Ten past ten, Monday 21st July.  I am starting to write in a train in Gouda (the place famous for its cheese) having arrived on the overnight ferry a couple of hours ago.  All the way from home in Melksham, Wiltshire, at about 2 O'Clock yesterday afternoon. I'm on my third cup of coffee of the morning and on this train as far as Henglo - where I change to travel onward; I have just completed my final hotel booking for the next week using the train's internet.  It's a lovely sunny morning looking out over the flatlands of the Netherlands.  Train spacious and on time - plenty of luggage space including a luggage rack worthy of the name, actually big enough to take my bag. 

The train manager has just passed through, quick ticket check and I can muse that this is train travel as it should be.  And it feels the ease of travel is inversely proportional to the distance I am from home.

The train from Melksham (or lack of it)

I booked a "this train only" ticket last week from Melksham through to Harwich for the 14:31 (Sunday) from Melksham, with collection from the machine at the station on departure.  Which was fine until it was flagged up CANCELLED on Saturday afternoon.  A phone call to GWR - once I found the right option - and the nice person there told me I could use my ticket instead on the train before (11:57) or after - he wasn't sure if that was 17:08 as one of his systems was telling me that was running, and the other that it was cancelled - but there was the 19:06.  He suggested I get a taxi to Swindon where I was supposed to change and see if GWR would refund the fare when  pointed out that I had packing to do and other commitments - couldn't leave 2.5 hours early, and the later trains would likely mean I would miss my ferry and the whole rest of the pack of cards would collapse.  Apparently GWR would not be liable once my journey continued (or failed to continue) off the (isn't it Great ...) British Railways Network.

I went to the station to collect my ticket ... to find that the "collect pre-booked tickets" button was greyed out and nothing could be persuaded to make it come back ...

Integrated transport would be a wonderful thing ... if it really was integrated and proper information was available or at least to hand.  As a minimum to the customer service staff in a customer service sort of way!

I would have left home at 14:00 for the 14:31 train.  I left at 14:00 for the 14:18 bus - the Sunday service to Chippenham that started last year. It left on time, with around 20 passengers. Diverted because or engineering works on the Town Bridge in Melksham, it took half an hour to reach Chippenham and on a Sunday, and on request, the bus from Melksham serves the station.  Got there around 14:48, and picked up my ticket from the machine.  I happen to know that although you elect a particular station to pick up from, the code with the card used to purchase the ticket works at any.

The train on into London

The Customer Service Rep had specifically told me that my ticket would not be valid for joining another train at Chippenham and I might have to pay more - however, the barrier worked and the 14:55 train should have been just in time to drop back to my reserved seat on the 15:14 (the train from Swansea) into London.  However, the 14:55 was running late and followed my designated train into Swindon so I stayed on it. It got into London (Paddington) 20 minutes after it was due there, and 15 minutes after the train I was supposed to be on.  No ticket checks after the Chippenham barrier, ungated platform at Paddington, and no reserved seats on the train anyway because it was 10 carriages rather than 9.

The train was heaving.  "All seats taken" and these days I am not brilliant at standing for an hour. People sitting in doorways and perhaps in the loo / on the loo too for all I knew. But a single seat unoccupied but blocked by a case.  A polite request, and the case moved and I wriggled my way in and it turned out to be one of those most unexpected and rewarding conversations. Apparently my friend was travelling from his home in Wellington to an African country where he is working a long contract. At Taunton, the direct London train was so crammed no-one could join it, which perhaps explains why the service via Bristol was jammed too. He was changing onto Heathrow Express, and expressed concern at an advertised loss of frequency on that yesterday, citing his potential inability to get a meal in departures prior to departure as a result of the delays.

Crossrail

The Paddington barrier would not take - would not even suck in - my ticket.  Couldn't see any staff obvious (the place was busy) and tried the other set of barrier and ticket accepted.  Empty Crossrail train at 16:30 - turned out to be exactly the one suggested on my booking, so that was just 10 minutes in Paddington.

Got busier as we went along.  Got into conversation again ... amazing for the underground ...

