The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant.

[mcshroom]

 How do people enjoy coach holidays? Today was the first day of the break where it's been a typical coach holiday day* and all it seemed to be was piling into overcrowded villages for too short a time to sightsee properly and too long for just a quick coffee. I'm bored stiff**. Oh well home tomorrow.

*We are here as a choir so were singing in a castle on day 1, and I bunked off to go hiking yesterday

 **Not helped by seeing audaxers travelling in the opposite direction to the coach and looking like they were having fun

[CAMRAMan]

...Not helped by seeing audaxers travelling in the opposite direction to the coach and looking like they were having fun.

Does not compute...

[mcshroom]

200k round the Trossachs on a pleasently warm and dry day. More fun than on a coach.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Tea towels. Coach holidays are all about the tea towels and the National Trust pencil sharpeners.

[spesh]

...Not helped by seeing audaxers travelling in the opposite direction to the coach and looking like they were having fun.

Does not compute...

See also sportivists. Part of my route today was on the course of Wiggle's "The Long One" super-sportive, and the vast majority appeared to be taking it far too seriously to exchange even a nod, never mind a greeting. That said, the full-length route, criss-crossing the South Downs was probably enough to give all but the most gregarious rider the thousand yard stare.

[andyoxon]

You'd think that a company like Dell, would be able to manage a delivery window narrower than 8am - 6pm. 

[mcshroom]

Car just cost £600 in the garage (new ABS sensor/wheel assembly, front discs and pads*, and tyres among other bits and pieces and a full service/MOT).

Fair play to Scott (the garage owner) who was a bit surprised at the total, and wanted me to see the bits that had been removed as I think he was worried I'd think he'd been adding extra work.

As that's a large %age of the value of the car I think I'd better hold on to it a while longer instead of replacing it as I was starting to think about doing.

*Pads were actually cracked which I've never seen before

[jogler]

tbh mcshroom I reckon £600 is a reasonable cost for that amount of work.

[mcshroom]

So do I.

The cost seems fine for the work that had to be done, and I have no complaints about the garage, it just needed a bit more work than I thought it did.

[Ruth]

I did an eleven hour shift today, and my feet really hurt, and I've had my tea and am having a lovely cuppa.  And I know an hour on the bike would do me the world of good, but I bet I spend this evening on my arse on the sofa instead. 

[phantasmagoriana]

My Brooks is creaking.

[Canardly]

You sure it is the saddle and not BB or some such?

[Kim]

I thought that was a feature?

[Tim Hall]

I thought that was a feature?

Quite. "They all do that sir, it's part of their charm"

[essexian]

I am sure this has been grumbled about before but hey, never let that stop me I always say..... bike policy on British trains...... d'oh!

Back when I was a lad, we had what “they” liked to call “An integrated transport policy.” The idea was that your journey was seamless as all the companies worked together to make it so....it didn't work that way but at least they gave it a good-ish go. Then came along the Great Destroyer and sold everything off to her mates so they could cut services whilst claiming an even large subsidy than before. Such is life eh.

Anyway, back to yesterday. First part of the grumble....Virgin Trains. Why make is so difficult to book a cycle place on your trains. And indeed, why on Earth do you need to book a place? I have yet to see a Virgin train silly bike space which is full. And if they ever become so, why not have built (or actually lease from another company who no doubt claim a subsidy for buying the trains in the first place), some trains with more space for such items. My choices when booking a bike space it would seem, is either book the ticket and hope, after ringing the number, there is a space available, or head down to the station and book in person.

Or, do as I did in the end, book via East Coast Trains who allow the online booking of a bike place. So why is this a grumble.... because East Coast Trains didn't have the discounted fare I could have got on Virgin.

Then, when returning home from epic bike adventure, people with cases the size of a freezer, please do not be putting them in the place signed: “Silly Bike Spot.” and then don't get stroppy with me when I move them out of the way so I can safely store my bike. You were very lucky bag owners as, if the train had had windows like in the “good old days,” they would now be trackside (not that I could have got them out of the window!)

