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Post by Dawnstar on Feb 27, 2020 11:13:54 GMT
Best of luck, Dawnstar. (I'd intended to get to Coventry at 12.25pm so as to have time for a quick visit to the cathedral first but that's not going to happen now.) One assumes that isn't a euphemism... It isn't! I like visiting cathedrals & have managed to combine theatregoing with cathedral visiting in a number of places in the last few years (Salisbury, Cardiff, Peterborough, Leeds, Birmingham, Leicester). As I've never been to Coventry before I thought it'd be a good opportunity to tick another one off the list, but fate thought otherwise. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Feb 27, 2020 12:27:21 GMT
LOL. I just had images of that theatre having the very best, most expansive and ornamental ladies facilities warranting an early arrival to admire was all  . Look at it this way, Dawnstar, at least if Coventry is also covered in plastic sheets, you had a narrow escape, I guess. The fanciest loos I've seen recently were in fact in a cathedral, in Cadiz. |
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Post by TallPaul on Feb 27, 2020 17:29:06 GMT
It has certainly never occurred to me to deliberately try to get a likely to be delayed train! Me neither, Dawnstar, but as the entire ticketing system is weighted in the TOCs favour, I can fully understand why some passengers do! 😉 Anyway, I hope your return from Coventry is somewhat smoother than your outward journey. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Feb 27, 2020 18:05:23 GMT
Well, the train is running 5 mins late & someone else was sitting in my reserved seat when I got on so I had to wait until people got off at Rugby to be able to sit down, but other than that it's okay at the moment!
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Post by learfan on Feb 27, 2020 18:22:12 GMT
I am attempting to go to Coventry, for a final viewing of PPGW. It is not going well. The traffic getting to Cambridge station was terrible so I missed the train I needed to get to London & therefore will miss the connection at Euston for Coventry. As I was booked on a specifc Euston-Coventry train I've just had to buy another ticket, at the cost of £36, having already spent getting on for £60 on train tickets so this trip is going to cost me nearly £100. ETA The next train to London has just left 6 mins late. If it gets any later en route then I'll miss another train at Euston & will be very tight for getting to the theatre for the 2pm start. (I'd intended to get to Coventry at 12.25pm so as to have time for a quick visit to the cathedral first but that's not going to happen now.) There are direct trains from Cambridge to Birmingham NS that i imagine stop at Cov. |
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Post by david on Feb 27, 2020 18:25:28 GMT
Best of luck, Dawnstar . One assumes that isn't a euphemism... It isn't! I like visiting cathedrals & have managed to combine theatregoing with cathedral visiting in a number of places in the last few years (Salisbury, Cardiff, Peterborough, Leeds, Birmingham, Leicester). As I've never been to Coventry before I thought it'd be a good opportunity to tick another one off the list, but fate thought otherwise. Having spent a year living in Coventry many years ago, I can assure you that the Cathedral and the ruins of its bombed out predecessor are the highlight of the city. |
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Post by learfan on Feb 27, 2020 18:25:42 GMT
Beg pardon, they don't stop at Cov as it goes via Nuneaton but nevertheless the service is regular.
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Post by TallPaul on Feb 27, 2020 18:31:48 GMT
Were you sent, david, or did you go voluntarily? 🤣 I worked in Royal Leamington Spa for a while, and you're right! |
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Post by david on Feb 27, 2020 18:38:05 GMT
Were you sent, david , or did you go voluntarily? 🤣 I worked in Royal Leamington Spa for a while, and you're right! I worked in Cov some 20yrs ago for a year as part of my Uni degree. I was at the HDRA (Henry Doubleday Association). Interesting year there. Best part was the cheap train tickets to London. Made of the most of the year by spending my weekends in London at the theatre. I must of finished the year poorer than when I arrived in the city. Great WE theatre memories though! |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 27, 2020 18:52:04 GMT
Were you sent, david , or did you go voluntarily? 🤣 I worked in Royal Leamington Spa for a while, and you're right! I was at the HDRA (Henry Doubleday Association). Interesting year there. Best part was the cheap train tickets to London. Made of the most of the year by spending my weekends in London at the theatre. I must of finished the year poorer than when I arrived in the city. Great WE theatre memories though! surely not! I thought you were only about 29! |