The sloping lift that parallels the escalator at Liverpool Street was out of service (not stopping people hopefully pressing the button and waiting for it) and so up on the escalator to the lobby, where the first ticket barrier I tried just like the one at Paddington wasn't even sucking in tickets!   Another barrier worked.  Elizabeth line is quite new - amazing these problems with the machinery quite so quickly.

Liverpool Street to Manningtree

Rather than taken the 17:08 Ipswich stopper, I grabbed a coke and burger and took the 17:30 Norwich train.  So long I lost count; very busy at the rear with lots of First to avoid, but then got quieter further forward. At least until Stratford.  Then zipping past load of Elizabeth Line trains - just Colchester and Manningtree.   Little of note to report; pretty standard journey an that's how it should be.

Manningtree to Harwich International

Five car electric train from the bay platform ... very quiet and noting that at Mistley and Wrabness, it was "rear 3 carriages only". And so on to International - or "Parkstone Quay" as I still think of it. Tickets checked as we approached HPQ and I noted that one of the ladies who got on an one of the smaller stations seemed to have taken up residence in the loo - hope she was OK but more likely hoping to avoid the ticket check.

Harwich International

Harwich International - arrival at 18:45 for a scheduled 23:00 ferry. For sure, if I could have relied on the train services to the ferry I could have dropped back 1 train at Melksham - 21:45 into HPQ - but it wasn't worth the risk.   But the terminal echoed.  Checkin desk manned, but "we don't open until 8".  The sign on the platform pointing towards the terminal suggested that's where shops were - and shuttered sections suggested that there had been at some point in the past.  A number of memorial plaques to various openings suggested busier times in the past.

A cold drink (cans and bottled drinks) housed a few lonely drinks, and there were some chocolate bars in a food machine. A hot drinks machine helpfully told us it was out of order due to a water leak.

Quiet.

Until a party (41, I was told) of student arrived - looked like a school trip from China.  Very much into their group interaction and slightly bored.  And joined by another group which looked like an organised holiday group, fit senior adults, backpacks - hill walking in the Netherlands perhaps.   The organisers of each of these groups checked them in, and then handed around the cabin keys for the ferry.  And then security opened - about quarter past 8 - and they filtered through.  The sergeant major with Stena was busy checking IDs and tickets on mobile phone, and the she was telling the group members to put their phones away in their bags for security.  If at first her message was not headed ... same works, twice as loud, half the speed and a gesture.  Third method if that did not work, physical direction.

Quarter past 8 - I approached the checkin desk again.  "Not until 8:30"!

At about 8:45, the security gate opened and I the limited number of individual / family parties were starting to pass though apparently not checked in, just showing proof of booking. And so it transpired - check in was only for groups at the checkin desk in the main hall - there's another checkin desk after the security check on bags.  "No photos" but I can tell you of six check in desks, two of which are labelled "Hook of Holland" and the other four are bare.  Ah - the days of sailing from Harwich to Gothenburg and to Oslo (both of which I have done) and to Esbjerg (which I never did) are over. Curious that - in this age of climate concern - it's said to be because the ships were too dirty and new ones too expensive to make a continuation of the route viable ... so now everyone flights. Surely less climate frindly?

In spite of the grumps, I quite like Harwich.  It's a walk from the train into the terminal, and a longish walk up the sloping ramp to the ship.  But that's so much better than another waiting lounge for a bus to the ship with boarding through the car deck.

Stena Brittanica

Nice ship ... huge for a ferry.  Must have been a quiet night - we set off half an hour early and the visible outer space at the rear of deck 7, where I would have expected to see loads of containers are lorries, was unoccupied - a sign of current trade issues, or because it was a Sunday night?

Never the less - a significant queue in the restaurant; I elected to get a baguette and and a pint of John Smith's from the bar. Sadly, the Murphy's was off and the John Smiths a bit stale and perhaps should have been off too - but it was something not too fizzy and not too sweet to drink, and so a good night's sleep - single outside cabin, wide bed, slept well. Only issue a slight sewerage smell - I suspect a plumbing issue under the floor of the en-suite.

The ship offers premium Wifi - free 15 minute try, then 4 euros.  And if you scroll down the welcome menu there is also a basic connectivity for free, with a warning that it's really only suitable for messaging.  But it also works for the Coffee Shop - which is designed to work with low connectivity.

