Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Meet the Manager BBC Radio Cornwall 11th August 2026 In "Media about railways, and other means of transport" [378051/32349/49] Posted by GBM at 08:10, 11th August 2026 |      |
Mark Hopwood on the mid morning phone-in from 10am this morning.
| Re: Homeward bound - thoughts at the end of an Interrail pass, In "Introductions and chat" [378050/32327/1] Posted by grahame at 08:05, 11th August 2026 | |
Number 12, appended with 'sham'?
Mark
Mark
My first visit there was ... selected ... by the similarity of name. Turns out to be a lovely town if somewhat overrun with tourists on their Danube cruises during the day / their stops, and with a lot of people visiting the Abbey on the hill who - however - come in their coaches and don't come down so much into the town. Very much a centre / start and end point for walking and cycling
It has a train each way every 30 minutes and a population of around 6,000 (80,000 including the surrounding area administered from there).
| Re: Cornish mainline and branch line delays - ongoing discussion In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [378049/28556/25] Posted by GBM at 07:32, 11th August 2026 Already liked by Mark A | |
2C00 0533 Plymouth to Bodmin Parkway
This service is partially cancelled
This service was cancelled between Bodmin Parkway and Penzance due to a problem with the train (M8).
175111 had a hiccup and arrived at Bodmin 39 down.
How sulk
Cancellations to services between Plymouth and Penzance
Following a fault on a train between Plymouth and Penzance the line towards Penzance has now reopened.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 07:45 11/08.ing in Down Lostwithiel Goods Loop
| Re: Solar eclipse 12/08/2026 In "Across the West" [378048/32340/26] Posted by Mark A at 22:19, 10th August 2026 | |
Solar eclipse = less solar energy for electricity generation.
Mark
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/10/octopus-energy-electricity-solar-eclipse-washing-machines-dishwashers
| Re: Imber Bus Day - merged topics, ongoing events and discussion here In "Buses and other ways to travel" [378047/17260/5] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:59, 10th August 2026 | |
This has now become a very significant topic here on the Coffee Shop forum.
I have moved and merged several previous topics here, which all relate specifically to the subject of 'Imber Bus' events. This is therefore our definitive topic on that subject, including all historic posts: as ever, nothing has been deleted, and the original post headings have been preserved wherever possible.
I continue to look forward to meeting some of you at Imber on Saturday.
| Re: Solar eclipse 12/08/2026 In "Across the West" [378046/32340/26] Posted by Mark A at 20:55, 10th August 2026 | |
The link has the path of the March 2015 eclipse. About 86% at Bath. Wednesday's will be ~93% at Bath, ~96% at Cape Cornwall.
Mark
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2015_GoogleMapFull.html?Lat=52.71505&Lng=-4.83316&Zoom=8&LC=1
| Re: Homeward bound - thoughts at the end of an Interrail pass, In "Introductions and chat" [378045/32327/1] Posted by Mark A at 20:32, 10th August 2026 | |
Number 12, appended with 'sham'?
Mark
| Re: Solar eclipse 12/08/2026 In "Across the West" [378044/32340/26] Posted by stuving at 20:30, 10th August 2026 Already liked by Mark A | |
I've seen no sign the main TV channels have picked up on the eclipse, at least not so as to get it mentioned in listings or EPGs. Which is odd, as while it may be "only a partial", it falls during live broadcast segments for most of them. The start coincides with news for BBC1 and ITV, and local news I'm sure will cover it. C4 news will see "peak dark", and for BBC2 and ITV1 that comes during sports OBs. I'm sure the technical side can make sure they have the right filters etc, but how will the commentators for the athletics in Birmingham or the football at Croke Park cover it?
Well, I just heard Steve Cram ask "will we get a view of the eclipse on Wednesday?" Andrew Cotter didn't know, but at least the commentators can set about doing their research (or getting it done).
| Re: Coffee Mugs - how would you choose your favourite? In "Introductions and chat" [378043/32348/1] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:28, 10th August 2026 | |
I have met Coffee Shop forum member 'broadgage', and he seems to do remarkably well on that diet.
