OK - but perhaps worth noting that the original question you posed for the poll was "Will you travel to the USA for a holiday?" -  you've latterly changed that somewhat.

Hope all the family situations resolve themselves and you enjoy your travels, wherever they take you!

I will be interested to see further details.

May I post here, to the effect that I have probably only continued to quote such ongoing 'news' updates from the BBC, as they enable me to add yet more fresh images of ferries on this forum.
I love ferries. CfN.

My wife Lisa is a dual citizen - originally from the USA, but now more British than American.  And some of my family too emigrated from the UK to the USA some 60 years ago and are now more American than British.  So we are an international family, and this question is about far more than a vacation - it's also about family events. Never the less, in the current climate we do not intend to visit the USA, even for those family events.

We are somewhat "with" family - Lisa's and mine - online and the distance does not feel as great; for sure, we can't pop into the yacht club at Los Alamitos to catch up with my cousins, nor into Roanoke, Long Beach or Naples to catch up with Lisa's siblings, son and family but yet we remain in touch.  Not *just* the political situation and what's going on in the headlined parts of the huge country, but also no desire to fly and as we get older the health issues so far from home, under such tension, and we have an alternative online too. We welcome family here to the UK and to Europe;  I've posted pictures of my cousin and her husband at Dundas and on the Two Tunnels walk, and in a couple of months I'll be meeting up with my other cousin and her husband in the Low Countries.

The world travel situation has changed even since I posted this poll though - so I never say "never".  The changes, this week, are rather in the opposite direction and I am rethinking my late spring / early summer plans to go as far as I can by train across Turkey.  Last year, the heatwave put me off, and I went to the other extreme of Narvik, and I've already been to Faro and Westport at the other extremes by train - Kars, Samsun  and Van may need to wait to a future year.

All the first coach, all the second coach, and front door only on third carriage?

Work on rail bridge expected to finish on time


The River Plym Railway Bridge in Plymouth is set to reopen on 9 March

Work to strengthen a railway bridge so it can carry heavier trains is on track to finish on time despite poor weather, Network Rail has said.

The line between Plymouth and Totnes has been shut since Saturday 21 February for work on the River Plym Railway Bridge. About 180m (591ft) of track is being replaced among other work at a cost of about £6.5m.

Dan Parkes, principal portfolio manager at Network Rail, said the work had been "challenging" in heavy rainfall but the bridge was expected to reopen on Monday morning.

The River Plym bridge, near the A38, is on the main line between London Paddington and Penzance.

Network Rail said 134 steel rail bearers installed between existing cross beams on the bridge and 24 new rail bearers made of synthetic wood were being laid as part of the work. They are designed to last six times longer than the traditional timber bearers they are replacing.

The rail boss said some of the steel work on the bridge had become rusty and corroded. "It needs a really, really good lot of repairs and maintenance to keep it good for the future," Parkes said.

Resurfacing work on the Plymouth-bound platform at Totnes and track and drain maintenance also formed part of the project.


High water levels caused by poor weather has made the work difficult at times

With the agreement of the Marine Management Organisation and the Environment Agency, the river in Plymouth was partially dammed to help with work underneath the bridge. However, recent heavy rainfall has made things difficult.

"There was times coming in through the storms [when] the tide was rising above the parapet on the bridge, it was coming above the dam we installed," Danny Tyrie, site manager with contractor Morgan Sindall, said. "The height of the water was extremely high which obviously made it tougher to work in."

Work has been ongoing on the bridge for several months and will continue for several more when the line is back open.

Trains between Exeter and London, Cardiff and the north of England continue to operate as normal, as do services between Plymouth and Penzance, said Network Rail.

Sharon Holloway, Great Western Railway station manager for Plymouth, said: "Replacement buses will bridge the gaps, but journey times will be longer, and we urge passengers to check before they travel and allow extra time."

Inside the 'chaotic' world of wife carrying


Dozens of people are expected to take part in the 2026 UK Wife Carrying Race

On Sunday, one of the UK's wackiest races returns, bringing some Scandinavian fun to the Surrey sporting scene.

About 70 people are expected to carry their wives, husbands, partners, friends and family up a hill in the UK's Wife Carrying Race in Dorking, now entering its 17th year with the winners qualifying for the Wife Carrying World Championships in Finland in July. "It's certainly chaotic," says Ian Giles, race director of the UK race. "There are a few familiar faces each year."

While the couple who won the last two years' races are back to defend their crown, competition is on the horizon with a "stacked" couple from the sport's Finnish home. Giles added: "This year we have 35 couples racing and at least another 15 on a waiting list."

Allegedly dating back centuries, wife carrying races involve people putting their partner on their back, front or over their shoulder, and completing a course of hills, hay bales and a "splash zone" of buckets of water and water pistols.

In the UK the practice reportedly links back to the Viking pillage of Lindisfarne. In sporting terms, its roots are in Finland, where the first world championships took place in 1996.

The UK Wife Carrying Race features an "out-and-back" 380m (1,246 ft) course. As with any good sport, there are strict rules to ensure a level playing field.


