Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Re: Barriers to bus and tram travel - lessons from Florence In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [372929/31691/52] Posted by Bob_Blakey at 08:05, 2nd March 2026 |      |
.....As a senior citizen resident in North Somerset, I recently registered for a bus pass.....The whole 'tapping it in and out' requirement remains a mystery to me.....
Are things done differently in North Somerset? The Devon County Council issued National Bus Pass only requires 'tapping in' on each bus used (even if you have to use 5 buses on one E2E journey). I assumed this was standard across the country - it was certainly the same in Warwickshire & West Yorkshire.
| Re: Annoying / amusing use of completely irrelevant stock photos to illustrate press articles In "The Lighter Side" [372926/11558/30] Posted by grahame at 07:14, 2nd March 2026 | |
Two sponsored Facebook adverts for Scottish tours
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372921/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 05:49, 2nd March 2026 | |
05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09
Facilities on the 05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09.
Toilet facilities are not available. Disabled toilet facilities are not available.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Facilities on the 05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09.
Toilet facilities are not available. Disabled toilet facilities are not available.
This is due to a fault on this train.
A long journey without a loo - however, the train calls at Swindon, Westbury and Salisbury, for 8, 10 and 11 minutes and there should be opportunities to use the loo at any of those.
| Re: Sharp Brewery's Doom Bar from Rock, Cornwall? Apparently not! In "The West - but NOT trains in the West" [372919/15849/31] Posted by JayMac at 02:01, 2nd March 2026 | |
Only in this day and age could a brewer call itself a "Beverage Company" 
Yes - but you are referring to a brewing organisation in the USA / Canada, where the King's English is sadly becoming the language of the past.
You should give the YouTube channel 'Words Unravelled' a watch. Two etymologists (that's words not bugs!), one British, one American, share their knowledge and research of current English language words and phrases used either side of the pond. And their deeper history and forks from Old English, Norman, Danish, Germanic, Anglo Saxon, Roman, Celtic...
What's also apparent is that it isn't so much a case of us generous folk in the UK giving them English and them ruining it, but more so that they took regional accents and dialects (particularly Irish in the early days of the United States) from across the British Isles, which were then added to by words, phrases, idioms and spellings from across European languages following mass immigration into the USA. In more recent times Spanish words and phrases have entered common usage in British English. Not from Spain, but from Mexico via the USA. Not forgetting all the loan words and phrases British English has taken from its
It's one big colorful melting pot.
| Re: OTD - 2nd March 1908 - Opening to Kelly Bray / Callington In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [372918/26106/25] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 00:37, 2nd March 2026 | |
With thanks to the above two very experienced CRP contributors to this forum, I now commend this topic, on this latest anniversary.
| Re: Barriers to bus and tram travel - lessons from Florence In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [372917/31691/52] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 22:31, 1st March 2026 | |
It's good to research local transport in advance of your trip
...
In the UK, do you just tap your debit card when you get on or do you have to state your destination? Depends on the town / city / bus company.
It's not just tourists that get confused.
...
In the UK, do you just tap your debit card when you get on or do you have to state your destination? Depends on the town / city / bus company.
It's not just tourists that get confused.
I do empathize with that.
As a senior citizen resident in North Somerset, I recently registered for a bus pass, with an online photograph for validation. When the card arrived, I looked more like Alec Guiness as Obi Wan Kenobi than me.
I then had to seek guidance from my daughter as to when and how I could use it from Nailsea, and from grahame as to when and how I could use it from Melksham. The whole 'tapping it in and out' requirement remains a mystery to me.
| Re: Barriers to bus and tram travel - lessons from Florence In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [372916/31691/52] Posted by Surrey 455 at 22:15, 1st March 2026 | |
It's good to research local transport in advance of your trip
In many (maybe all) German cities if you buy a one day ticket it needs to be validated before travel on the train (or once you get on the bus) and you may be able to use any door on the bus without showing your ticket to the driver.
In the UK, do you just tap your debit card when you get on or do you have to state your destination? Depends on the town / city / bus company.
It's not just tourists that get confused.
| Re: Cornish pasty - is it a proper one? Merged posts, ongoing light-hearted discussion In "Introductions and chat" [372915/22765/1] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:31, 1st March 2026 | |
From the BBC:
Pasty champions crowned - and they may surprise you
The championships saw nearly 100 competitive bakers and pasty companies compete
The winners of the first Global Pasty Championships have been crowned - and they may come as a surprise.
The contest saw nearly 100 bakers and pasty companies bring their lovingly crafted pasties to The Lost Gardens of Heligan near St Austell. But although pasties are synonymous with Cornwall, bakers from Bristol dominated the event, with bakers from the West Country city winning both individual titles and one of the two junior categories.
Vanessa Farr from Bristol, who took home the title in the Cornish pasty individual category, said: "I'm pleased to win this because I was up against professional bakers as well as amateurs, so this is a big one."
Fellow winners from the city included Max Baker, who won the alternative pasty individual category with a chicken in barbecue sauce pasty, and Finley, who triumphed in the alternative pasty junior category with a chicken fajita pasty.
And some participants for other events during Cornish Pasty Week travelled from a lot further than Bristol to take part.
Yuriko Shigyo made the trip from Tokyo in Japan to take part for the second time. "I really enjoyed returning to the crimping competition. The gardens here are so beautiful. I'm looking forward to coming again next year to enter the pasty contest," she said.
The competition was organised in partnership with the Cornish Pasty Association. Jason Jobling, chairman of the organisation, said: "The Global Pasty Championships has been a fantastic celebration of our national dish and a great way to bring a most memorable Cornish Pasty Week to a close."
