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seren
22-Jul-07, 18:53
this may be a daft question, but why does the train from wick take 4 hours to get to inverness? it seems an awful long time for a 90 mile journey :confused

changilass
22-Jul-07, 19:00
If you see all the stops it makes you will understand

krakow
22-Jul-07, 20:01
and its about 170 miles by the time it has been to Thurso, Lairg, Fearn, Muir of Ord etc. When it was built there was no road competition, sheep were more important than people (hence Lairg). Dornoch bridge one day? I wonder, Transport Scotland are spending all their money on prestige projects around the Central Belt.

seren
22-Jul-07, 20:05
aha - it all makes sense now. at least it's still there; where i was brought up they closed the main railway link for the area in the 60's leaving everyone with no choice but to get a car [disgust]

the charlatans
22-Jul-07, 20:46
plus when it got to Caithness it had been funded by the rich estate owners who wanted it to deliver the gentry to their shooting estates inland, hence it goes deep inland before getting to Georgemas and then Thurso and Wick.

the longest train journey in the world......

BRIE
23-Jul-07, 10:56
its quicker getting the bus from inverness or get off the train at helmsdale & get bus from there:D

laguna2
23-Jul-07, 11:40
aha - it all makes sense now. at least it's still there; where i was brought up they closed the main railway link for the area in the 60's leaving everyone with no choice but to get a car [disgust]

Dr Beecham was the guy responsible for that I think! Lots of places were badly affected.

seren
23-Jul-07, 11:59
how long roughly does the bus take to get there?

Persephone
23-Jul-07, 12:05
about 2 hours. Does anyone know if they're planning to change the rail track for a quicker journey?

lasher
23-Jul-07, 12:24
Your far quicker taking the car, only takes about 1Hr 30mins.

Doolally
23-Jul-07, 13:39
Your far quicker taking the car, only takes about 1Hr 30mins.

That's an average of 72 mph including the villages you have to pass through!!! Maybe you need to slow down a little?

changilass
23-Jul-07, 13:43
Jees I thought I drove fast but even I dont manage it in that time

laguna2
23-Jul-07, 15:04
Jees I thought I drove fast but even I dont manage it in that time

Me neither Changi!

squidge
23-Jul-07, 15:26
The quickest i ever did it in was 1hr 50 minutes but it was early in the morning and i put my foot down and there was NOTHING on the road

badger
23-Jul-07, 19:58
The bus takes 3 hours from Wick and more from Thurso unless you get the one that goes down the Causeymire. It's not possible to drive legally to Inverness in 1hr 30mins from anywhere near Wick or Thurso and anyone driving down the hairpins at that speed shouldn't be driving [disgust]

Fran
24-Jul-07, 02:36
If the train went direct from Wick to Inverness instead of going to Georgemas then thurso then back to Georgemas....then on to inverness, that alone would save one hour of the journey, making it 3 hours. I prefer the train, its more comfortable, you can sit at a table, have a cup of tea, go for a walk, and i feel safer....the buses go too fast on the windy roads to and from Helmsdale .

badger
24-Jul-07, 11:30
Presumably once it did as there's an old station at Thrumster. Now I imagine it's not possible so the shortest journey is from Georgemas and that's still 4 hours. Not that Scotrail have cottoned on to that yet as if you try to buy tickets online they give you the departure time at Georgemas before it goes up to Thurso and back again :eek: . Or they did, maybe they've changed it since I told them.

Ash
24-Jul-07, 11:44
i love going by train, kids seem to enjoy it more to :D

BRIE
24-Jul-07, 11:44
Your far quicker taking the car, only takes about 1Hr 30mins.

Ive seen your driving lasher!! suprised it takes you that long:lol:

The Angel Of Death
24-Jul-07, 11:57
Your far quicker taking the car, only takes about 1Hr 30mins.
I have done it in that time no problems early hours of the morning there is no traffic normally takes me about 2 hours give or take on traffic

Doolally
24-Jul-07, 12:02
Presumably once it did as there's an old station at Thrumster.

The old station at Thrumster was for the Wick to Lybster Light Railway. It opened in 1903 and closed in 1944.

There were also stations at Occumster, Ulbster, Mid-Clyth, and Roster.

thickrodney
24-Jul-07, 22:36
The independent had, in a supplement, great train journeys.

