Royston to Ingoldmells

As Caroline prepared herself for work, I was getting ready myself, for a few days away. I was heading north to a caravan site near Skegness, to meet David & Jacqueline. I’d stayed with them at David’s house in Barnsley last May/June, and met them at a hotel in Dodworth the previous October, but this was a little different. They have been spending some time in Wellingborough (Northamptonshire), and are staying in Skegness until Sunday, when they head to Wolverhampton. It was technically a surprise to Jacqueline that I would be meeting them on the train at Grantham – hence why my previous blog entries have brought back a little of the old “cryptic Suzy” that I occasionally get tagged with, when I have to be discreet.

I walked around to Royston Station (passing a Volvo Olympian of Stagecoach Cambridge on the 26 on the way), I was heading for a London bound train for the second time in two days – 1143 to Kings Cross – but I wasn’t heading back to the capital. I was alighting from the First Capital Connect train at Stevenage (1203), then waiting on the 1229 GNER to Leeds. I was due to alight at Grantham at 1320, and not long after getting in, I could tell something was up. A person was on the track, walking around without a hi-vi… not sure if they were meant to be there, but several managers headed for their direction.

Movements on Platforms 1 & 2 were halted, as was a rather large engineering train. I was awaiting the Central Trains wagon for Skegness (due in 1337), and it was coming into the “turn-around” Platform 3. It was halted on the edge of he station, but then allowed to proceed (as it did not clash with those walking around the track). Jacqueline was somewhat surprised to see me again when I got on the train! We got into Skegness a few minutes early, well before the planned 1516. In fact, we were in a taxi to Ingoldmells (pronounced Ingomells) at that time, nearly half way there (it was a Vito taxibus eight seater of some local cab firm, but the moquette was reminiscent of the tartan used by Lothian Buses for a bit.

After we got unpacked, a few moments rest, before we headed out to walk from one end of the beach to the other – the Bell Inn. I could see bus stops with not a lot of information – one closest to the Bell had a timetable case (with just a Traveline logo at the foot of the display), and no stop flag! One on the other side had a RoadCar stop flag (now Stagecoach Lincolnshire), and a totally empty timetable case. Stagecoach Lincolnshire’s open top Metrobuses were going past frequently on a coastal service 3 (ex Travel West Midlands examples), and we then walked back along the “main road” (Roman Bank) and onto the Oasis bar, before heading back to the caravan. Once in bed, I got a little lonely… although I was happy, I was missing a certain someone. Guess it had to happen.