Breakfast - a long queue again and two cups of coffee and two croissants from the bar sufficient for my needs - shorter queue and all purchased at the one go as I knew the coffee would be somewhere between tiny and small.

Hook of Holland

I do like gangways that come up to the ship, even if there are a couple of flights of stairs (down from 9 to 7) to reach them. Having taken the right lane off the lobby to the stairs to avoid the long queue for the lift,

The limited lift capacity on the ship meant a flow rather than a tsunami down the long slope to the terminal, so only one person in front of me and Schengen immigration. And in the terminal building - passed through briefly - those wonderful models in glass cases of the ships on this route on days gone by.

Hook of Holland to Schiedam Central

The suburban rail line into the side platform at Rotterdam Centraal is no more - replaces by the Rotterdam Metro which runs with the same frequency, but does not serve central station and isn't included in my ticket.

Once I discovered that the way onto the platform was to walk halfway across the level crossing and turn left up the slope ... I had missed the half hourly tram/train - so guess how long I had to wait.   30 minutes REALLY is at the limit of turn-up-and-go and clearly the locals don't ... the initial people on the platform all had packs or wheel y case and were clearly off the ship; as the time for the train approached, people with less to carry and in with their daily business arrived - but still the train was not busy.  Ferry passengers had largely stopped and waited when they got on the platform.   The train was 2x3 carriages with no walk though ... and I selected the rear.

Ticket sales machines only partly in English translation; not sure if my 5 Euro ticket was the best value for my shortish hop - 08:42 at Hoek to around 09:10 at Schiedam.   Original plan had been to change Metro but on late re-search I realised that it's just 4 minutes in on the "big" train rather than far longer and with a change along the way.

Scheidam Central to Den Haag Central

9 minute change at Scheidam - out of one set of gates and into another.  They really work here - no need to have constant staff attention with a high proportion of tickets failing.  If you must gate your stations, this seems to be the way to do it - why can't we get it right in the UK?

Mature electric train to Den Haag ... really not much more to report; all working well which I kinda guessed it would.   12 minute change at Den Haag ...

Den Haag, and to Henglo

Barriers set back from the platform end to my trip from 3 to 5 could have been really easy - except I dipped out to grab a cup of coffee and dipped in again.  Which once I looked as unnecessary as one of the coffee kiosks had windows in both side.  Never mind, efficient on time and we left bang on.

Long ride this one - two hours across the Netherlands, including a reversal at Uutct.   Train reasonably full - still some seats and it's surprising how many people travel in first with quite young children.   First class in the middle of the train rather than the end, so a number of people passing through.  Ticket inspection thinned it out very slightly from people who "hadn't realised this is first:.

Henglo is an interesting station - two long platforms either side of a wide island, and with scissor crossovers in the middle to allow two trains to share independently.  Our train from Den Haag carried on to its final destination in the Netherlands, and in due course my ongoing connection arrive at the apologetic little bay - numbered 11 out of sequence - at the east end.  German train which pokes its nose across the border each hour.   Lots of people catching it, including a number I recognised off the train from Den Haag.

Henglo to Osnabrouck

Modern German Electric Train - first class at the front and rear. Comfortable, but notably crowded as I went into the communal area to exit.

Osnabriuck - I have written about it before - is an interesting crossover from the west-east trains to the south-north trains.  The lines pass over each other int the station - like Tamworth is and Yeovil should be and if you choose the right lift of stairs the change in easy.

[Been writing on and off as I travel - now sitting in the Scweinske restaurant in Hamburg Haufbahnhof - a two hour break here (the onward train of choice being reservation only and fully booked) giving me an opportunity to stop and eat, and in a location I don't feel I'm table hogging]

Coffee and cake in the main station which sits in one quadrant and has tentacles under both sets of tracks to get you up.  40 minute stop extended to 55 minutes as the long distance IET from much-further-south was delayed in what is now something of  a German Standard.  Noting the same mother and son who sat across from us from Utrecht and were on the platform at Henglo now waiting for the Hamburg and Kiel train.  A cautious smile of familiarity - "you too?" and they were not the only ones making the connection!