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Post by Dawnstar on Feb 27, 2020 18:52:45 GMT
Beg pardon, they don't stop at Cov as it goes via Nuneaton but nevertheless the service is regular. I had a look at going via Nuneaton but there's only 1 train an hour & it was more expensive. The Cambridge-Birmingham train takes so long that it's about the same amount of time to go via London as it is to go direct! Having spent a year living in Coventry many years ago, I can assure you that the Cathedral and the ruins of its bombed out predecessor are the highlight of the city. From what I saw of Coventry today that isn't difficult! After another dash along Euston Road, in the opposite direction to this morning, I made my connection. I rather wish I hadn't as I'm crammed into a lobby with 9 other people, 2 folding bikes & 1 suitcase. |
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Post by david on Feb 27, 2020 19:38:17 GMT
I worked in Cov some 20yrs ago for a year as part of my Uni degree. I was at the HDRA (Henry Doubleday Association). Interesting year there. Best part was the cheap train tickets to London. Made of the most of the year by spending my weekends in London at the theatre. I must of finished the year poorer than when I arrived in the city. Great WE theatre memories though! surely not! I thought you were only about 29! Nobody believes I’m 40 - I’m in serious denial myself. I’m still a big kid at heart! |
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Post by learfan on Feb 27, 2020 19:55:22 GMT
Beg pardon, they don't stop at Cov as it goes via Nuneaton but nevertheless the service is regular. I had a look at going via Nuneaton but there's only 1 train an hour & it was more expensive. The Cambridge-Birmingham train takes so long that it's about the same amount of time to go via London as it is to go direct! Having spent a year living in Coventry many years ago, I can assure you that the Cathedral and the ruins of its bombed out predecessor are the highlight of the city. From what I saw of Coventry today that isn't difficult! After another dash along Euston Road, in the opposite direction to this morning, I made my connection. I rather wish I hadn't as I'm crammed into a lobby with 9 other people, 2 folding bikes & 1 suitcase. Oh ok, Coventry is City of Culture next year, no i didnt believe it either! |
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Post by TallPaul on Feb 28, 2020 10:34:36 GMT
Having joined in some of the criticism yesterday, I feel I must now come to Coventry's defence. Although change had already begun before World War II, it did have quite a lot of external help with the remodeling of the city centre.
It's easy for 'outsiders' to mock, but shouldn't we all try and be proud of the place we call home? One of the purposes of UK City of Culture is to change perceptions of places that don't have the best of reputations, and foster a sense of civic pride, which I think it did for Hull.
Okay, that's my serious bit done for 2020. Normal service will resume shortly! 🙂
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Feb 28, 2020 11:23:24 GMT
My son spent three years at university in Cambridge and it's a great place to get to/from London but for destinations further north and west it's a pain.
While travelling between Cambridge and Coventry via London may seem a lot of extra miles it is, unfortunately the best and recommended route.
Otherwise you have to go via, and change at, either Ely or Stevenage to get almost anywhere.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 28, 2020 11:40:25 GMT
Having joined in some of the criticism yesterday, I feel I must now come to Coventry's defence. Although change had already begun before World War II, it did have quite a lot of external help with the remodeling of the city centre. It's easy for 'outsiders' to mock, but shouldn't we all try and be proud of the place we call home? One of the purposes of UK City of Culture is to change perceptions of places that don't have the best of reputations, and foster a sense of civic pride, which I think it did for Hull. Okay, that's my serious bit done for 2020. Normal service will resume shortly! 🙂 Also, those cities like Coventry and Sheffield took the brunt of the bombing along with London and were rebuilt in one of the most aesthetically’questionable’ eras of architecture so they deserve a break! |
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Post by tysilio2 on Feb 28, 2020 13:13:36 GMT
See, best thread on the board by a mile!
