I've debated for a few days now where to start with this, because the order I did these stations and the order I ticked them off on my spreadsheet aren't the same. But in the end, I thought I'd be chronological and start with the stations I ticked off before GirlonRails was even a thing. Bearing in mind the constraints of the fact that I started this project whilst at University, and the fact that I'm currently unemployed, I decided to count visits I'd made before officially starting towards my total. I'm sure I'll visit some of these stations again, particularly as I'm sure I've probably missed a few, but let's start with the stations I've visited with my family.
The Isle of Wight
Yes, I'm starting with a place that even All the Stations haven't visited (!). Being based in the south east means that, as a child, I'd been to the Isle of Wight with my family a few times. We'd almost always do either the Steam Railway, or go to Shanklin Chine. I must admit, more often than not, it was the Steam Railway, because the point at which we were visiting the Island was the point at which my younger brother was Thomas the Tank Engine's biggest fan. I liked it, but he was obsessed. Now he couldn't care less.
Therefore the first place to start, I guess, is at Ryde pier head, where we got off the ferry from Portsmouth and got onto an old tube train (1938 stock). We always did a round trip to Shanklin, either before or after we went on the Steam trains. We always used to drive to Portsmouth from home, mainly so if my brother fell asleep on the way home it wasn't an issue, which is a shame because otherwise it would allow the stations between home and Portsmouth to be counted at this point. Never mind. I'll probably go back at some point in the next few years, after the new trains have been introduced.
Stations visited: Brading, Lake, Ryde Esplanade, Ryde Pier Head, Ryde St John's Road, Sandown, Shanklin, Smallbrook Junction.
It's here where it gets a bit confusing, because stations I've visited on multiple trips are more often than not on my list from the latest places I've visited. So this section of the blog will have some holes in it. Bear with me, the missing stations will pop up in a later post!
Guides Trips
I don't make a big thing about this, but I'm a leader with Girlguiding. I was a Brownie and then a Guide, before becoming a Young Leader at age 14. In the last 14 or so years, I've been on several trips, but a couple spring to mind.
1. Birmingham. Yes. Birmingham. We went to a national event in Birmingham, at the LG arena as it was then (the one on the NEC site), back in 2012.
I must admit, the only 2 stations I remember from this trip are the station we started at, and Birmingham International, our destination.
2. New Forest. We've been camping in the New Forest a couple of times, both of them with me as a Young Leader. I'm sure I'm missing some stations I stopped at on this list, but I've visited many of them since. We had to come home on one occasion via Clapham Junction, so I remember visiting there with a massive bag full of camping kit.
3. Wembley. A similar event to the one in Birmingham (basically a Girlguiding only pop concert). I've done this on a couple of occasions, most notably when I left my uni at 6.30 in the morning, 2 weeks after moving in in first year, to go and surprise them. I then went home for the night because we decided it would have been too long a day (in excess of 14 hours) to go back to Nottingham. Plus, I had the chance to pick up a few bits from home that I'd forgotten the first time around.
Stations visited: Amberley, Arundel, Billingshurst, Birmingham International, Brockenhurst, Chichester, Clapham Junction, Crawley, East Croydon, Ford, Horsham, Pulborough, Wembley Central.
I think I'll leave it there for now, with a station count of 21.
Stay Safe
Charlotte
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