Trainspotting across the South of England

For any of you who are genuine transpotters, this will be a total disappointment.   Already, we have been on quite a few trains ... big ones and small ones, fast ones and slow ones, Swiss ones, French ones and English ones.    But neither of us have the faintest idea of the models, makes or configurations, let alone any unusual features, strange routing, or other quirks that trainspotters would love to hear about.

nice the way they scribble various destinations ... just in case the driver gets lost

De Goin' home after 14 years

However, we could tell you about the quirky people that we encounter on some of the trains, on which trains are more difficult to drag a heavy wheely bag onto, and which have totally inadequate storage for the luggage ... especially when a large Korean tour group has piled their 40-50 identical bags on the racks, the tables, the doorways and even the corridors between the seats.   But we won't.

Having left beautiful Devon, we went to beautiful Wiltshire and from there to beautiful Oxfordshire.   The villages are truly picture postcard ... and even the ever threatening weather has exercised considerable restraint.

Even the train stations are pretty

De Goin' home after 14 years

All of the homestays that we have enjoyed have been so quintessentially English ... all quirky, but ever so lovely ... this here is the latest in Oxfordshire ... the Barn

Blenheim Castle ... just up the road ... given by Queen Anne to the Duke of Marlborough

De Goin' home after 14 years

Oops, wrong photo ... that was Blenheim Castle in Woodstock ... for you Americans, this was the original Woodstock!!!

Ah, here it is ...

De Goin' home after 14 years

Of course, we all know that the English have long been the masters of eccentricity ... and examples are always easy to find ... such as the Please Close the Gate sign when there is no fence attached to the gate:

English cows line up at the gate ... eventho there are no fences

De Goin' home after 14 years

... and the original road signs:

De Goin' home after 14 years

I will finish with a photo of the best loo in the world ... well, at least to most blokes, but also to quite a few sheilas ... completely decorated in badges, trophies, photo montages and reports on the various rallies that Clive and Ces have undertaken in the last few years ... including the London to Casablanca, the Nile Trial (Tunisia to Egypt) and the Peking to Paris. I could (and did) sit in there for hours:

The best loo in England ... without doubt

De Goin' home after 14 years