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Once upon a time, during the Crosville days, bus timetables were something you could rely on. Unfortunately, those days are long gone.
The day started going downhill as I walked to the bus stop, aiming to catch a ride to Crewe Railway Station. I’d left early—but clearly not early enough, as I watched the bus sail past the end of the close, already enroute to Crewe. One train missed!
The next bus was late, and by the time I arrived at the railway station, I had precisely one minute to dash through the barriers and down to platform 3. Not even Usain Bolt could manage that! Two trains missed!
My usual train, which used to depart at ten minutes past the hour, now leaves at thirty-three minutes past. Same platform, same destination—Newark Castle—so I was pleasantly surprised to see a Newark Castle train scheduled to depart at the old time.
That surprise was short-lived. After leaving Kidsgrove, the train picked
up speed and shot straight through Longport on its way to Stoke. Oh,
sugar.
And, of course, I’d forgotten about the school holidays, meaning the café was packed—too packed for my liking.
And that, dear reader, is how my simple journey from Wheelock to Longport for Westport Lake turned into an epic saga—and an extraordinarily long walk.