Indeed / I can sympathise.    Newquay, Exeter, Bristol airports ... none has a rail connection.   I still fancy the idea - pink flying elephant time - of the Strawberry line re-opening to Wrington and then extending into an underground station at Lulsgate / Bristol Airport.   Four trains an hour - to Cornwall (Falmouth?), to Cardiff via Bristol, to Minehead via Taunton, and to Swindon via Bath Spa.

As I understand it, there is a "Right to Roam" in Scotland, but in England it's much more restricted - perhaps to National Parks.  Would anyone with a bit of knowledge on this be able to fill me in?

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act) normally gives a public right of access to land mapped as open country (mountain, moor, heath or down) or registered common land. These areas are ‘open access land’.

The online maps show if the public has a right of access to land. They also have details of any local restrictions or exclusions that limit the public’s rights over them. Some of the mapped areas do not have access rights because they are excepted land.

Much of the coastal margin that’s being created as part of the work to implement the King Charles III England Coast Path (KCIIIECP) is also open access land. Open stretches of the KCIIIECP are shown on the National Trails website

Registered common land is land other than coastal margin which is registered as common under the Commons Registration Act 1965. If land ceases to be registered it will retain open access rights if it qualifies as open country or has been dedicated for access.

You are not required to create new ways for people to reach open access land over neighbouring land.

While the access rights may appear to be very extensive, they are subject to many restrictions. Land over which statutory access rights cannot be exercised includes:

▪ any land to the extent that there are buildings on it, a fixed piece of machinery or anywhere that provides an individual with privacy or shelter, such as a tent or caravan. This covers both residential and non- residential buildings;
▪ gardens around houses, caravans or tents etc., of a sufficient extent to allow a reasonable degree of privacy.

Public access rights also do not apply to:

▪ common gardens that are restricted to residents, even if they are separated from the homes themselves;
▪ schools or land used by schools, such as a playground;
▪ land that has been developed as a sports or playing field, or for a particular recreational purpose; or
▪ land on which crops are growing (in order to protect farming).

Additionally, it is not permissible to use public access rights for certain types of conduct such as to hunt, shoot or fish, or for the purpose of committing an offence such as theft or polluting water (including breaching a court order).

My memory tells me there used to be a Summer Saturday Falmouth - Paddington (& return) express.

Right to Roam in the UK
In England and Wales, the right to roam is limited compared to Scotland. Access is primarily granted on open access land, which can be used for walking, horse-riding, and cycling under certain conditions. Dogs must be kept on a lead no longer than 2 meters, and some areas, called excepted land, remain private and are not accessible even if they appear on maps of open access land

Public rights of way, common lands, and the foreshore of beaches often provide additional access opportunities

Retracing the defiant walk that changed Britain

Molly Gorman

Seventy-five years after the Peak District became Britain's first national park, visitors can retrace the mass trespass that helped open the countryside to everyone.

[snip]

Having grown up on the fringes of the Peak District, I have always delighted in walking across its dramatic landscapes, while being largely unaware of its role in shaping public access to the English countryside. Today, I'm retracing those bold rebels' steps where it all began.

[snip]

"We have this idea that England's crowded, England's full. That's not the case, but it may feel like it, because there's very little land that most of us can legally access" – Jon Moses

However, the Kinder mass trespass of 24 April 1932 is often cited as the catalyst that led to the birth of England's own national park system.

[snip]

Dog rescued from railway line with help from drone


Maddie needed help after she strolled on to the railway embankment - Image © Network Rail

A dog has been rescued from a railway embankment with the assistance of a drone.

Cairn terrier Maddie got stuck near Hitchin, Hertfordshire, on 21 July.

British Transport Police deployed a drone which located her in the thick undergrowth before Network Rail mobile operations manager Martin Mason collected her.

He said: "While we're delighted this story had a happy ending, animals on the railway can create significant safety risks and lead to potential train service disruption.  We would encourage all pet owners to keep dogs secure when near the railway."

Drones are also used along the railway to deter trespassers, check for fires and monitor potential flooding.

grahame - What I would be interested to know is whether the source who informed your correspondent that "we will be getting a tram system" was imparting a genuine change of policy that would move the implementation of such a system into the short/medium term timeframe (presumably by removing the quoted funding constraints through the use of some of the significant savings envisaged by moving to a unitary system), or whether they were simply jumping the gun/living in hope.

There is certainly potential there in my view. There are already LTP commitments to work towards an integrated transport authority, Quality Bus Corridors, and the main bus operators (RATP and Go) are both well experienced in the kind of partnership working that could even facilitate successful Bus Franchising if so desired.

Plan to move Dorset railway station called 'anti-motorist'

A 15-year plan with proposals to move a railway station, introduce trams and expand the cycling network is continuing the “anti-motorist biased agenda”.

That's according to Reform councillor Cameron Adams.

The local transport plan (LTP4) was consulted on between January and March 2024 so that the council could “understand the transport-related issues” the strategy would seek to address.

The plan includes proposals to reopen Hamworthy branch line as a freight route, relocate Poole train station to help regenerate the town centre, introduce trams across the BCP conurbation and make improvements to cycling networks and pedestrian routes.

During a debate on the strategy at a full council meeting on July 28, Councillor Margaret Phipps, who was a member of the working group for the local transport plan said: “For me it is not a transport plan it more resembles a cycling and climate plan.

