FreeSpirit : £22 to use the loo!

Saturday, 19 August 2017

£22 to use the loo!

I'm not jesting! It was a notice on the station forecourt at Shenton station warning the public that to enter Bosworth Battle field centre one had to gain an entry ticket to use the loos. And as this was Bosworth re-enactment weekend the two-day entry fee was £22 pp for concessions. Nothing about a one-day entry was offered. It was two days or nothing! We totalled up what the day would have cost us if we had gone ahead. £9 each concession to go on the train, £22 each for a ticket and as it was a two-day affair we would have had another £9 each to pay for the train tomorrow. What with sandwiches, sausage rolls and numerous cups of tea at the station (as well as on the train) we figured we wouldn't have had much change from £100. Needless to say, we waited to use the station toilet refusing to part with that much cash just to spend a penny!

But the steam train was ace. There is something about the clickity clack of the wheels on the rails, the smell and watching the smoke billowing out carrying bits of soot and ember that could get in one's eye if silly enough to look out of the window (would I do that??). It brings both of us back to our early years when we used to travel from London to Southend by steam train before it became all electric in 1962. So here is a selection of photos of our grand day out.

The line runs almost next to the canal for a short distance.

In need of some TLC.

First class....the only way to travel.

We did walk to the Bosworth battlefield site (for the history click here.) The place was heaving with every car park full to capacity. We managed a few photos of the perimeter where the re-enactment was to take place. I'm sure it would have been a brilliant two days if one had a car and lived nearby. But for us on a boat, it was a no go.