The Anonymous Widower

92 Clubs – Day 28 – Portsmouth, Port Vale, Preston

This was an easy day, in that I took a train to Fratton after 09:30 from Waterloo to Fratton to get to Portsmouth.

Portsmouth's Fratton Park Stadium

I was back into London ion the 11:28 and was able to catch the 13:20 out of Euston to Stoke-on-Trent for Port Vale. 

Vale Park is not easy to get to from the station and although the 21 bus supposedly does most of the trip, this does mean a confusing change or stopover in Hanley.  So I took a taxi to the ground from there.

Inside Vale Park

The staff were very welcoming and one of them took the picture.

I tried to get the bus back to the station from Vale Park and asctually found the stop,but no bus of any sort appeared for some time.  A local told me they were often like that and caused him great distress. In the end it was a 21 that appeared, but as I needed to get on I jumped ship at Hanley and got a taxi to the station, where I caught another Virgin Pendolino to Manchester Piccadilly. By now, I know the station like one of the rats, who I suspect live between the tracks, sao it was a run to catch the train to Preston.  As it was a Trans Pennine Express, it was very crowded.

I’d been to Deepdale once before in the 1960s to see Spurs play, whilst I was at University and can remember walking a long way to the staidum then.  So this time it was a taxi in the dark to Preston‘s ground.

Deepdale in the Dark

I got back to the station about 18:00 and as I had an Off Peak Single to Euston, it was a situation, where I just took pot luck. I had a choice of taking the Glasgow train for Euston, which was rather full or waiting fifty minutes to get on an almost empty train starting from Preston. One of the Virgin train staff advised taking the latter, but I knew that the Glasgow train would have to unload a few passengers at Wigan and Warrington, so I took the chance.  By Warrington, I had a backward facing corner seat with a window view all the way to Euston. They really are the most comfortable seats on a Pendolino, where I always prefer to travel with my back to the driver.

October 30, 2011 - Posted by AnonW | Sport, Transport/Travel | 92CCBB, Buses, Football, Trains