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Post by Dawnstar on Feb 28, 2020 18:26:22 GMT
My son spent three years at university in Cambridge and it's a great place to get to/from London but for destinations further north and west it's a pain. While travelling between Cambridge and Coventry via London may seem a lot of extra miles it is, unfortunately the best and recommended route. Otherwise you have to go via, and change at, either Ely or Stevenage to get almost anywhere. Or Peterborough. I have spent a lot of time over the years hanging around Peterborough station for the obligatory half hour wait in each direction when trying to go almost anywhere north. Also, those cities like Coventry and Sheffield took the brunt of the bombing along with London and were rebuilt in one of the most aesthetically’questionable’ eras of architecture so they deserve a break! It's such a shame that post-WWII reconstruction & hideous brutalist architecture had to coincide. If only WWII had been followed by, say, the Palladian era! Or Gothic. Or Baroque. Or almost anything that wasn't ugly concrete tower blocks! |
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Feb 28, 2020 21:09:22 GMT
See, best thread on the board by a mile! Okay, so here's a tale from before I discovered Theatre Board. Two shows booked, both then brand new. Bat Out of Hell 2.30 matinee at Manchester, followed by 7.30 Everybody's Talking About Jamie at Sheffield with Travelodge overnight. February 23 2017 I think. Unfortunately my chosen date coincided with Storm Doris. No problem getting to London, arriving at Euston Station at 10.45 I found my booked train was cancelled but previous one was running and I caught that with a few minutes to spare and found a seat. There was no " we advise you not to travel "or "delays likely" warning before departure. Travelled at normal speed for about 10 minutes and then stopped at a signal for ages, eventually the train manager announced that a blanket 30mph speed limit had been ordered as far as Milton Keynes. It took over two hours to get there and by then I realised I had no chance of reaching Manchester for 2.30. We waited at Milton Keynes for about 15 minutes - this was not a scheduled stop and the doors were not opened, nor was there any further announcement. Then a few minutes AFTER the train left Milton Keynes the train manager announced that the speed limit had been extended and we would be continuing to travel at low speed to the first booked stop at Crewe. This caused much annoyance as some people would have got off at Milton Keynes and abandoned their journey. It took a further two and a half hours to reach Crewe . The train manager was silent and unseen until he announced that the train would terminate there with buses on to Stockport and Manchester. Torrential rain, roads very busy. I reached Stockport at about 5.15 pm. All I wanted then was to get to Sheffield. Very few trains running and nothing showing for Sheffield but a delayed train bound for Nottingham arrived at about 6.25pm which I caught and got to Sheffield about 7.25. I had struck up a conversation with a local man who offered to walk with me to the Crucible as he knew the most direct route. We arrived just after 7.30 to my huge relief and the show had't started At 7.40 Dan Gillespie Sells came on stage. He announced that the show was going to happen but a key member of the cast (Hugo i think) was delayed on a train and they had to await his arrival. Dan talked about the show and answered some questions, at about 8 he was informed that the actor had arrived, and the show started at 8.15. It was of course wonderful and made up for all the hassle getting there. Uneventful journey home on Friday. Got my train fare back and rebooked to see Bat Out of Hell a couple of weeks later which went smoothly. |
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Post by david on Feb 29, 2020 10:24:17 GMT
Just booked a day return to Chichester from London and theatre ticket for the CFT for a grand total of £20. Can’t really complain with that.
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Post by TallPaul on Feb 29, 2020 12:11:58 GMT
I'm guessing you won't be booking for Standing at the Sky's Edge then, Dawnstar? A Barrie Kosky directed production of the Ring Cycle, set in and around Trellick Tower, must be your worst nightmare! 🙂 |
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Post by Dawnstar on Feb 29, 2020 13:09:52 GMT
TallPaul I very much doubt it. The NT would have to cast a dozen of my favourite actors in it. Oh no, I can think of much worse things than that!
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 1, 2020 11:32:41 GMT
See, best thread on the board by a mile! We waited at Milton Keynes for about 15 minutes - this was not a scheduled stop and the doors were not opened, nor was there any further announcement. Then a few minutes AFTER the train left Milton Keynes the train manager announced that the speed limit had been extended and we would be continuing to travel at low speed to the first booked stop at Crewe. This caused much annoyance as some people would have got off at Milton Keynes and abandoned their journey. It took a further two and a half hours to reach Crewe . The train manager was silent and unseen until he announced that the train would terminate there with buses on to Stockport and Manchester. Torrential rain, roads very busy. I reached Stockport at about 5.15 pm. All I wanted then was to get to Sheffield. Yes, Virgin staff were always noticeable by their absence when anything went wrong which might result in them being challenged by the customers. I took my first Avanti West Coast trip recently and the customer service on board was still absolutely dire, and that was in First. But of course it’s the same staff, different uniforms, same attitude. |
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Mar 1, 2020 13:14:39 GMT
TallPaul I very much doubt it. The NT would have to cast a dozen of my favourite actors in it. Oh no, I can think of much worse things than that! Will you be venturing to Manchester to see Zorro at Hope Mill ? I'm combining it with Back To The Future in a couple of weeks. |
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Post by TallPaul on Mar 1, 2020 14:42:46 GMT
I'm pleased to report that Northern Railway finally, and rather belatedly, got its act together, with both of my journeys yesterday on time, or near enough as makes no difference, proving that I'm not completely obsessed with train punctuality.
I'm pleased I wasn't, but if I had been delayed, even I wouldn't have bothered claiming compensation; not because I don't want to rub Arriva's nose in it, but because my return trip to Leeds only cost a grand total of 20p!
Shame the new trains have such uncomfortable seats, and don't have enough carriages. Nottingham-Sheffield-Leeds, all major centres of population, really deserve more than a two carriage train running once per hour.
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