Day 1 Capitals – Cardiff & Dublin
The alarm goes off telling me to get myself up as today is the start of the Rail Race. As anyone with RA will know planning for a day like this means an early start to allow time for any morning creakies. I was up at 4.30, to give myself time to jump into the shower before a few buckets of tea with some toast and marmite to start the day. My travelling companion Charlie reserves his space in the rucksack so he didn’t get left behind.
Charlie ensures he's not left behind,
I headed in the taxi into Birmingham for the 07.30 train to Cardiff, which left on time and then shortly after called at one of the local stations between my home and New Street, I could have had an extra hour in bed! Before long we were leaving the suburbs of Birmingham and are heading down the Lickey incline through the Worcestershire countryside and then into Gloucestershire. The train calls for brief stops at Cheltenham and Gloucester before heading off down the picturesque line through Lydney and Chepstow towards Newport and Cardiff.
Chepstow Station
As we skirted along the river Severn the sunshine battled with dark clouds over who was going to win the battle for the days weather. We arrived in Cardiff a few minutes late, due to station congestion, there’s a surprising amount of rail traffic through there.
I left the station and caught the number 6 (BayCar) bendybus service to Cardiff Bay, only a short ride from Central rail station. A few pics of the impressive and well known landmarks, before a rogue grey cloud decided that the sun wasn’t going to have it all it’s own way and decided on a short sharp shower. I also thoroughly checked the entrance to the secret Torchwood lair, but alas I failed to find any aliens, Captain Jack or Eve.
Millenium Centre
oooh shiny
I headed back to the train station, and had about 30 mins before the next train on my journey, it was at this point I noticed the ominously named Platform 0 (announced as Platform Zero) which sounds like the title of a low budget Hollywood espionage thriller, with some ropey actor in the lead role.
Platform Zero
Starring Steven SeaGull
The service to Holyhead comprised of a 2 coach train, with trolley service, I was glad I had reserved seats, but luckily the train didn’t get too full. After heading out of Cardiff the line follows the wonderful border between Wales and England, skirting through Abergavenny, Hereford and Ludlow before arriving in Shrewsbury. Then it was on to Wrexham, Chester and along the North Wales Coast to Holyhead.
View from the train
Most of the journey the sun shone, I tweeted when I got a decent signal to update my location as we headed along the coast, the hills and valleys on one side and the sea on the other, as Snowdonia impressed it’s beauty despite the top of some of the peaks being shrouded from view despite the sunshine. After leaving Bangor the train had filled with school children making the trip back home to Anglesey, some amazingly rugged looking places outside and a coach of really well behaved teenagers busy chatting away about the sonisphere festival and the usual school popularity issues. Of course there is also THAT station, that used be known as Llanfair PG in the timetables. I wonder how those automated systems would handle you saying you want to travel to from or to this place.
I'm not tweeting that!
Our train arrived into Holyhead a few minutes early, and after a short walk I had checked in at the Irish Ferries desk. After a short wait everyone was put through security and then onto an airport style bus for the numerous foot passengers to the high speed ship.
Last time I went to Ireland by sea, we left in the small hours of the morning, and didn’t arrive in Dún Laoghaire until 6am. My journey today would take around 2 hours. into Dublin port. I climbed the stairs of the swift service and was met with a spacious area with large windows either side, bar, games room and a little cinema area playing cartoons to amuse the younger travellers.
I headed up to the top deck as we slowly left the berth, but before long it got far too windy as the ship went to full power, it can certainly get a wiggle on! The smokers and tourists on the top deck all quickly headed for the lounge area and I parked myself close to the bar. I grabbed a ham and cheese pannini and a pint of the black stuff! They both went down a treat, the journey flew by.
Leaving Holyhead
Bar aboard the HSS Jonathan Swift
Coming soon "Platform Zero"
Fuel
As I got engrossed in my Terry Pratchett book the next thing the captain (who sounded amazingly like the captains you find on aircraft, you know with the posh name and RP English) was telling us we’d be arriving in Dublin shortly and that car passengers could head down to their vehicles.
Approaching Dublin Port
A few minutes later and we had docked in Dublin, with the wind and showers making an appearance. Onto another airline style bus to the terminal building and then onto the regular bus service into Dublin. This didn’t take too long, getting to Dublin but as we headed for Dublin Bus station we passed Connolly Rail Station, Most people on the bus stood up hoping to get off, but the bus did a long tour around several streets in a large circle avoiding the tram service that has appeared since I was last here, before finally stopping at the bus station.
Fortunately it was only a short walk though a blustery rain shower and I soon found my hotel (which we had also passed on the mystery tour to the bus station) I entered the reception of the Ripley Court hotel reception, which had a really nice feeling about it, there was a bar opposite the check in desk and a joyful hum of banter and laugher carried around the lobby. As I was filling in my details and having the payment for my stay taken, the staff member Jill knocked £10 off the room price when I told her about my fundraiser, and said I could add it to the pot, what a lovely and unexpected gesture. She also said that she had recently done a 10K for charity for a scheme where volunteers go in and help people who may be housebound either through age or disability. So a BIG thank you to Jill from the Ripley Court hotel in Dublin!
I headed up to my room, it was a lot larger than I expected and the wonderful bonus that it’s only a couple of minutes from Connolly station, which will be ideal for tomorrow.
Charlie claimed the single
Charging
Creature Comforts
So after unloading the essential gadgets and getting them onto some power, I freshened up a little and caught up on the news on RTE one while sat in bed, by 10pm I was ready for some sleep it’s been a long day. The mattress was lovely, better than the one at home! So I soon nodded off only to wake every couple of hours, not through any noise or anything like that, but that strange thing you do when you know you have to be up early….right lets try again………Sweet Dreams (are made of this)
Tune in next time to the next exciting episode of.. Jo’s Great NRAS Rail Race, when she’ll be at Belfast and Edinburgh.
