please empty your brain below
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I've been to 51 out of 53.
n.b. travelling through doesn't count,
nor does standing in a station.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 17.10.21 - 7:31 a.m. | #
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A few years ago, when I took a year out of work, I decided to tick off all the English cities - also making the most of special offer train tickets! I managed to do both Preston and Carlisle in one day. Both surpassed my expectations and it was a thoroughly enjoyable day out.
JP | 17.10.21 - 7:32 a.m. | #
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Carlisle via Newcastle is another option, with a Hadrian's Wall angle too. As a southerner, I still remember my surprise when I first fully appreciated how narrow the island is at that latitude.
DavidC | 17.10.21 - 7:50 a.m. | #
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It's the full 53 for me. The one I wasn't sure about at first was Felixstowe, but then I remembered I visited it for work purposes in the 1980s. Most of them have been properly explored - Wolverhampton probably the least so.
Nigel | 17.10.21 - 9:23 a.m. | #
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The West Coast mainline when it was run by Virgin used to have seat sales fairly regularly. I used them for day trips to Birmingham, Manchester, Chester and Liverpool, as well as a two day visit to Glasgow.
Nigel | 17.10.21 - 9:37 a.m. | #
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Oh dear. Same total as you but King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth don't make the cut. Both near your old manor really.
I must confess football account for a few of these (EG Sheffield and Grimsby) which you may or may not count.
Chris | 17.10.21 - 9:56 a.m. | #
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I would most certainly recommend Carlisle for a visit - anywhere that has "Botchergate" as one of the main streets must have something going for it. It would be an early start to get there and back, however.
cau1khead | 17.10.21 - 10:10 a.m. | #
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Does “changed trains in X” count as a visit?
dg writes: Only if you left the station.
Bryn Davies | 17.10.21 - 10:34 a.m. | #
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Only 43 for me so far. I'd recommend Carlisle - spent an enjoyable free days there last month, there's a fair bit to see, and it's attractive and characterful. The railway line looking it with Newcastle was also unexpectedly scenic, especially towards the western end.
Dominic | 17.10.21 - 10:51 a.m. | #
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Only in the teens for me - FAIL!
But in my defence, I was out of the country for 2 of those decades with work!
Cornish Cockney | 17.10.21 - 10:53 a.m. | #
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What a strange map. Obviously fairly recent as it includes M6 Toll and Second Severn crossing, but why the ommision of so many cities, let alone large towns. I suggest it should be discarded.
kev | 17.10.21 - 11:16 a.m. | #
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Damn! That makes it 52 out of 53 plus all in Wales. I’ve now got to go to Grimsby and exit the station.
Bryn Davies | 17.10.21 - 11:42 a.m. | #
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I could highlight 47 from the list, although some were also only football trips. Many I've explored fully, but have not had the inclination to visit a number of them - especially Harwich!
Will now check your archive and most likely find I've missed out on Harwich.
Frank F | 17.10.21 - 11:46 a.m. | #
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I can technically get to 49 in England, that is all but Middlesborough, Herford and DG's two lacunae. But many of these are just things like making a delivery to a suburb, or changing transport mode.
If the criterion is "get a proper look around", then I'd have to omit a further 8.
Malcolm of Kent | 17.10.21 - 11:56 a.m. | #
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Mea Culpa: have since checked and concede I was wrong to eschew a visit to Harwich.
Frank F | 17.10.21 - 12:21 p.m. | #
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If you are prepared to spend a night away then cheap rail fares by Grand Central to Bradford and Lumo to Newcastle and then onward local services are a cheap way to get Lancashire and Cumbria
kerspatula | 17.10.21 - 12:32 p.m. | #
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Staying the night wipes out all the savings from the cheap rail fare, so I don't.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 17.10.21 - 12:58 p.m. | #
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37; with no great pattern to where I’ve been and not been.
Robert Butlin | 17.10.21 - 2:48 p.m. | #
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Harwich has Beacon Hill Fort. 40 years ago, when I was in the cubs, it was abandoned and made a fantastic day trip - seeing pics on the web, I can remember it clearly even though I was only there for the day. I think someone has put a fence around it now, but it's still there and apparently still open to the public sometimes.
mark addy | 17.10.21 - 3:54 p.m. | #
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Lancashire or Cumbria? Both Carlisle and Barrow (since the '70s boundary changes) require a trip to Cumbria.
dg nods: I know, but the quickest route to Barrow requires a cheap fare to Lancaster.
I'd heartily recommend the train across from Newcastle to Carlisle (hills). The rail trip down from Carlisle to Barrow has great sea views (wind farms on the horizon, Isle of Man) and a good sweep alongside of Sellafield too.
muninnhuginn | Homepage | 17.10.21 - 5:23 p.m. | #
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Barrow is a town like nowhere else. Love it there.
Scott | Homepage | 17.10.21 - 7:04 p.m. | #
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Barrow is famous for being the UK's biggest cul-de-sac.
Putters | 17.10.21 - 7:24 p.m. | #
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It doesn't help with any of the places you need to go, but Greater Anglia have an offer at the moment with fares for £5 on most of their routes until sometimes in November, google for "Greater Anglia Hare" (yes, really).
As to Carlisle I've been there a few times, it's perfectly possible for a day as the trains are quite fast. Sadly cheap tickets seem to be far harder to get (or not as cheap) since Avantai took over. One option is to do London - Leeds - Carlisle, via the very scenic Settle to Carlisle line. You won't have enough time to see much of Carlisle mind you, but I have done a round trip before of travelling London to Carlisle via Leeds and Settle and back via the West Coast Line.
Going via Newcastle and then along the Tyne Valley line as someone else suggested is another good option. You could get off on the way and see some of Hadrian's Wall (the AD122 bus runs boradly hourly from Hexham and Haltwhistle stations up to various points you can see the wall).
Jon Combe | 17.10.21 - 11:25 p.m. | #
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Carlisle's my home town (but now where I now live). If you're coming for a visit it's pretty enough: castle, cathedral etc. The rather wonderful station is worth a linger, especially if you fancy a trip out on the Carlisle/Settle railway. The city center is compact and walkable and (except weekends) civilised. The former state- run pubs are worth an investigation, as is the local museum - Tullie House. If you're staying over then a trip out to the coast at Silloth is worth an hour. It redefines bleak. Avoid weekends though: Botchergate has gates which were installed to stop traffic running over all the drunken revellers...
David Croser-Drake | 18.10.21 - 7:44 a.m. | #
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Did you publish your Middlesbrough visit, dg?
David | 18.10.21 - 10:40 a.m. | #
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David, try Monday, January 23, 2017.
Noel | 19.10.21 - 9:51 p.m. | #
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