16.10: Back to London

I was surprised to find there were several options to travel by train between Belfast and London. The route I selected retraced my steps catching the ferry back to Glenryan. I boarded the ferry just in the nick of time. My ticket listed the departure as 7.30, so I had planned to arrive at Port of Belfast at that time – in retrospect, not the best idea. The terminal was empty when I arrived. Eventually a staff member came over and asked if I wanted to catch the ferry… ummm, YES! I was quickly ushered onto a minibus with a couple of other renegades and dumped on the car deck of the ferry. I don’t know when I was supposed to arrive but I was quite pleased as I probably got at least an extra half hour of sleep! I had a decent breakfast aboard the ferry. I then caught a bus to Ayr, the closest railway station, and got the train from there to Glasgow. 

Aboard bus to Ayr

There was enough time for a Cornish pasty before boarding the high-speed train to London. All of that was a bit involved but was all booked under the one ticket and went very smoothly. The train ride was very relaxing – I’d booked in time to reserve a seat. By 18.10 I alighted at the absolutely heaving Euston station in London – the most stressful part of the journey for sure. Unfortunately I needed to put money on my Oyster card which took quite some time. If the tunnels of the underground were human arteries, they would have to belong to someone with supremely bad cholesterol – most unpleasant. The southeastern overground train was much more pleasant. I made it to Sidcup by ~19.30 and was met at the station by Sharon. Richard had roasted a duck for dinner which was delicious. We had an excellent evening together.