CfN.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line - Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Salisbury" [378042/31359/18] Posted by TaplowGreen at 20:23, 10th August 2026 | |
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 will be terminated at Gloucester.
It will no longer call at Cheltenham Spa.
It is being delayed at Westbury.
This is due to a fault on this train.
| Re: 15th August 2026 - Buses to Imber, Wiltshire In "Buses and other ways to travel" [378041/17260/5] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:09, 10th August 2026 Already liked by Mark A | |
Public houses will also be available at Warminster, Market Lavington and West Lavington, along with the reopened Kings Head at Chitterne.
...
Morris Dancing at Imber (1000-1100), Market Lavington Museum & The Green Man (1200-1400) and Tilshead (1500-1600).
...
Morris Dancing at Imber (1000-1100), Market Lavington Museum & The Green Man (1200-1400) and Tilshead (1500-1600).
That's all fine with me - but I will still need to purchase some fridge magnets.
| Re: Homeward bound - thoughts at the end of an Interrail pass, In "Introductions and chat" [378040/32327/1] Posted by grahame at 19:19, 10th August 2026 | |
And so in summary, someone asked my favourite place the other day. Sorry, Tom, no single place. And a social media post asked a whole group "what’s one place you visited that completely exceeded your expectations?". Can't answer that either, but here are 20 places I've been to this year and would happily recommend
| Re: Cornish mainline and branch line delays - ongoing discussion In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [378039/28556/25] Posted by FarWestJohn at 19:18, 10th August 2026 Already liked by Mark A | |
How do the train crew rosters work at Truro? Falmouth trains are regularly cancelled at short notice and main line trains held awaiting crew.
The replacement staff seem to come on trains that these days are regularly very late. Therefore delays are amplified.
On Saturday a two coach 175 that was packed with standing passengers because the previous two London trains had been cancelled from Penzance.
The 175 was then held for ages awaiting a late down train for a crew member to join it. Some passengers gave up and got off.
Seems a weird way to run a railway?
| Re: Coffee Mugs - how would you choose your favourite? In "Introductions and chat" [378038/32348/1] Posted by broadgage at 19:14, 10th August 2026 | |
I very seldom drink tea or coffee. Beer or water only for regular consumption, with brandy or port or gin, for a treat.
| Re: Solar eclipse 12/08/2026 In "Across the West" [378037/32340/26] Posted by Mark A at 18:49, 10th August 2026 | |
It's odd, the amount of light provided by a mostly obscured sun's disk. After the 1999 event, someone kindly provided me with a set of figures from a data logger that they'd set up at Carn Brea (the hill near Land's End rather than the one above Redruth). Despite, subjectively, the light levels dropping during a partial eclipse - while also gaining peculiar qualities - that plunge in light levels during the total phase then comes as more than a bit of a shock - and then, if partly cloudy, the abruptly dynamic appearance of the sky as the shadow tracks across...
Mark
Mark
That graph is misleading, or at least its annotation is. The physical light level (in lux) varies almost linearly over most of the eclipse, with no sharp dip. It's the subjective brightness that we notice that gives the rather logarithmic shape in that graph. A cube-root-law model fits the eye better, but the shape on a graph looks very similar to logarithmic.
From what I recall, if you don't know there's going to be a partial solar eclipse, even a near miss, you probably won't notice it at all. Even if you are outdoors in bright sunlight, you won't be looking at the face of the sun so as to observe its shape change. The dimming is very slow and subjectively it doesn't darken much. That's why a total eclipse can sneak up on you, until at the last minute the world suddenly goes all dark. That goes for birds too.
I must see if I still have the figures - I hold my hand up to simply slapping them into Excel and asking it to plot a graph.
In one way the change in lighting during a partial eclipse wouldn't be noticed by many, things do go a bit weird though - shadows described as sharper, and the illumination gaining a metallic quality.
