Another Bank Holiday, and another trip - albeit unplanned - to Paignton! Having heard that 67029 'Royal Diamond' was working the diagram today, I decided having little else to do, that I'd have another trip to the seaside. Down to the station in plenty of time to see the shiny, silver machine drawing in to the platform. A fair few fellow cranks on board too, as we set off southwards.
Decided to wander further into town this time, so after arriving headed up to the gardens near the Palace Theatre to read in the sunshine for a while. Noticed that things in this part of town seemed worse than elsewhere, with many of the smaller shops closed or closing down soon. Also strange to note that very few of the smaller tea rooms and cafes were open here. Read for a while and munched the sandwiches I'd packed, just like the old days. As the clouds closed in and the rain started to speckle the pathways in the gardens, I headed back to the station.
Like many of the seaside towns I seem to end up visiting, Paignton feels like it needs a boost - something big to catapult it into the 21st century, but not so big it loses it's charm. The train back was full - a mixture of locals and trippers. There is a market to be had...but is anyone sticking around to chase it?
Lost::MikeGTN
I've had a home on the web for more years than I care to remember, and a few kind souls persuade me it's worth persisting with keeping it updated. This current incarnation of the site is centred around the blog posts which began back in 1999 as 'the daylog' and continued through my travels and tribulations during the following years.
I don't get out and about nearly as much these days, but I do try to record significant events and trips for posterity. You may also have arrived here by following the trail to my former music blog Songs Heard On Fast Trains. That content is preserved here too.
