The Anonymous Widower

A Very Good Football Trip

As I said here, my trip to Blackpool, yesterday, started well at Kings Cross.

As I had a few minutes before the Glasgow train to Preston, I had time to visit the Virgin First Class lounge at Euston. I think some companies charge extra for the lounge if you’re on a cheap ticket or close it altogether at weekends, but Virgin don’t seem to penny pinch like that at Euston.

The train was on time to Preston, but it did look very much like rain.

Approaching Preston

As I had booked to Blackpool North station, which is a walk of three kilometres to the ground, I asked if I could use my ticket to Blackpool South station, which is only about eight hundred metres.  I was informed that there would be no problem by someone from Northern Rail! I certainly hadn’t found a Jobsworth.

The guy on the train gave the same story and I arrived at the station to walk to Bloomfield Road.

Walking To Bloomfield Road

I made it in plenty of time, walking in the sun, although the weather was threatening.

It really started to rain, just as I got under cover in my seat.

The match was a topsy-turvy affair, with Ipswich winning with the odd goal in five, scored in stoppage time. Ipswich were one-nil down at half-time, so unusually for a manager, Mick McCarthy threw caution to the wind and played with four forwards across the field.

He got the result all the Ipswich fans wanted and you do wonder, if he hasn’t found the best way to use the talent he has available.

I must admit, I did look at the two Blackpool goals last night on the BBC and I can’t help feeling that if Cresswell and Smith had been playing, one or both of these goals might not have been scored.

In the end the Ipswich fans all went about their journeys home happy with the result, so the two Blackpool goals didn’t matter.

As it connects better to the London trains, I decided to do the long walk to Blackpool North station. However, I didn’t have to walk all the way, as I found a 14 bus, that went near the station. There was the usual silly ticketing palaver, you get with a bus pass outside London and I do wonder if bus companies have shares in those that produce ticket paper.

I got a crowded train to Preston fairly easily, but it arrived there, just as a Euston train was departing. A Virgin employee told me, I had an hour to wait, but as I had an Off-Peak ticket I could take any train.  I then realised, it would be nice to eat something, so as a Manchester Piccadilly train was alongside, a gluten-free supper in Carluccio’s at Piccadilly station beckoned. I could then take one of the more numerous trains to London. The Virgin also told me, that the Manchester to London trains weren’t busy, as City and United weren’t playing.

Where had all the Jobsworths gone?

I had my supper in Carluccio’s at a fast pace and made the 19:35 train with ease.  I had intended to upgrade to First, but as I got four seats and a table to myself in Stearage, I didn’t bother. In fact the fifteen pound upgrade, I didn’t buy, virtually paid for my meal in Carluccio’s.

As I’d arrived in Piccadilly virtually dead on seven, I’d ordered, waited for and eaten my meal in about half-an-hour, whilst checking the news and the football results on the excellent wi-fi. So with luck, I’d be able to go straight home from Euston and catch the start of Match of the Day.

I did! It had been a very good trip.

In a few years time, going from London to Blackpool will be a lot easier, as they are electrifying the line from Preston, as part of the major electrification between Manchester, Liverpool and Preston. It has also been stated that this will mean a tour-hourly service of faster electric trains to and from London. But as I’ll still have the problem of getting a decent gluten-free meal on the way down, but as it will be a greatly improved service from Blackpool to Manchester Piccadilly, I can still go via Manchester and have a decent meal, whilst changing trains.

In fact, if like I did, you have a ticket from Blackpool North to London, you will have several stations, where you can change onto a fast train to London, if you just missed a direct train and didn’t want to wait two hours. You could change at Preston, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool or even Wigan North Western.

I can’t help but feel, that this long-awaited electrification is going to make a lot of difference to the whole of the triangle based on Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool.

It should have been done years ago!

November 10, 2013 - Posted by AnonW | Food, Sport, Transport/Travel | Blackpool, Carluccio's, Coeliac/Gluten-Free, Customer Service, Electrification, Football, Ipswich Town, Liverpool, Manchester, Northern Rail, Preston, Virgin Trains