Sitting at Cremyll

On Thursday last, I was excused the normal routine of flogging tickets to a bewildered public and instead attended what is known on the railway as LDC. That's Local Divisional Council, which is essentially a load of local level union reps (like me) trying to get the local manager to agree to stuff that he either doesn't want to or hasn't got the authority to. Very occasionally some fruitful business is done at these affairs; as often as not nothing much happens during or after the meeting.


That apart, it did mean that I had a fair deal of the afternoon free. The timing of the meeting and the timing of local transport services didn't do much by the way of coinciding and I found myself at Cremyll with the better part of an hour to kill before a bus could whisk me the couple of miles home to Millbrook.


Normally, I'd walk it - but I was in meeting attire and that would have made the schlep a bit sweaty and uncomfortable, not to mention a bit of a strain on the old smart(ish) shoes.


So I just sat myself down and watched the world go by. Luckily, I had my camera to hand to give me something to play with and keep me out of mischief as I idled the hour away.


Here's The Northern Belle (which is the boat of choice for Tamar Cruising to use as the Cremyll Ferry) on its way towards Cornish landfall with Plymouth's Civic Centre building looming large in the background.

A Royal Navy vessel motored past; one that I didn't recognise at all. It's a good deal smaller than most of the warships that come and go up the Tamar to Devonport Docks.

Turns out to be HMS Raider - you can read all about her here, should you so wish; in brief she's an Archer class training vessel "...used to fulfil the sea-training syllabus of the Cambridge University Royal Naval Unit...".


As you've probably guessed, I really didn't have much to do (nor, indeed, do I have much to write about - but you've got this far).


Mainly for the consumption of non-locals who might find it marginally more interesting than those of us who take this sort of view for granted here's a short video of the scene from Cremyll.