Couple travel around UK in 2,563 stations

MEET the train superfans planning to visit every railway station in the UK – and think they’ve found the shortest platform in Wales!

Geoff Marshall, 44, and Vicki Pipe, 34, are aiming to visit more than 2,000 stations in Great Britain in just three months and plan to document the whole journey online.

The pair from south east London wanted to take part in the colossal challenge to highlight the importance of the rail system in the UK.

One their website, allthestations.co.uk, they wrote: “Within the next decade, changes to the rail network will be more pivotal than ever, and we want to capture this critical moment in Britain’s rail history, producing a snapshot of today’s railways for posterity.”

It all started after Geoff took part in an adrenalin-fuelled task in London.

He said: “I previously held the world record for the shortest time to get round all the tube stations in London. I did it in 16 hours and 20 minutes.

“My girlfriend and I wanted to do something in 2017. We 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.

“Life is too short and you’ve got to get out and experience things.”

So far, the duo have visited 1,508 stations but still have some time to go before they visit all 2,563 stations across Great Britain.

Starting in Penzance, Cornwall, the pair are working their way up to Scotland, documenting their trips online on YouTube and social media – and they’ve had more than six million views of their videos on YouTube already.

Geoff and Vicki started their Wales Week adventure in Cardiff, travelling from south to north. When they reach Holyhead they’ll re-enter England via Chester.

They’ve loved the Welsh hospitality – and the sights – along the way.

Geoff said: “There’s been nothing like what we’ve seen so far. Cornwall and Devon were pretty stunning and then we reached surburban London– and coming out to Wales again has been quite stunning. The track hugs the coastline and even sitting here on an overcast day it’s still extremely stunning.”

So far the pair have been impressed with Arriva travelling through the country.

Geoff said: “All our trains have run on time.During commuting at peak times, one hiccup does have a knock-on problem, and in London during that [recent] hot week everything broke.”

But the pair say during their trips they’ve been surprised with the service – and even had trains arrive a few minutes early.

Recently the pair visited Gilfach Fargoed in Caerphilly and found something they hadn’t seen much of before – a tiny platform.

Built in 1908, Gilfach Fargoed station is said to have the shortest platform in Wales – so short, in fact, that anyone wanting to get off the train has to do so from the front doors only.

There was only one way to find out – by jumping out during a stop light and measuring the distance, using Vicki’s feet walking one step in front of another – all before the train had to pull off and leave the station.

Vicki counted 56 steps and, with her feet measuring 28.5cm, that adds up to 15 metres and 96 centimetres, making it the shortest platform in Wales.

Only Beauly station near Inverness in Scotland trumps that, by being 15.06 metres long.

The pair are set to finish their feat in August – marking an impressive 14 weeks on the road (or rail).

They’re looking forward to reaching Scotland, where they’ve heard the views are to die for.

Follow Geoff and Vicki’s journey online by visiting their website, allthestations.co.uk, or following them on Twitter at @allthestations