Slow Train to Keswick - Nearly! 20 August 2025

We had planned a lengthy trip to Keswick in the northern Lake District of Cumbria, to enjoy the train journey, followed by a scenic bus ride from Penrith rail station to Keswick, calling at some very pretty villages on route with spectacular mountainous backdrops. And, of course, the promise of a tasty lunch which Ray had arranged for 1300.

First of all I missed the train from Whitchurch (always our starting point for our wanders) to Crewe which left at 0708 as I thought it departed at 0808 (our frequent train time when starting out). So when I received a text reminder at 0657 from Robert, whilst cleaning my teeth, to say they were about to board the train I immediately panicked and decided I couldn't make it. Was I to miss something we'd all been looking forward to? Not likely, so that meant I would have to drive like the wind to Crewe station in the hope I would arrive just in time to catch our connection for the train to Penrith at 0805. I made it in the nick of time to a tumulteous cheer and applause - having found our group sitting in the station buffet!

I should say that my dear wife Kate came along for the nail-biting journey in the car to Crewe so that it could be repositioned for my collection at Whitchurch in the late afternoon for our return.

Anyway, that was only the start of our dilemma. A few minutes prior to the planned main part of our journey we found the departures board telling us that the train to Penrith was cancelled due to signalling problems on the West Coast Main Line!

Following lots of chats and re-planning we opted for a train to Glasgow leaving at 0925, being nearly two hours from our original arrival at Crewe. We assumed it would stop at Penrith - but it didn’t! And due to the signalling problems causing cancelled and delayed trains throughout the network it was absolutely crowded by other frustrated travellers. We managed to find single seats dotted around the carriage. As there were no other spare seats available, I took a tongue-in-cheek flyer and went into first class - which soon filled up with other similarly minded people! However, we eventually arrived in Carlisle at 1325 following a slow, crowded, interrupted journey.

It was at Carlisle we decided to abandon the thought of our lunch reservation in Keswick, and so decided to remain in Carlisle for an alternative lunch at Pizza Express. Interestingly enough, the very same restaurant we had lunch back in 2018, when we went on our trip over the Settle viaduct to Carlisle.

Over lunch we came up with a newly hatched plan of catching the 1451 for our return journey back to Crewe. But when we arrived back at Carlisle rail station the departure board threatened the final destination as being only as far as Preston!

There were no trains going further south on the West Coast main line. So we eventually disembarked at Preston and found we had to wait a further hour for an onward bound train travelling in a southerly direction, and somehow hopefully going to somewhere near Crewe, along with hoards of other mesmerised passengers. The platform was so crowded due to all the disruptions that, following yet another pow-wow, we conceived an alternative plan, as otherwise it would have been standing room only to wherever, for however long.

Following the announcement of an imminent Manchester train, some bright spark in our group suggested travelling to Whitchurch via Manchester Piccadilly and taking the Transport for Wales Train from there; being a familiar and frequent route for us all. But there was to be only a ten minute connection between arriving a departing. But it was possibly do-able if the timetable kept its promise. Which it turned out not to be! The train stopped at every blessed station enroute and true to form we missed the connection!

So there was another hours wait at Manchester Piccadilly before we could catch a slow train to Crewe - which we did - eventually. But then we had to wait at Crewe for a further 45 minutes for the train to Whitchurch, where we arrived at 2005, all tired, frustrated and bedraggled.

What a day! You couldn't make it up! You wouldn't need to - we had it all for real!