The championships saw nearly 100 competitive bakers and pasty companies compete
The winners of the first Global Pasty Championships have been crowned - and they may come as a surprise.
The contest saw nearly 100 bakers and pasty companies bring their lovingly crafted pasties to The Lost Gardens of Heligan near St Austell. But although pasties are synonymous with Cornwall, bakers from Bristol dominated the event, with bakers from the West Country city winning both individual titles and one of the two junior categories.
Vanessa Farr from Bristol, who took home the title in the Cornish pasty individual category, said: "I'm pleased to win this because I was up against professional bakers as well as amateurs, so this is a big one."
Fellow winners from the city included Max Baker, who won the alternative pasty individual category with a chicken in barbecue sauce pasty, and Finley, who triumphed in the alternative pasty junior category with a chicken fajita pasty.
And some participants for other events during Cornish Pasty Week travelled from a lot further than Bristol to take part.
Yuriko Shigyo made the trip from Tokyo in Japan to take part for the second time. "I really enjoyed returning to the crimping competition. The gardens here are so beautiful. I'm looking forward to coming again next year to enter the pasty contest," she said.
The competition was organised in partnership with the Cornish Pasty Association. Jason Jobling, chairman of the organisation, said: "The Global Pasty Championships has been a fantastic celebration of our national dish and a great way to bring a most memorable Cornish Pasty Week to a close."
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372912/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 19:14, 1st March 2026 | |
18:10 Castle Cary to Swindon due 19:34
19:43 Swindon to Westbury due 20:25
20:38 Westbury to Swindon due 21:23
21:34 Swindon to Westbury due 22:16
Facilities on the 21:34 Swindon to Westbury due 22:16.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.
19:43 Swindon to Westbury due 20:25
20:38 Westbury to Swindon due 21:23
21:34 Swindon to Westbury due 22:16
Facilities on the 21:34 Swindon to Westbury due 22:16.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.
| Re: TravelWatch SouthWest General Meeting, Friday 6 March 2026 In "Diary - what's happening when?" [372906/30742/34] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 16:49, 1st March 2026 | |
Just to confirm the details, the venue is the Firepool Centre for Digital Innovation, Trenchard Way, Taunton TA1 1FH.
From the down platform at Taunton railway station, go down Station Approach and the distinctive new building is directly across the A3087 Trenchard Way - there is a pedestrian crossing.
The meeting times are 10:30am to 3:15pm.
CfN.
| Re: Transport for Wales train fares to be frozen for a year, from 1 March 2026 In "Shorter journeys in South and West Wales" [372905/31689/23] Posted by anthony215 at 16:38, 1st March 2026 | |
Wales might be freezing its rail fares, but for some parts of the Network it has temporarily retained old rolling stock too.
The class 398 tram-trains still not in use in the Cardiff area
A number of its new class 197 DMUs have never entered service, and a few others have been out of service for months because they have faults that are proving difficult to fix due to lack of spare parts. (and if can't get parts already, what will it be like in 30 years)
So in meantime, the aging class 150s, some class 153s (38-40 year old) and the class 158s and mk4 carriages (34-37 year old) continue in service.
From my occasional travels in South Wales it is also clear their train orders made 8 years ago (and which business case would have been formulated nearer 10 years ago), have rather too many 2car units which get crowded on certain services and desperately need lengthening to cope with current (and growing) passenger numbers
Overall good they are freezing fares, but TfW need a plan to handle the additional passengers their new trains (where they have been introduced) seem to be carrying.
The class 398 tram-trains still not in use in the Cardiff area
A number of its new class 197 DMUs have never entered service, and a few others have been out of service for months because they have faults that are proving difficult to fix due to lack of spare parts. (and if can't get parts already, what will it be like in 30 years)
So in meantime, the aging class 150s, some class 153s (38-40 year old) and the class 158s and mk4 carriages (34-37 year old) continue in service.
From my occasional travels in South Wales it is also clear their train orders made 8 years ago (and which business case would have been formulated nearer 10 years ago), have rather too many 2car units which get crowded on certain services and desperately need lengthening to cope with current (and growing) passenger numbers
Overall good they are freezing fares, but TfW need a plan to handle the additional passengers their new trains (where they have been introduced) seem to be carrying.
Driver training on the 398s to start april/may with the 1st 398 entering service in June although tfw only have a few of them which have completed fault free running.
756s should start on Rhymney entering to barry island services soon with 231s going on VOG
| Re: Travelling on invalid ticket - what should the operator do? In "Fare's Fair" [372904/31693/4] Posted by Mark A at 16:18, 1st March 2026 | |
The Melksham chap: rather too late in the day for Melksham's one National Express service to London (an early morning departure which also serves Trowbridge, fares look to be £9.50 - £20.00).
The air travel people: I don't know. It's no good validating the ticket and booking with the airline once it's purchased, by that time the purchase price is down the drain and the crook's over the hill and far away.
Mark
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372902/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 14:35, 1st March 2026 | |
14:05 Frome to Swindon due 14:58
15:44 Swindon to Frome due 16:38
16:43 Frome to Swindon due 17:34
17:44 Swindon to Salisbury due 18:55
Facilities on the 17:44 Swindon to Salisbury due 18:55.
Toilet facilities are not available. Disabled toilet facilities are not available.
This is due to a fault on this train.
15:44 Swindon to Frome due 16:38
16:43 Frome to Swindon due 17:34
17:44 Swindon to Salisbury due 18:55
Facilities on the 17:44 Swindon to Salisbury due 18:55.
Toilet facilities are not available. Disabled toilet facilities are not available.
This is due to a fault on this train.