I've just looked out my photos of the March 20th 2015 partial eclipse and was surprised at how deep it was, yet, subjectively the hit to light levels though noticeable was as that graph might suggest. The light, though, did gain a strange quality and then of course all those little crescent shadows beneath trees.
Mark
| Re: 15th August 2026 - Buses to Imber, Wiltshire In "Buses and other ways to travel" [378036/17260/5] Posted by grahame at 18:44, 10th August 2026 | |
To meet up, Imber Church is always very busy with long queues on bus days, though worthwhile for me anyway to spend some time there and catch up very briefly with old friends. Does anyone fancy choosing / recommending anywhere that might be slightly quieter even on this day?
Imber Church open for viewing and refreshments from 10am to 6pm;
The refurbished Market Lavington Museum will be open again in the Old School House next to the village church and serving cream teas until 5pm;
Light refreshments also available at the village halls in Tilshead and Chitterne, at St.Arbucks Community Coffee House in Market Lavington and also in Warminster at the Beans & Bits Cafe at Warminster Station and at the Chapel of St. Lawrence on the High Street.
Public houses will also be available at Warminster, Market Lavington and West Lavington, along with the reopened Kings Head at Chitterne.
A small transport sales stall will be available inside Tilshead village hall.
Exhibition of Imber and Imberbus related cartoons at Warminster Library and a Dinosaur trail around the town for families to follow.
Performances by the Bratton Silver Band, plus displays by the London Transport Museum and the Thames Valley & Great Western Omnibus Trust.
Morris Dancing at Imber (1000-1100), Market Lavington Museum & The Green Man (1200-1400) and Tilshead (1500-1600).
The refurbished Market Lavington Museum will be open again in the Old School House next to the village church and serving cream teas until 5pm;
Light refreshments also available at the village halls in Tilshead and Chitterne, at St.Arbucks Community Coffee House in Market Lavington and also in Warminster at the Beans & Bits Cafe at Warminster Station and at the Chapel of St. Lawrence on the High Street.
Public houses will also be available at Warminster, Market Lavington and West Lavington, along with the reopened Kings Head at Chitterne.
A small transport sales stall will be available inside Tilshead village hall.
Exhibition of Imber and Imberbus related cartoons at Warminster Library and a Dinosaur trail around the town for families to follow.
Performances by the Bratton Silver Band, plus displays by the London Transport Museum and the Thames Valley & Great Western Omnibus Trust.
Morris Dancing at Imber (1000-1100), Market Lavington Museum & The Green Man (1200-1400) and Tilshead (1500-1600).
| Re: 15th August 2026 - Buses to Imber, Wiltshire In "Buses and other ways to travel" [378035/17260/5] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 18:34, 10th August 2026 | |
Hmm. My train from NLS at 08:45 to WMN (via BRI) should get me there at 10:10.
We can then meet up somewhere in Warminster, before yomping over those artillery ranges to Imber.
(No, actually: we'll get on one of the buses - even though it will be less exciting.
)CfN.
| Re: Coffee Mugs - how would you choose your favourite? In "Introductions and chat" [378034/32348/1] Posted by johnneyw at 18:22, 10th August 2026 Already liked by Mark A, PhilWakely | |
Being Left Handed, I'll only drink from a plain cup that has a handle on the left hand side 
Snap....and likewise for paint brushes, especially for stripey paint.
| Re: Coffee Mugs - how would you choose your favourite? In "Introductions and chat" [378033/32348/1] Posted by johnneyw at 18:20, 10th August 2026 Already liked by Mark A | |
Some of my favourites come from an artisan ceramics in Ronda, Andalusia. My late brother toured southern Spain in his car in the early 2000s and brought back an axle bending quantity of kitchen ware from that establishment which takes pride of (kitchen ) place in the family pile in south Devon to this day.
| Re: Solar eclipse 12/08/2026 In "Across the West" [378032/32340/26] Posted by Oxonhutch at 18:20, 10th August 2026 | |
Which comes first though? Eclipse or bed?
