Situational awareness--no Punching Judy's

On "Landing Friday" March 31, 2023 we cleared customs at Glasgow International quickly, as usual.  Exiting the terminal, we hopped aboard the 500 Express ("purple bus") which literally waits just outside the main doors under a covered street.  Off we dashed to Queen Street Station for Edinburgh Waverley, where we had a transfer from Scotrail to LNER (London North East Rail) for Berwick-upon-Tweed on the North Sea, our first destination.

April 1, 2023--Berwick-upon-Tweed

Glasgow's airport express runs about every ten minutes...they're quick.  So unless one is seriously cramped on connection time, there's little need to throw elbows to board it.  The next one works. Of course penciling a bit of cushion time is smart; still, one can't be too lackadaisical.  After all, the layover for the LNER at Edinburgh Waverley was 35 minutes.  So, that's the "controlling" timetable cushion.  How it's used is key.

Typically, we use Scotrail's "anytime-of-day" ticket.  Purchased online before going over, the price is basically the same.  "Anytime" tickets are insurance against missing a specific train slot...and Scotrail normally doesn't refund.  Not to worry, then, with an "anytime" ticket on highly trafficked commuter rail routes.  

We weren't hellbent for leather to make connections in other words. Glasgow-Edinburgh Scotrail routes operate about every 15 minutes.  During busier times of day, some are only 9 minutes apart.  This means at least three Glasgow-Edinburgh commuters run within that 35 minute layover at Waverley Station.        

April 1, 2023--Gardens on the Tweed below Berwick Train Station

We anticipated boarding the airport express bus 10 minutes later than the one we actually took.  Clearing customs and putting a bit of determination in our steps through the terminal, managed to shave 10 minutes or so.  But this was only due to the bus stance porter holding the express bus door for us.  He didn't have to do that.  We were the last to board that bus run, which put us ahead of schedule at Queen Street.  The time shaved was enough to allow us to board a Queen Street-Edinburgh commuter 15 minutes earlier than our actual scheduled train.

April 1, 2023--Berwick Cockle Shop, a famous candy

That's also the beauty of an "anytime" ticket.  It's not just for those running on the late side of a schedule.  Being early to Queen Street with our "anytime-of-day" rail ticket, we decided that waiting in Edinburgh Waverley was no different than waiting at Queen Street.  So, we boarded the Edinburgh commuter sooner than was penciled.  Again though, Olympic high-hurdle races out of the airport are generally not required...not for busier Scotrail routes. 

April 1, 2023--No optical illusion, these ancient buttressed walls really are leaning

Glasgow-Edinburgh routes were not the issue--trains are plentiful.  The issue was Berwick's timetable.  The LNER from Edinburgh Waverley arrived at Berwick at ~6:15 p.m.  This early evening commuter sweeps up most Berwick workers who are returning home from Edinburgh for the day.  Afterwards, Berwick station enters a night schedule and trains space further apart--an hour and a half or more on late night trains.

April 1, 2023--Berwick-upon-Tweed

As for evening trains, cautiousness when on foot and under pack is wise.  For one thing, double check before stepping off curbs near rush hour.  Scotland's traffic runs counter to what American pedestrians are used to.  And you'd be surprised how programed in muscle memory we become.  Winston Churchill made a similar mistake on a visit to New York in the 1930s.  He stepped off the curb after looking the wrong way and was hit.  He ended up with a broken arm.  Similarly, I nearly got smacked in a crosswalk doing the same thing in Newcastle-on-Tyne in 2017.  So, situational awareness.  Avoid problems before they happen.  

April 1, 2023--Berwick

For that reason, we did not want to traverse the 8/10th mile walk from Berwick Station to our accommodations across an unfamiliar city at dusk, much less after dark, as would have been the case had we booked a later train to Berwick.  Even though you may have some cushion, give some thought to situational awareness.  Don't invite trouble by wandering under pack late evening.  Manage your scheduled connections.    

In our 2023 sojourn, we were (mostly) blessed with fair weather.  But that was not evident as we debarked at Berwick Station to begin our walk across town to our accommodations at Premier Inn on Sandgate.  We were welcomed to the North Sea coast under a light drizzle (or heavy mist).   

It was more damp than anything else, so we opted to stretch the legs, having more than enough daylight remaining.  The walk helped to orient us.  Truth be told, light drizzle or not, it was a treat to walk Berwick as the ancient city  metamorphosed from its work week to Friday night in front of the weekend.

Being at the end of a transatlantic flight and an equally long "Landing Friday" with train connections, the weather was not that bad.  Had it been, we would've taken a taxi (since a couple of them were queued at the station).  A fall back plan, so to speak.  But having sojourned to Scotland at Easter many times, a fail-safe taxi was not necessary.  "The weather's fine" to quote the Beatles.  Besides, we're no Punching Judy's.

April 1, 2023--River Tweed at Berwick--atop Meg's Mount (Elizabethan battery)