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Wooler Public Transport,Borders Railway Opens with Steam Specials Wooler public transport Wooler’s public transport connections are centred on its bus station, while inter-city trains serve Berwick-upon-Tweed. Wooler buses WoThe bus station, Wooler ol(Barbara Carr) / CC BY-SA 2.0 er bu s st at io n is lo ca te d in th e he ar t of to wn , of f th e Hi gh St re et by th e Bl ac k Bu ll In n. So me bu se s st op el se wh er e ar ou nd an d ab ou t Wo ol er : ch ec k ti me ta bl es or as k th e dr iv er fo r de ta il s. Wooler – Berwick-upon-Tweed bus (267 via Etal, Duddo: Monday- Saturday) – timetable [PDF] Wooler – Berwick-upon-Tweed bus (464 via Lowick: Monday- Saturday) – timetable [PDF] Wooler – Alnwick bus (470 via Chillingham) – timetable [PDF] Wooler – Alnwick bus (473 via Whittingham) – timetable [PDF] Kelso – Wooler – Newcastle bus (710 via Morpeth: Wednesday & Saturday only) – timetable [PDF] Wooler – Kirknewton circular bus (266 via Flodden: Wednesday only) – timetable [PDF] Although linked timetables were correct at time of writing, we advise checking before travel using theTraveline online journey planner or direct with operators: Border Buses (267, 464), PCL Travel (470, 473) or Glen Valley Tours (266, 710). Wooler trains Sadly the train line to Wooler closed many decades ago. In fact Wooler station last accepted passengers back in 1930! However Berwick-upon-Tweed is served by theEast Coast mainline. These high-speed modern trains link to Edinburgh (45mins), London Kings Cross (3.5hr) and York (2hr).Cross country trains also run direct to Glasgow (2hr), Birmingham (4.25hr) and Bristol (6hr). From Berwick you can travel to Wooler on one of the above buses, or get a local taxi (pre-book from the options below and expect to pay about £30 for the half hour trip).Car rental is another option, or you can cycle from Berwick to Wooler in about 1.5 hours. East Coast and Cross Country inter- city trains carry bikes for free but you should reserve a space in advance. Some trains serve Alnmouth instead which is another option, albeit further from Wooler. The closest station to Wooler, Chathill, is small and only served by a very limited commuter service from Newcastle. County town Morpeth is also served by a train service, but Berwick-upon-Tweed station will be the better option for most rail travellers to Wooler. Make sure you plan to “Berwick-upon-Tweed [BWK]” and not the similarly named Berwick in Sussex. Wooler taxis An excellent local taxi service is provided by Des Hood – 07585 462212. Ron’s Taxis are a common sight in Wooler, and can be booked on 01668 281281 or 07778 543907. Another option is Border Village Taxi – 01668 216360 or 07765 791348. All will provide station pick-ups from Berwick-upon-Tweed if booked in advance, with multi-seaters available. Air Wooler is a fair distance from any air connections – with the closest two major airports being Newcastle (60 mins) and Edinburgh (90 mins) “Gateway to the Cheviots” Wooler sits close to the vast, empty expanse of the Northumberland National Park, and is justly known as the “Gateway to the Cheviots”. These hills have been tempting walkers and campers from far and wide to travel to Wooler for more than a hundred years. Wooler’s history is fascinating and for many it also remains “a refuge from the hurry and scurry of modern life”. Borders Railway opens with steam specials As if the opening of the Borders Railway wasn’t exciting enough, plans have been announced for a celebratory steam service pulled by a veteran locomotive. The Borders railway is the longest new domestic railway in Britain for over 100 years, running from Tweedbank to Edinburgh Waverley. Services start on this over 50km long line on Sunday 6 September. To celebrate its opening, ScotRail are laying on special steam services this Autumn – hauled by 60009 Union of South Africa. This imposing locomotive was built in Doncaster in 1937 and is one of only six remaining LNER Class A4 steam locomotives in the UK. Tweedbank to Edinburgh Taking the new train service looks like becoming one of the most beautiful ways to begin a day trip to Edinburgh. Although Tweedbank is worth a visit in its own right – not least Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott. Through the day there are trains every half hour, with the journey up to the centre of Edinburgh taking a little less than an hour (Borders Railway timetable [PDF]). For those up at the crack of dawn, trains start at 5.20am on weekdays with the last train back from Edinburgh at 11.54pm. So there’s plenty of opportunity to make a day (and a night!) of it. As with all ScotRail services, you can take your bike for free and disabled assistance can be arranged. The route follows the old Waverley Route which linked Edinburgh and Carlisle before its closure in 1969. A campaign continues to extend the new Borders Railway along more of the length of this old route on to Hawick and Carlisle. Catch a steam train The special steam journeys will run on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday between 10 September and 18 October 2015. The steam leg of the journey departs from Edinburgh shortly before 11am. Each special service will feature both first (£75) and standard class (£40/20) carriages and will be steam hauled on the journey from Edinburgh to Tweedbank only. It is diesel hauled to return to Edinburgh. The service arrives at Tweedbank at quarter past twelve, so there’s a great opportunity to greet the train watching this steam classic pull in before lunch. Jacqueline Taggart of ScotRail said: “These steam journeys will give people a chance to appreciate the new Borders Railway from the wonderful setting of a vintage steam train. This is a fabulous opportunity to showcase the country’s newest railway line, and in such a romantic style.” To get a taste of what’s in store, here is some footage of the steam locomotive 60009 Union of South Africa in action: Scottish Transport Minister, Derek Mackay, said: “There can be few railway journeys which match the outstanding scenery on this new route, and I look forward to it being extremely successful. Steam services running on the reopened Borders Railway really will recapture the golden age of Scottish rail travel.” The last word should go to Madge Elliot, who campaigned against the local railway’s original closure in 1968 and has since pushed for reinstatement. She told BBC Scotland: “This is wonderful. Mind you, I never had any doubt it would come back again. It was such a daft thing to do, to close our railway. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. We can attract visitors from all over the world to this part of the country.” Tweedbank station is just under an hour’s drive from Homildon Cottage [Google map], and has free car parking facilities. The regular train services take 55 minutes into Edinburgh Waverley. Pic: Alan Wilson [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.
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