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Message # 77778.1.2.1.1.1.1.1

Subject: Re:Supplementary point

Date: Thu 18/07/19 11:03:22 GMT

Name: jollywetfellow

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By jollywetfellow - Thu 18/07/19 10:35:58 GMT

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Have fun.

By Skelenton - Wed 17/07/19 19:15:46 GMT

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I have lots of ideas now where I could go.

By jollywetfellow - Wed 17/07/19 12:00:31 GMT

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No. 1 has got to be the south Wales coast, as mentioned before, which has low (striped) cliffs but rocks below at low tide.    Barry has 4 trains per hour from Cardiff (though its a grim former coal-exporting port in itself); the beach is at Barry Island, the end of the line for most trains, and reliably has wetlook; but if its seclusion you're after I would ignore that and get off instead at Barry main station (confusingly called just "Barry", even though there are also stations called Barry Island and Barry Docks, and even more confusingly Barry Links near where I live in Scotland) and then either keep walking in the direction the train was facing when you alighted, or go over the hill to Porthkerry Country Park and under the impressive railway viaduct, then in either case head west along the coast.    You will have the occasional plane flying low over your head but, no doubt partly because of that, it is otherwise quiet in my experience.  Or you could try the hourly train service to Rhoose, which is on top of the cliffs - you may or may not be able to get down to the beach from there (I've never tried it).    The same train then continues to Llantwit Major, which is about 1.5 miles inland so you'd be best with a map (Explorer 151 covers this whole area) to find the coast but the coast hereabouts is both lovely and quiet.    Trains then head inland but there are buses to both Porthcawl and Ogmore-by-Sea from Bridgend which is served by Inter-City trains (the bus station is just a few hundred yards from the rail station, though its a mazy sort of town so you'll probably have to ask for directions - just stand looking lost for 30 seconds in any south Welsh town and you'll have locals rushing to help you; lovely people they are, look you!).

No. 2 would be further along the coast at Tenby.   Its train service is only every 2 hours and it's a long (though scenic) trundle beyond Swansea, but it is a complete contrast to Barry - a lovely characterful old town, well worth a visit in itself.    The beaches in the town are quite busy (and quite good for wetlook) but you can easily walk along the Pembroke Coast Path in either direction to more secluded places.     My memory is a bit hazy about details, there are people on this Forum who know the place much better than I do so may give more info (especially if you put the word "Tenby" in the title box of your reply).

No. 3 is just a thought because it has direct trains from the West Midlands - though I've been to the area several times I've always concentrated on the mountains and narrow gauge railways and only seen the coast from the train, but it looks very suitable for your purpose.    Yes, of course, I mean the west coast of Snowdonia.    The railway follows the coast, with frequent stations (though the trains are not so frequent!) all the way from Aberystwyth to Pwllheli - the Welsh Coast Path also runs all the way along it and the section from Barmouth northwards looks particularly suitable for your purpose.

No. 4 is a bit of a cheat, since the only stations are on the West Somerset Steam Railway https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/ and you will have to get a bus for the short hop from Taunton Inter-City station (First service 28, half-hourly, https://www.firstgroup.com/somerset/plan-journey/timetables/?operator=31&service=28&page=1&redirect=no , the bus shelter is literally on Taunton station platform) to Bishops Lydeard steam railway station (the same bus will take you all the way if you prefer).    This is a deservedly popular holiday area but the coast between Minehead and Watchet (away from the towns themselves), also eastwards from Watchet, is less scenic than almost everywhere else in the area and therefore quite quiet; there are coastal steam railway stations at Minehead, Dunster, Blue Anchor, Watchet and Doniford Beach (Outdoor Leisure map 9 is useful).

For no. 5 I'll say the north Norfolk coast.    Mostly no train services but it gets quite secluded quite quickly heading west from the terminus of the one line there is, at Sheringham.    (There is also a steam railway parallel to the coast here - you might be beginning to notice a pattern in the places I choose to visit! - but it heads inland before its next station).

I suggest no. 6 because one hot steamy day many years ago I arrived at Margate hoping for some of its usually excellent wetlook, only to find the beach deserted because they had just had a thunderstorm, so I decided to walk round the coast towards Broadstairs and Ramsgate.    And found it remarkably secluded in many places, below the low chalk cliffs there - I've been there a couple of times since and its always been the same.    Railway parallel to the coast with stations at Margate, Broadstairs and Dumpton Park (also Ramsgate but the station is a long way from the beach).

Anyway, there's a few, hope one of these appeals to you and works for you - good luck with your swim!

By Skelenton - Wed 17/07/19 05:57:18 GMT

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It doesn't have to necessarily be one of the nearer seaside towns to where I live.

Yes I'm travelling by train, so preferably my ideal location would have to be within easy reach of a station, hopefully in or near a town.

By jollywetfellow - Wed 17/07/19 00:01:33 GMT

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When I talked previously about walking along a stretch of coast backed by cliffs I actually had in my mind the time I walked along the stretch of South Wales coast between Barry and Porthcawl (in two stages)  - Barry is actually the nearest decent beach to the West Midlands (though most Brummies don't seem to know it and seem to prefer Weston-super-Mud if they think of going that way at all); is that your part of middle England?    Or, I remember, way back in the days when service bus companies also ran day excursions, a bus company manager recently transferred to my area from Leicester, saying how much he preferred it because people were interested in going to lots of different places, whereas in Leicester "all they want is Skeggie, Skeggie, Skeggie".    Are you one of them - should I be sending you to Skegness?!      But "the middle of the country" is technically Whalley sewage works in Lancashire (though that is if you include Scotland in the calculation); is that more your area?    Or further south - gets easier in that case....

Anyway, I'll think about it, but a bit more geographical focus would help.....

By Skelenton - Tue 16/07/19 18:20:20 GMT

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No, I haven't tried it yet. I'm hoping to try it later in the summer, in the sea (I'm right in the middle of the country and the coast is nowhere near me).

Any ideas which British seaside towns would have secluded beaches wherenI can try it? (Not too far from a town or train station).

By jollywetfellow - Tue 16/07/19 17:52:33 GMT

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