Red Leicester

Thank you @TigerB, all updated and credited to you. Funchal has moved since I visited a couple of years back. This could be the first update / move I've done.

Not been to Porto so not on me map I’m afraid. All gen gratefully received.

Cost cuts from TfL following the pandemic. Red Arrow routes (507 and 521) were primarily commuter aimed services to get people to / from t’offices. Since the pandemic usage dropped and they are not sustainable. My limited understanding is to get continued funding TfL had to make x amounts of cuts and central London bus routes were reviewed and efficiencies made. Many route duplicated each other for miles and carrying fresh air. So cuts and changes made to maintain key links. The 11 has linked Victoria and Liverpool Street continually for 110+ years according to my records and was diverted to Waterloo in 2023 to replace the 507. I’m not an expert at politics and we have drifted off topic. Happy to help with journey enquiries. Call it a passing interest / occupational hazard.

507 was withdrawn last year. You need an 11 now been Vic and Waterloo.

That said depending on the Medway town you may need to change at Dartford or London Bridge for Waterloo East. Some Medways only have the Thameslink service to Luton.

I'd say try and get a Charing Cross train service, bail at Waterloo East, walk along to Waterloo and catch the SouthWestern service to Southampton Central.

Where in Kent are you coming from? You can hop along the coast with some changes if near Ashford or into London and back out. If via London then Waterloo - Southampton is quickest. Victoria - Southampton is much slower. Again depending where in Kent you travel from Waterloo East - Waterloo may be convenient and has ramps / lifts to help. If you want to message me offline for further info then feel free to.

Shameless plug for my map of berths and shuttle buses. Went to Stockholm in 2022 and straight into my top five ports. The sail in is awesome, I took a timelapse off the back of about three hours transit out before my battery ran out. Had a overnight stay and left mid-afternoon on Day 2. Shuttle buses provided and dropped off as shown on my maps. No issues.

Following an incident a few years back train dispatch rules and methods have changed. More people use the railways in the UK compared to Ireland. The Passenger Train Interface (PTI) is one of the biggest risks associated with running trains and is taken very seriously in the UK. BR train services haven't existed since the mid 90s. The Cobh - Cork service is useful though, we had two days in Cobh and the option of getting to Cork was easy and appreciated. Cork station was a little way out of the centre though.

Shameless plug for my map. Click here

Here's a link to the current Cobh - Cork railway timetable. Half hourly on Monday to Friday and hourly on a Saturday and Sunday. 26 mins into Cork. I did this a few years back, it was a booked hourly service but IE ran extras on the day. It was busy but had a seat both ways. https://www.irishrail.ie/getmedia/07903094-cff0-4db2-88a3-1eab9ca81359/13-Mallow-Cobh-Midleton.pdf

Self disembarked from Iona in November. It's the default now it would appear, you don't have to register. We also got a disembarkation time of 09:20 should I have needed assistance. I was home, 111 miles away, by 08:45. If you can do, and we are lucky we can, it it is much much easier.

Ditto Iona. Access from one device at a time but you can log off Device A and log onto Device B. Or logon to Device B and boot Device A off. We had two phones and a laptop that we connected one at a time. I'll add Iona's wifi was very good, could stream and download no problem though did go for the pricier option. Can't remember it going down either.

I take a selection of small books and a Kindle. To be honest a Kindle can carry an entire library. Try and get the one that can be read in any light too. It would also be great if Iona passengers were spoken about with politeness, comments around whether or not we can read are not helpful even when in jest, it just adds to the "them and us" feel and doesn't make us feel welcome.

On Iona a couple of weeks back I annoyed many many people on Deck 6 by asking for "two normal teas please" and being told to skip the entire queue as it just required some boiling H2O and a bag. I reckon if I was waiting it was a 20 minute wait. Compounding by never knowing whether to queue at the counter or wait to be served. But... that was a sea day and the worst, by a long way, I encountered. I have long been an advocate for two queues in places that serve drinks, one for coffee and maybe hoy choc and one for everything else. I have walked out of many at stations to make the train where I have just wanted a bottle of something or a tea, or food but been stuck whilst they make individual cups and do all the banging of stuff. I was in Greggs once and someone bought a sausage roll and six coffees. That was a long wait. I must get the CEOs email address for these places...