Nice-looking station! Where is it?

[RobbieM]

And a few more here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British ... ort_Hotels

I stayed 3 nights in the North Staffs hotel, Stoke on Trent, two years ago.

[RobbieM]

Okay, so here it is. Station Z’s hint said “I took this photo recently during my regular short walk from home to work.” And if you didn’t already know where I live, my profile gives a pretty good clue. Yes, Station Z is, of course, Guildford.

And for the bonus, just under half-a-mile south of the station (and within 200 metres of my own luxurious [ahem] abode), you’ll find the grave of the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll. I’d have accepted either answer, though most people gave me both names. Everyone who got the station also got the bonus. But who were they?

Well, to warm us up for the NATO Phonetic Alpha-bet, I need to say ‘Bravo’ to trains500, RSJRdg and Steevooo who got Station Z before the hint was given. (There were no entries from anyone called Charlie.) After I’d Delta hint which was the easiest ever, correct answers came in from tintin, tubeguru and DavidC. (They came in so regularly it sounded like an Echo…. Though maybe it was the sound of a Fox-trot-ting across the Golf course at Gleneagles Hotel….)

Sorry – puns over. For now, at least. Station Alpha is on its way before the end of the day!

[RobbieM]

Well, it’s amazing to think that our “Nice-Looking Station! Where is it?” thread is nearly a year old! We’ve made it through the standard alphabet, and had a few ‘extras’ thrown in. But now let’s work our way through the NATO Phonetic alphabet, starting with Station Alpha.

A nice bit of station furniture, don’t you think? This one looks pretty difficult to begin with, but I’m sure if you know by now how my brain works, you might find ways of coming up with the answer.

• Name Station Alpha.

Just under nine miles from this station, a child was born. Well, I guess lots of children have been born about nine miles from here, actually…. But this particular child grew up to be a well-known writer, and a National Trust plaque marks the site of his birth.

• Bonus: What was the surname of this child?

Get those answers to me by PM, Semaphore, or Carrier Pigeon!

[tubeguru]

Well, it’s amazing to think that our “Nice-Looking Station! Where is it?” thread is nearly a year old! We’ve made it through the standard alphabet, and had a few ‘extras’ thrown in. But now let’s work our way through the NATO Phonetic alphabet, starting with Station Alpha.

A nice bit of station furniture, don’t you think? This one looks pretty difficult to begin with, but I’m sure if you know by now how my brain works, you might find ways of coming up with the answer.

• Name Station Alpha.

Just under nine miles from this station, a child was born. Well, I guess lots of children have been born about nine miles from here, actually…. But this particular child grew up to be a well-known writer, and a National Trust plaque marks the site of his birth.

• Bonus: What was the surname of this child?

Get those answers to me by PM, Semaphore, or Carrier Pigeon!

Point of order - I'm just making sure you actually mean "National Trust" plaque, instead of "English Heritage" plaque - the circular blue ones we're all familiar with.

[RobbieM]

Point of order - I'm just making sure you actually mean "National Trust" plaque, instead of "English Heritage" plaque - the circular blue ones we're all familiar with.

Yes, definitely National Trust. Not a blue circular one. I've just double checked.

I have had my first correct answer for the station, so that's a relief to me that I know it's solvable!

[tubeguru]

Well, it’s amazing to think that our “Nice-Looking Station! Where is it?” thread is nearly a year old! We’ve made it through the standard alphabet, and had a few ‘extras’ thrown in. But now let’s work our way through the NATO Phonetic alphabet, starting with Station Alpha.

A nice bit of station furniture, don’t you think? This one looks pretty difficult to begin with, but I’m sure if you know by now how my brain works, you might find ways of coming up with the answer.

• Name Station Alpha.

Just under nine miles from this station, a child was born. Well, I guess lots of children have been born about nine miles from here, actually…. But this particular child grew up to be a well-known writer, and a National Trust plaque marks the site of his birth.

• Bonus: What was the surname of this child?

Get those answers to me by PM, Semaphore, or Carrier Pigeon!

Point of order - I'm just making sure you actually mean "National Trust" plaque, instead of "English Heritage" plaque - the circular blue ones we're all familiar with.

Yes, definitely National Trust. Not a blue circular one. I've just double checked.

