A Two-Way Station
Exeter St. Davids station is unusual in that the two London services to Paddington and Waterloo leave in opposite directions.
When the two companies; GWR and LSWR were racing to get the mail from America to London, that had been dropped off at Plymouth, the trains used to pass through in opposite directions.
We sometimes wonder why things are not logical on British trains. But often, it’s down to what happened in the 19th century.
How To Signpost a Ground – And a Town or City!
I found this in Exeter.
Signpost in Exeter
The city also has very good maps.
It should almost be the law that all major towns and cities have at least this minimum!
A Ground With Its Own Station
Exeter play at St. James Park.
St. James Park Station
It’s even painted in the club colours.
92 Clubs – Day 13 – Exeter City, Fulham
It wasn’t a particularly early start, but I was on the 11:06 to Exeter from Paddington.
The main station is at the bottom of a steep hill leading into the city, with the club on the other side of the centre. so as I had plenty of time, I walked it and didn’t get lost at all, as it was very well-signposted. The only problem was that Marks and Spencer didn’t have any gluten-free sandwiches, so I had to make do, with crisps and a Coke on the way home.
Exeter‘s ground is best described as compact and the staff were certainly friendly.
Inside St. James Park
This picture was taken by the receptionist and she certainly did her job well.
Let’s hope Ipswich get an away tie in a cup there at some point. I shall certainly go!
It is an almost unique stadium in that it has it’s own station, so I took the train down the hill to St. Davids to get back to London. It’s probably better to take the train on the way to the ground and walk down the hill on the way home. Although, this may play havoc with some people’s drinking habits.
After I got to London, I took the Underground to Fulham. The ground was deserted, as this picture shows.
Craven Cottage and Johnny Haynes
The statue in the picture is of the great Johnny Haynes. Luckily, I couldn’t find any other statues.
Getting back from Fulham wasn’t the easiest, as I ended up on a bus that got stuck in a jam at Hammersmith, caused mainly by roadwiorks. Eventually, I managed to cross the road to the Underground station and eventually got to Monument, where I got a bus home.
The Anonymous Widower 