my local targets, I've done pretty well. I had a very successful day out in the New Forest photographing in Lymington and Ringwood, managing to photograph all but one of Wilts' Scania Omncitys on the X3 and completing my photos of the Volvo B7TLs on the X1/X2. One of my major targets was to finally photograph a Bournemouth Yellow Buses vehicle, and two trips to Christchurch have seen me finally do this! I've covered Stagecoach quite well - Basingstoke, Havant and Chichester - although haven't made it to Winchester or Andover. Still, plenty of time next year!

I love day trips. Jump on a train at Southampton Central or Parkway and go wherever it takes you. My favourite lines have to be up to Bath/Bristol alongside the Avon, or down to Weymouth through the New Forest, Poole Estuary and the Dorset countryside. This year I've visited Weymouth twice, finally made it to Poole, and photographed all but one of Wilts & Dorset's Scanias at Swanage. Going East, I've finally made it to Brighton and Eastbourne, but unfortunately didn't find time to get to Guildford. Guildford is high up on my list of targets next year, and also has the benefit of being able to be done on a dark, wet wintery day due to the layout of the bus station with relation to the sun. Going north(ish), Bristol was possibly my camera's finest hour - photographing buses travelling in two lanes of traffic at approximately 20-30mph and getting most spot on. Bath for next year, maybe.

Finally, my more exotic destinations. My most pleasing trip was to Taunton, deep into old Southern National country which I'd been trying to reach for years. My first ride on a HST was the mode of transport - down from Reading (they are great fun!). I managed to get to Oxford on the X Country Voyager, which proved to be a satisfying day in the land of Enviro400s. While I was down in Cornwall I also had a very pleasing afternoon in Truro, but unfortunately didn't make it to Exeter or Plymouth. Exeter is in the pipeline when the days get longer - a 158 up to Salisbury, and a 159 down to Exeter probably.

So initial targets for next year- Bath, Guildford and Winchester initially, including getting up to date on the Southampton photos after various recent arrivals, but after that, wherever the trains go really!