The course involves a "splash zone" with water buckets and pistols

Contrary to what the sport's name would suggest, you do not have to be married to carry your partner. Carrying friends, partners or siblings are all allowed, but they must be over 18 years-old.

People being carried are weighed prior to the event and must be at least 50kg (110 lbs) - anyone under that must wear a rucksack "filled with tins of flour, water or similar to bring them to the required weight".

Helmets are obligatory for those being carried - fancy dress is expected. The organisers said: "Spectators are encouraged to attend with their own water-pistols and buckets of water to staff the Splash Zone."

"You can use any one of the many recognised holds - bridal carry, piggy-back, shoulder-ride, fireman's carry (across the shoulders), the well-recognised and very fast Estonian Hold (wife hangs upside-down on man's back, legs crossed in front of the man's face) or the not-so-fast but unique Dorking Hold (the reverse Estonian)."

"I'm aware of the dangers - I don't want to drop my girlfriend on her head," says defending UK champion Stuart Johnson.

Johnson has good form despite his concerns - he and partner Hattie Cronin, from Woking, are two-time UK champions, returning to see if lightning strikes thrice.

Johnson and Cronin first entered in 2024 after friends competed the year before and recommended it to them. They come into this year's race as undefeated UK champions.

Johnson said: "The first time we practised it a few times and ran around our local park and with people thinking we were bonkers."


UK Wife Carrying Champion Stuart Johnson, with partner Hattie Cronin on his back

Cronin said: "I didn't say yes initially - Stuart signed up before asking me. Imagine being put in a washing machine, it feels a lot like that." The couple's favoured method is the Estonian hold.

As part of the prize, winners of the UK race receive £250 towards travel costs for the World Championships.

The sport is a different level in Scandinavia, though, Johnson said. "You get these gladiator humans and it looks like they weren't even carrying anything," he said. Despite returning to defend the crown, Giles says there is competition from a Finnish couple coming to upset the odds.

The Scandinavian couple came 27th in the 2025 World Championships, completing the course in one minute and 32 seconds. "I think this year there will be quite a lot of pressure - they look absolutely stacked," he said.

The UK Wife Carrying Race takes place on Sunday at 10:15 GMT at The Nower in Dorking, ahead of the Leith Hill half marathon.

Spectators are being encouraged to arrive on foot or by public transport, and bring their buckets and water pistols too, of course.

Person killed by Tube was blocked from safe spot


The passenger was killed at Ickenham station in west London last March

A passenger who fell onto a London Underground track was unable to avoid being hit and killed by a train due to communication cables preventing them moving to a place of safety, an investigation has found.

CCTV showed the passenger was aware a train was approaching at Ickenham station, west London, before they were struck at about 22:30 GMT on 28 March 2025.

Neither station staff nor the driver had seen the passenger, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report said. The train's brakes automatically applied as it pulled away due to its safety system coming into contact with the passenger, who was then discovered.

Transport for London (TfL) said it "fully supported" the investigation.

The passenger, whom the RAIB described as vulnerable, lay undiscovered for two minutes on the track after losing their balance. Before being struck, they tried to move from the track bed to the under-platform recess but this was blocked by communication cables.

The platform lighting created a sharp contrast with the darker track bed and the passenger was dressed in dark clothing, making them harder to detect, investigators found.


The passenger took nearly four minutes to descend the stairs, falling six times

Last year, an inquest ruled that a man who had been run over by seven Tube trains at Stratford station died accidentally. The coroner later said that two years on from his death "there is no clear evidence to demonstrate that risks of fatal harm have been mitigated".

On this occasion, the RAIB made three recommendations to TfL:
- Review and update safety standards for under‑platform recesses so they can reliably provide a safe space
- Complete platform‑specific risk assessments
- Identify and evaluate safety measures to reduce platform‑fall risks


Ickenham station first opened in 1905

London Underground policy states that drug and alcohol testing of staff should occur "as soon as possible after a dangerous incident" but the testers arrived at 01:05, one minute before the train operator's finish time.

The investigators wrote: "By the time the testers arrived, the train operator's manager had already arranged for a taxi to take the train operator home, at the end of their shift, in the interests of their welfare. While there is no evidence that the train operator was impaired by drugs or alcohol, RAIB observes that London Underground did not follow its own processes for testing staff following a serious accident."

Nick Dent, TfL's director of customer operations said his thoughts were "with the family and friends of the person who sadly died" and it had conducted its own internal investigation. He said: "We are considering the recommendations from the RAIB and will be taking forward action to address them, along with the recommendations from our own internal review. Safety remains our top priority and we are acting to ensure that our customers are safe when travelling on our network."

Route proving train for the Looe branch planned for this afternoon (06/03/26)

Don't need a snorkel anymore then

it's as dry as a Ginsters pasty..

The story is that it's a forced change for GWR (and some others) as their supplier, Wordline IT, is withdrawing from this market. However, Wordline do use the same engine on their own booking site, respottedhanky, at least for the time being.

Presumably it is front two or possibly three coaches for Melksham on an IET?