1. Journey there-11.07.21

What a farce! It was all so straightforward, a journey from Northampton to Liverpool with two changes at Rugby and Crewe but London Northwestern had other ideas! It started at Northampton with our advertised train simply not appearing on departure screens. Only when we asked did staff inform us that it was canceled and that we should take a different service due to start from the station within two minutes. We climbed aboard this one as the doors were closing but on alighting at Rugby, and for some totally unexplained reason, our connecting train onwards from there was canceled and we were told that there was a bus waiting outside the station. However, that was full and looking 'COVIDly uncomfortable' and with no other one apparently on its way, we requested to continue our journey by train on another route. To be fair to the lady in the ticket office, she did arrange this issuing us with some replacement tickets enabling us to travel via Birmingham New Street. However, this added over an hour to our journey but this was by far preferable to a crowded and possibly even later bus trip. After waiting an hour at Rugby for the next London Northwestern train to Birmingham the rest of the journey was fine. Of course, in the past and in far more sensible and non-privatised days we could have hopped on the next train to New Street but as that was an Avanti service this was not permitted!

Incidentally, the day did not get any better as later in the evening England went and lost on penalties (again!) to Italy in the UEFA EURO 2020 (played in 2021 off course) final at Wembley.