Why Pup All The Stations?

The railways in the UK are amazing. They provide a vital link between communities, allowing people to connect to parts of the county they might otherwise not be able to get to. While road travel dominates, driving can be a tiring and stressful experience, and it’s not something that can be done by everyone. Rail travel, however, is open to all. Letting the train take the strain as you relax and enjoy a view of the world from the window. From the daily commute, to a quick pleasure jaunt – the railways are there to take you where you need to go. Of course, the famous closure of 1/3rd of the network by Dr Beeching back in the 60’s has reduced the number of stations and lines available, but there is still a vast network left to explore.

So why not explore it?

So, as all pups like walkies, it seemed like a good idea to go and explore the network. From the major passenger routes connecting big cities, to the smaller branch line stations maintained by the communities and “friends of” groups. Every single station has a little piece of history attached to it and a story to tell. While this blog might not be telling those stories it can certainly document the adventures of Condor as he attempts to visit every single station on the network, getting a pup photo in all of them. And as other pups around the country also travel by train, why not let them share their photos and journeys via their social media pages, which can then be linked to? There are a lot of human pups in the UK, and what better way to have a day trip, or go on holiday to somewhere in the UK than by train?

At the time of writing this section of the site, Condor and Echo have just visited the Isle of Wight, and will be soon taking a trip to Wales to capture Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch station. We have visited small request stops like Dilton Marsh and Lympstone Commando, had a signal box tour of the decommissioned box at Brading station on the Isle of Wight, experienced many a fantastic local public house for light refreshments, and explored some of the least-used stations on the network. None of this we would have done without the #PupAllTheStations hashtag on Twitter becoming a thing. It has given us an excuse to go out and explore new places, see the sights, and experience all sorts of different trains, and interact with different people along the way.

As the Rail Delivery Group says, Britain runs on rail. So if you’re a human pup why not grab your hood and go visit a station? Life is all about making the most of what you have, so even a trip to a station just a stop or two down the line can become a day out when you make it one. Especially when the weather is nice. Get on a train, go somewhere (doesn’t have to far) and just enjoy the day out.

Grab a photo of your puppy self and the station sign, and then share it on Twitter using #PupAllTheStations so we can see what you’re getting up to and where you’ve been. And if you have a good experience while having your adventure, tweet at the train companies and let them know. They deal with so much misery via Twitter from angry customers, why not share with them something about travelling on their trains that you have enjoyed? Everyone loves good feedback, so why not take a moment to thank the people who work hard to help us have these adventures?

So why not join us? Come out and (as Geoff Marshall and Vicki Pipe might say) have an adventure.