2004 - What have you got planned

[Nigel]

Chris - logistics is the main curse of the GNR. It's more or less inescapable because of the out-and-back route shared with 47,000 others. Buses are full and metros are fuller. Leaving your car at South Shields might be an option, but the roads there are largely closed or chokka.

My own cunning plan of leaving the car at Durham station was hatched to avoid the traffic. It appeared elegant enough, but in execution it ultimately proved to be flawed. 2003 Timetable - left South Shields 2:00. Two hour metro queue, then metro to Newcastle 4:30. Train to Durham 5:00. Arrive Durham to pick up car from station 5:30. Pass Leeds via A1 / M1 crawl 9:00 (en route to London / Guildford 1 am).

My best advice, then, is to rent a helicopter for the South Shields to Newcastle Central leg, and then take the train all the way to Sheffield. Or failing that and in extremis, consider drinking 5 celebration pints at the pub in South Shields and leave the homeward journey to Monday. Maybe you could ask Andy which option he would choose.....