| Re: Coffee Mugs - how would you choose your favourite? In "Introductions and chat" [378031/32348/1] Posted by PhilWakely at 18:16, 10th August 2026 Already liked by johnneyw, Phil Farmer | |
Being Left Handed, I'll only drink from a plain cup that has a handle on the left hand side
| Re: 15th August 2026 - Buses to Imber, Wiltshire In "Buses and other ways to travel" [378030/17260/5] Posted by grahame at 18:01, 10th August 2026 | |
Personal plans - to catch the regular bus to Market Lavington and then the 10:25 or 10:55 from there
Thank you for posting that very timely reminder here, rogerw.
This time, I have every intention of actually attending that event: am I likely to meet any other Coffee Shop forum members - and indeed guest readers - there?
CfN.
This time, I have every intention of actually attending that event: am I likely to meet any other Coffee Shop forum members - and indeed guest readers - there?
CfN.
The 3A would connect for me at West Lavington. Illustrates rather than we do have a good selection of buses around on a Saturday morning, none of which understand the term "clock face".
| Re: Cornish mainline and branch line delays - ongoing discussion In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [378029/28556/25] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:56, 10th August 2026 | |
Boardmasters presumably.
Do the Treasury not care about passengers.
The civil servants at the Treasury are number crunchers, not customer facing.
That's my personal opinion - not the official view from this Coffee Shop forum.
CfN.
| Re: To the Furthest Corner of Europe - By Interrail In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [378028/32319/52] Posted by grahame at 17:42, 10th August 2026 | |
Chapter 3 is Bucharest to Sofia, ...
Wonderful reading ... looking forward to the next chapter (in the next few days) and perhaps seeing some of these places for myself in the next few years.
| Re: Coffee Mugs - how would you choose your favourite? In "Introductions and chat" [378027/32348/1] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:39, 10th August 2026 | |
I don't drink tea these days, only coffee and water.
Any large mug that will hold two ordinary cups so I'm not constantly going to the coffee machine for a top-up.
Alcohol mainly at the weekends!
Any large mug that will hold two ordinary cups so I'm not constantly going to the coffee machine for a top-up.
Alcohol mainly at the weekends!
I'm with that!
CfN.
| Re: Solar eclipse 12/08/2026 In "Across the West" [378026/32340/26] Posted by johnneyw at 17:39, 10th August 2026 Already liked by Mark A | |
I'm reminded that in Devon in 1999 the farming community joked that Cornish farmers would turn in for bed during the eclipse. I'm sure that the joke worked similarly for Cornish farmers.
| Re: Coffee Mugs - how would you choose your favourite? In "Introductions and chat" [378025/32348/1] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:29, 10th August 2026 | |
With my very grateful thanks to grahame for hosting this image (and for overlooking the fact that I nicked one of his mugs, years ago), here is my own collection:
Actually, bearing in mind that I am the only person in our household of three who actually drinks coffee, I was rather startled that I have apparently collected six mugs.
CfN.
| Re: Coffee Mugs - how would you choose your favourite? In "Introductions and chat" [378024/32348/1] Posted by Oxonhutch at 17:23, 10th August 2026 | |
The Harz hex bottom left. Big and light inside so I can see it's been through the wash.
| Re: Weather updates from across the UK and implications for infrastructure - 2026 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [378023/31355/51] Posted by ChrisB at 16:55, 10th August 2026 | |
They are so new (this year?) that I suspect they haven't yet even considered that those questions need answers....so no, is the answer I expect.
| Re: 15th August 2026 - Buses to Imber, Wiltshire In "Buses and other ways to travel" [378022/17260/5] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 16:20, 10th August 2026 | |
Thanks for your update, ChrisB.
I understand that the erstwhile village church in Imber will be filled with stalls offering all sorts of souvenirs for the event. SWMBO, who is an avid collector of fridge magnets, has instructed me to purchase some, so I'm collecting all of our loose coins here (it will be cash only) to do so.
See you there on Saturday!