And now the main part of this grumble..... Chester is a large regional centre with direct train links to that London, Manchester, Liverpool, Shrewsbury and Holyhead. It must be great to live there, apart from the fact that there is no direct link to Stafford. Instead, (and after once again fighting for a bike space with the baggage people)  a Arriva Trains Wales train is taken to Crewe and a change made onto a London Midland train for one stop. All straightforward if a little silly really. However, I had not counted on the stupidity of the timetable.......So, arrive into Crewe at XX.18....platform 9. Stafford train leaves from the next door platform, platform 6 (they are staggered so its still a 100m walk)  at XX.19. No chance of catching it if the train is late (which of course it was) or if you are not an Olympic standard runner....which I am not.

So a wait of 30 mins was suffered by me and at least 10 other people. Oh and just for fun, instead of platform 6 again, no, this time its over the bridge to platform 5. Sigh. Why on Earth couldn't the Chester-Crewe train be timetabled to arrive at XX15 and the Stafford train to leave at XX.20. That would give everyone a chance of making the connection and NOT WASTING 30 MINS on Crewe station.

Thanks for listening.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I wouldn't even try to make that one minute connection, especially with a bike or luggage, kids, olds, gammy legs, etc. Sit down with a book, newspaper, game, kid, old person, sandwich, etc and admire the Victorian railway architecture. Or whatever there is. I can think of worse places to be stuck for half an hour.

[CrinklyLion]

Friends don't let friends change at Crewe.

Nikki, dear heart that she is, has offered to get a refund on her Pwllheli ticket and keep me company but I've said "Don't".

Too right.  Friends Don't Let Friends Change At Crewe.

Friends don't let friends change at Crewe

Listen to the wisdom of Kim...

[Jasmine]

It's been a while since I've caught the train from South Wales to North Wales, but if you don't catch the direct Cardiff to Holyhead, then it's Cardiff to Crewe on the Manchester train, then Crewe to Holyhead.  The train from Cardiff arrives into Crewe at XX.18 and the train to Holyhead leaves at XX.17.  The next train is a whole hour.  I think they do it on purpose for a good giggle at the people who want to travel from South to North Wales (because having to go via England isn't hilarious enough). 

[ian]

If it's any consolation I remember once trying to make a connection in France (I forget where, somewhere south) and we arrived at a local station, a connection promised in 23 minutes. We waited. It never turned up. Nothing turned up. Some reading of the timetable later, it turned out that our connection wait was an entire one day and 23 minutes later.

One the plus side, being stranded there for a day was 74,935 times nicer than spending 23 minutes in Crewe.

[mcshroom]

But how would you spend money in the WHSmiths/Costa/Pumpkin places if you had a timely connection?

The train journey to York form here has two changes (Whitehaven-Carlisle-Newcastle-York). Both connections are timetabled with a 45 minute gap, even when sometimes the Whitehaven-Newcastle leg is actually run using the same rolling stock. It sits in Carlisle station for 45 mins before leaving.

[Tim Hall]

First part of the grumble....Virgin Trains. Why make is so difficult to book a cycle place on your trains.

I have yet to see a Virgin train silly bike space which is full.

I suspect your first sentence has a correlation with your second.

[jogler]

I did an eleven hour shift today, and my feet really hurt, and I've had my tea and am having a lovely cuppa.  And I know an hour on the bike would do me the world of good, but I bet I spend this evening on my arse on the sofa instead.

When I've done a 0600-1800 shift all I'm able to do is shower,eat & sleep irrespective of what I may wish to do.
A 0600-1400 shift allows some play time as does a 1400-2200 shift.

I also don't work Friday's 'cause that is tandem&blindstoker day

[Lady Cavendish]

It seems 13ish hour days have become the norm here. I ride for an hour or 2 before and after work so this does not allow for much playtime. This had better not last much longer because I am only seeing my family at weekends really atm and that makes me

I keep playing the euromillions, it must be my turn soon

[jogler]

I keep playing the euromillions, it must be my turn soon

You are first in the queue after me

[andrewc]

It appears to be peak seagull season.  The bastards are nesting on our flat roof again & dive bombing passers by. Rather noisy     

Does pest control count as legal reason for owning an AA12 ?