Osnabrock to Hamburg

15 late to start, stuck behind the local but then made up a bit, 20 late into Hamburg.  I had expected a bit of a scramble for seats, but by waiting at the end of a very long train, it was OK.

Catering came through to offer at-seat delivery; tempting but as I was only on for a couple of stops ... and so to Hamburg.

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Hamburg to ... the 18:50 train and almost 3 more hours to go ...

 
P.S.  The x34 from Melksham to Chippenham dropped of not just me but seven others as it went via the station.  Me thinks it should be a standard part of the route .. and through others days too.  While updating the route - Monday to Saturday is serves Trowbridge station but on Sundays it stops short; perhaps Trinity Church would be a better terminus than the back of Sainsbury's?

And adding the morning after ...

Hamburg

The onward train from Hamburg to Odense (the Copenhagen train) only runs every two hours, reservations only, and was fully booked at 16:55 - no valid choice but to wait until the 18:50 which I did. The food court at Hamburg Hauptbahnhof has been a favourite in the past, but this time I chose to sit in the waited restaurant a floor up.  A more relaxed atmosphere with enough tables available for me to take an hour without blocking out someone else. My waitress had the best British accent that I have encountered all day - turns out that Natasha comes from "the Surrey Hills" which usually means somewhere like Effingham or Leatherhead. Restaurant a good choice and food enjoyed - though some confusion in ordering off the German menu brought me a different dish to what I intended.  Washed down with a pint of regular beer, and a pint of alcohol-free beer as I really didn't want to fall asleep on my onward train and miss Odense.

Hamburg is a massive through station though lots of local trains terminate there. The ICE long distance services, for the most part, carry on to terminate at Altona which I guess has the capacity to do that - never been there though. Long distance German trains these days are often "a bit" late - anything from a few minutes to half an hour and more.  And this causes knock-ons waiting for platforms and platform changes. It can be interesting.  The 18:19 from the south end of Platform 12 didn't leave until 18:42 ... so the empty train for my 18:50 to Copenhagen only arrived in at 18:45, and pulled further forward that the platform displays indicated, leading to a sea of people flowing along.  With just two sets of doors in every 3 carriages, all long distance passengers, and almost all seats reserved, it was a wonder we set off only 5 minutes late!  Double wonder because almost everyone had heavy luggage which they struggled with up into the train.

Hamburg to Odense

The only reservation I had been able to get even on the late train was in standard class ... and it turned out that the travel companions I was sharing my bay with had also had to drop back - and were facing a night in Copenhagen Station because they were going to miss the last onward train to Gothenburg ... been away for a long weekend to party and enjoy Hamburg, and to see the museums and memorials in Berlin. They had cases - one so enormous it would not go between the seats.  I moved my pack from the overhead rack to between the seats to give them luggage space, and then they heaven their massive object above our head with the younger bearded one concerned the whole way it would fall on us.  It didn't - I'm here to tell the tale!

Some Danish trains - and this was one - have what looks like the least aerodynamic front end you can imagine - looks like a big tyre or rubber washer sound the frontage.  I'm sure there's a reason.  They are getting a bit mature and things like the power outlets weren't working, and it looked like the train had only limited cleans between runs.  And it's a five hour run from Hamburg to Copenhagen; there's a new tunnel being built under the sea to cut off a huge dogleg and I would suspect that the current service is being managed on cost rather than on developing its market.  It can be done by local trains - change at Flensburg - but on past experience this has proven risky and being stranded there for just shy of 2 hours (connections do not wait) is not recommended to anyone but the hardy.

A buffet man (no trolley but a tray of gooding in a basket on his chest, and a hot water tank on his back) came round once we were in Denmark and it was far too late for me - anyway - getting off at Odense at 22:40.   We felt like we were dallying in places, yet arrived there on time; I characterise the journey as a number of fast express sections with awkward little bits changing from one fast line to another across the border, and then around Frederica where the train takes  the avoiding curve.

And so to the Cabinn Hotel in Odense - not everyone's cup of tea but provides for my needs.  Onwards to breakfast in a few minutes, served (or, rather, buffet selected) in the Penthouse restaurant. Need to catch the 08:29 - defensive scheduling letting me fall back one train during the day and get to my next overnight.