“I really can’t see how this plan will benefit a majority of residents in BCP and businesses who have to by absolute necessity use a motorised vehicle to get around.”

Councillor Karen Rampton asked how a petition which had 2,000 signatures from a motorist group was considered.

Cllr Rampton said: “This is 2.000 residents who took the time to make representation to us about something they feel strongly about and it seems to me that was just dismissed.

“This transport plan barely mentions a car but for many residents the car is a lifeline, it is there choice and we shouldn’t remove that choice. ”

Councillor Stephen Bartlett said: “The document should be retitled to the local walking wheeling and cycling transport plan as it is trying to alter people behaviour.

“The impression I got was this is a paper that does not reflect public opinion.”

Councillor Cameron Adams said: “In the local transport plan strategy document it does mention motorists five times, with cars mentioned on a further 30 occasions.

“Cycling is mentioned 85 times and potholes one of the most frequently complained about issues is mentioned on one occasion which shows the priority that is given to them.

“The Lib Dems continuing to do this anti-motorist biased agenda is why so many of them are going to be joining Sir Keir in the job centre next May.”

Councillor Millie Earl said: “I don’t see it as something taking away from car drivers to give to cyclists this is about equity and rebalancing.

“Everyone should feel safe on our roads.”

BCP Council voted in favour of implementing the strategy 44:13 with four councillors abstaining.

Never stolen.  Mind you, who would want to steal a bus.....

ScotRail apology as passengers unable to book tickets in app launch chaos

ScotRail has apologised for the chaotic launch of its new app, which has left hundreds of passengers unable to book train tickets.

The operator replaced its existing system, provided by Trainline, with an updated ticketing platform for travellers on Thursday morning.

Complaints on ScotRail's social media channels saw a series of issues with passengers being forced to reset account passwords and journeys not appearing in booking searches.

ScotRail said it was working to fix "intermittent technical issues" and said passengers should continue using their old phone app until resolved.

Many people attempting to catch morning trains were frustrated by the processes involved before they could buy tickets.  Passengers on social media branded the roll-out a "shambles" and a "nonsense".

An email earlier this week had warned passengers that they would need the new app to buy tickets from Thursday.  But the app was not made available to download ahead of launch day.

ScotRail Chief Operating Officer, David Ross, told BBC Radio Scotland that issues began when "thousands and thousands of people" attempted to switch to the new app at the same time.

"There were challenges with a bit of a backlog with the sheer volume of people downloading the app this morning," he said.  "There have been some intermittent technical challenges, our suppliers and technical teams are working round the clock to resolve those.  We were doing lots of testing work, working closely with Apple and Google, about when and where in the app store it can be made available."

(BBC article continues)

Never stolen.  Mind you, who would want to steal a bus.....

I drove to the pub last night, intending to be there for just a short time ... but good company, good beer and a good match I stayed far longer than I should.   A friend recommended that I leave the car and take a bus home, and I took him up on that advise.

Good job I did take the bus, because just up the road the police were stopping all the cars and checking that their drivers were fit to drive, but they just waved the bus through.

This morning, my wife wants to know where the car is - and why there's a bus parked outside our house.

Reminded me of when I took over a bus from another driver and he was very clear about not switching off the engine as it wouldn't restart. The call of nature came about 2 hours into a 3h30 run where the only option was to use Tesco's facilities (it shouldn't really be up to other companies to provide facilities without being compensated, but that's another matter). I couldn't go inside the supermarket with the engine running so had no choice but to risk switching it off.

We'll be coming back London - Swindon - Melksham next week.  It will be interesting to see what advice if any we are offered at Paddington; Swansea or Cardiff trains will be an issue - we know the solution for Bristol and Cheltenham Spa services.

They could try but the lifts at Didcot (P2/3 and P4/5) are also out of order, seems to be connected to the heatwave as happens every time we get 'extreme heat'.

From Journey Check


Does this mean that passengers for Swindon with mobility issues from the west may travel to Didcot and double back there at no extra charge?

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G15387/2026-07-30/detailed#allox_id=0

2N02 0707 Par to Newquay
175007 coupled to 175114

Four trains an hour - to Cornwall (Falmouth?),

Carry out a Diversity Impact Assessment – do you have a Plan B in place in case the lift or escalator stops working for any reason? How will disabled passengers continue their journey?

Not quite sure about the veracity of this statement. I've not been around for 125+ years and can certainly remember clambering over the stones as a youngster.

Stonehenge first started charging an admission fee in 1901. The then-owner, Sir Edmund Antrobus, erected a wire fence around the ancient monument and charged visitors one shilling (sixpence earlier on by family members) to help stop tourists from damaging and chipping away pieces of the stones for souvenirs.

They officially stopped allowing people to climb on and touch the stones in 1977

Not just Wiltshire - the whole country. If they can do it, why can't we?

Some the UK could do, some they could not. Electrification, good connections to local stations, trains with enough space to do something useful while you travel, ticket cost, afforbable station rents for stores you could. Double deck trains would be much harder with our loading gauge, but modern technology should allow for a further generation of them (things have changed since 1949) which a single level over the wheels with steps up to the first floor and down to the near-ground floor. Modern materials reduce the physical need for a solid straight underframe.

Stonehenge has been a ticketed attraction for 125 years, with public access kept to a path with barriers.