Rail-mad couple see all Welsh stations...
BUT THEIR QUEST IS NOT FINISHED YET
A COUPLE undertaking an epic journey to visit every one of Britain’s railway stations completed the Welsh section this weekend.
Geoff Marshall and Vicki Pipe are aiming to visit the 2,563 stations in Great Britain in just three months and plan on documenting the entire journey online. So far the duo have visited 1,569 stations.
They want their journey to be a snapshot of the British railway system in 2017, realising major changes are likely in the next few years.
Their adventure in Wales began last Monday when they explored the Valley lines radiating from Cardiff first before venturing west to Pembrokeshire and the Heart of Wales line as far as Shrewsbury.
They then travelled west again to Aberystwyth and along the Cambrian Coast line to Pwllheli.
Retracing their steps to Porthmadog, they took the historic Ffestiniog Railway to Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Enjoying a cup of tea at Wrexham General station Vicky, 34, said: “We have really enjoyed the past week. Everyone has been so welcoming and the scenery has been wonderful.
“The Ffestiniog Railway may be narrow gauge but it is part of the journey allow- ing us to make the link between Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog and rejoin the national network.”
Ffestiniog Railway officials upgraded the couple to the first class observation carriage which allows an unobstructed view through huge windows.
“We’ve not just been travelling continually. We’re exploring the area as well and the Ffestiniog Railway shows how you can visit places by rail and visit castles and historic places.”
Later on Saturday the couple visited Llanfairpwllgwyngyll station on Anglesey where Vicky had a go at pronouncing the long name.
“I did a lot of practice and I hope it wasn’t embarrassing,” she said.
Geoff, 44, has previously carried out marathon railway journeys in the past.
He said: “I previously held the World Record for the shortest time to get around all the tube stations in London. I did it in 16 hours and 20 minutes.
“We wanted to do something in 2017 and started having conversations about going to all the UK stations about five years ago and it just grew and grew until it became a reality.”
Follow Geoff and Vicki’s journey online at allthestations.co.uk, or by following them on Twitter at @allthestations.