Oxenholme to Manchester, travel time 1 hour 10 minutes ..... not on Saturday 16th January 2011.
We arrived for our 11:32 train only to find it was cancelled. We went to the ticket office where we were told by a very charming lady (not - but that's another story) "the train is cancelled - have you not seen the weather"! We new it was raining, we were wet. "They are going to put on a special train from Lancaster, it should be here in 30 minutes or so, it will change tracks, then travel back to Manchester". Just listen out for any 'announcements'. Our hopes were instantly raised!
Not ones to be daunted by a train being cancelled, when all said and done, there was another one in 30 minutes, we decided on coffees. We had to cross the track to the other platform (via the under ground walkway I hasten to add - I know we are out in the 'sticks' but even we know not to walk on the tracks). Over to the waiting room (which seats 6!) and 4 coffees (£12.50 - I thought Tom was going to faint!).
.... an hour later, with no 'announcements' (and our waiting room, which I mentioned only seats 6 was full - well, it was raining!) a train arrived. Our hopes were raised, we were on our way, which was a little confusing as the passengers who were travelling to Edinburgh also left the waiting room. Mayhem! The train driver didnt know where he was going! The staff at the station didnt know where it was going! The passengers on the train didnt know where they were going. Still no 'announcements' ! 30 minutes later the train left (thank goodness, I hear you say), but NO we were back in the waiting room, the train driver decided he would make a 'dash for it' to Edinburgh!
Back to the waiting room. (We were on the other platform, the waiting room was much larger which is just as well, as there were quite a few of us in it ..... well, it was raining!).
We had now been at the station for 2 hours! BUT, good news, we were told we could get on the next train - to Birmingham ! Fortunately they decided it should stop in Preston, which it did. We were only in Preston for 10 minutes and managed to scramble on the next train to Manchester which to add insult to injury was full of City fans !!!!
We finally arrived in Manchester (where it was raining) 3 hours later!
We had a brilliant weekend and the thoughts of our return journey on Sunday were at the back of our minds, it couldnt still be raining...... could it ?