I have had my first correct answer for the station, so that's a relief to me that I know it's solvable!

I have the station too. Worked it out in about a minute

Just trying to get the bonus before I send you my answer, but it's proving trickier.

[RobbieM]

First correct bonus answer also received now!

[trains 500]

This is a prompt for the hint.

[RobbieM]

This is a prompt for the hint.

Welcome back! I was waiting for your return to the forum give you a chance before giving a hint.

But since you've requested it, I will try and sort one out before the end of the evening.

[tubeguru]

This is a prompt for the hint.

Welcome back! I was waiting for your return to the forum give you a chance before giving a hint.

But since you've requested it, I will try and sort one out before the end of the evening.

I have a suggestion.

When you give out the results, would it be possible for you to not differentiate between people who got the answer without a hint, and those who got it after one was given, bonus included? I remember once that you privately gave me a hint I didn't ask for, and then mentioned that I only got the answer after two hints.

I just think it makes some people feel they aren't as "clever" as others if you point out that they only got the answer after several hints.

[trains 500]

This is a prompt for the hint.

Welcome back! I was waiting for your return to the forum give you a chance before giving a hint.

But since you've requested it, I will try and sort one out before the end of the evening.

I've never been gone (anyways why would I leave). I just had a lackluster no of ideas for alpha and the ones I did have failed and have been waiting for a hint but up to now has been inexistent.

[RobbieM]

I have a suggestion.

When you give out the results, would it be possible for you to not differentiate between people who got the answer without a hint, and those who got it after one was given, bonus included? I remember once that you privately gave me a hint I didn't ask for, and then mentioned that I only got the answer after two hints.

I just think it makes some people feel they aren't as "clever" as others if you point out that they only got the answer after several hints.

Ok, fine. Good idea. Will try and keep things as general as possible. (Makes the admin a bit simpler too! )

Hint coming soonish...

[RobbieM]

Okay – better late than very-late, here’s a couple of hints for y’all:

Station: I took this snap recently (Wed 5th January) – for a particular reason: As one who’s nearing the end of his quest of travelling to/through all stations, it’s significant when I pick one up that’s ‘awkward’ to get, as not many trains go there.

Bonus: Déjà vu?

I’ll give a few more days to get answers in (but make sure you read the questions carefully!).

[RobbieM]

...and I'll hopefully give the answers on Sunday. Along with the birthday cake I'm currently baking...

[RobbieM]

♫ Happy Birthday to you! ♫
♫ Happy Birthday to you! ♫
♫ Happy Birthday dear “Nice-looking station! Where is it?” ♫
♫ Happy Birthday to you! ♫

Yes, this thread celebrates its first birthday today! How exciting! It’s also the 13th anniversary of my one-and-only Full Network Attempt/Completion. (Will I ever attempt the 272 in my much older age?) Anyway, back to the motley….

Thank you for all your submissions. So, photographed on Wednesday 5th January, where is Station Alpha? My long-winded hint could have been summed up in two words: “It’s Parliamentary”. That’s taking a word to mean ‘anything between two spaces’ – rather than an apostrophe indicating two words joined together, which could be consid…

Class: “GET ON WITH IT!!!!”

Sorry – er, okay. So well done if you worked out that Station Alpha is Ince & Elton.

And the bonus? “Déjà vu” was the hint. To be honest, I wondered if some may have suspected a link with Station Z, and half-expected them to guess the bonus before working the station out. But I’m not aware anyone did it that way round. Yes, the writer who was born just under nine miles from Ince & Elton station is the same one who’s buried about half a mile from Guildford station! But I couldn’t accept ‘Lewis Carroll’ as an answer. I needed the ‘surname of this child’. ‘Carroll’ isn’t correct either, as he didn’t use this name till later. It is, of course, Dodgson.

Well done to RJSRdg, tubeguru, DavidC, Steevooo and trains500 for correctly working out the station. And a special well done to DavidC for correctly getting the bonus. (Someone else realised I was talking about Lewis Carroll again, but was unable to get the correct surname submitted in time. An anonymous ‘well done’ to that mystery person anyway… )

Station Bravo is cued up, ready to press the ‘play’ button in a few hours' time…