Here it is, it is about half way down.

http://travel.independent.co.uk/news_and_advice/article2734679.ece

seren
25-Jul-07, 09:05
awww, what a lovely description :D

lasher
25-Jul-07, 09:13
Presumably once it did as there's an old station at Thrumster. Now I imagine it's not possible so the shortest journey is from Georgemas and that's still 4 hours. Not that Scotrail have cottoned on to that yet as if you try to buy tickets online they give you the departure time at Georgemas before it goes up to Thurso and back again :eek: . Or they did, maybe they've changed it since I told them.
The station at Thrumster was for the Lybster to Wick train.

lasher
25-Jul-07, 09:17
I have done it in that time no problems early hours of the morning there is no traffic normally takes me about 2 hours give or take on traffic
Aye the roads got to be fairly empty to do it in that time, during the day its a nightmare.

lasher
25-Jul-07, 09:20
Ive seen your driving lasher!! suprised it takes you that long:lol:
I've done it quicker believe me.;)

lasher
25-Jul-07, 09:28
The bus takes 3 hours from Wick and more from Thurso unless you get the one that goes down the Causeymire. It's not possible to drive legally to Inverness in 1hr 30mins from anywhere near Wick or Thurso and anyone driving down the hairpins at that speed shouldn't be driving [disgust]
What do you mean shouldn't be driving? If the road is quiet you don't have to go that quick to do it in that time.

badger
25-Jul-07, 11:28
Are you seriously telling me you never drive about 60 mph all the way to Inverness? If it was a straight, safe road through open countryside then yes - you could do it legally. It's not. There are towns and villages with 30/40 speed limits and other stretches where even that would be dangerous. If you drive anywhere up here at more than 60 mph you're breaking the law and shouldn't be driving. I'm sick to death of this childish "I can do it faster than you" attitude of so many drivers. Like I'm sick of drivers who creep up behind me going through a restricted area and I know perfectly well they're going to overtake before the end of the restriction, even though I'm driving at the limit. To say nothing of all those who ignore speed limits completely. I don't think I have once driven through Murkle without some idiot speeding past - for what? They get to Thurso or Castletown a minute or two quicker. Big deal [disgust]

What is about drivers that makes them think the law doesn't apply to them? Do they go shoplifting with equal complacency? Or mug old ladies?

lasher
25-Jul-07, 12:34
Are you seriously telling me you never drive about 60 mph all the way to Inverness?
Don't understand the question.

BRIE
25-Jul-07, 13:16
think the question was is badger ment to believe that you slow down to less than 60mph in villages & still manage to get to inverness in that time.
:confused

badger
25-Jul-07, 13:20
Actually a bit more than that. Do you drive at the legal speed limit all the way, i.e. never above 60 on main roads with no restrictions, never above whatever is indicated in restricted areas, and at a low speed in low gear on the hairpins and hills where low gear is indicated? If you can honestly claim that you do, then you must live a lot nearer Inverness than I thought.

BRIE
25-Jul-07, 13:25
is it a legal requirement to use a low gear round hairpins??:confused I must of missed that on my test.

lasher
25-Jul-07, 13:41
is it a legal requirement to use a low gear round hairpins??:confused I must of missed that on my test.It's not a legal requirement, but the lower the gear the quicker acceleration you get out the other side.

George Brims
25-Jul-07, 19:45
If the train went direct from Wick to Inverness instead of going to Georgemas then thurso then back to Georgemas....then on to inverness, that alone would save one hour of the journey, making it 3 hours. I prefer the train, its more comfortable, you can sit at a table, have a cup of tea, go for a walk, and i feel safer....the buses go too fast on the windy roads to and from Helmsdale .
Anyone that lives in the middle of the county of course gets on at Georgemas after all that other zigzagging about!

DarkAngel
25-Jul-07, 19:48
Your far quicker taking the car, only takes about 1Hr 30mins.


Tut Tut Lasher!!![lol]

badger
26-Jul-07, 13:09
is it a legal requirement to use a low gear round hairpins??:confused I must of missed that on my test.

No and I didn't say it was - I referred to the legal speed limit which is whatever is indicated in built-up areas and 60 everywhere else.

Maybe I should have inserted a comma after hairpins so it read "hairpins, and hills where low gear is indicated". There are signs recommending staying in low gear on some steep roads which are a sensible warning and presumably not put there for the fun of it but as guidance to drivers who don't realise how steep the hill is or don't have the sense to do it anyway.

It would be interesting to know how long it takes to drive legally to Inverness on empty roads.

BRIE
26-Jul-07, 14:49
It would be interesting to know how long it takes to drive legally to Inverness on empty roads.
__________________
is that an admission badger that you dont stick to the speed limit either??:confused

badger
26-Jul-07, 23:13
No, actually, why would you think that? I've just never driven to Inverness on an empty road. Come to think of it don't suppose many people have but it would still be interesting, quite nice too.

lasher
29-Jul-07, 12:38
think the question was is badger ment to believe that you slow down to less than 60mph in villages & still manage to get to inverness in that time.
:confused
I always slow down to the speed limit in villages.

Camra
30-Jul-07, 13:20
Ha.....Wick to Inverness is but a blink of the eye.....try going from Inverness to Fort William !!!!!!!!!!!!

seren
30-Jul-07, 16:17
i find that road extremely distracting because of the scenery!! :D