A generous half point, indeed, awarded - Czechoslovakia split on 1st January 1993; the picture was taken in the left hand half - the Czech Republic.  There's another picture in the right hand half somewhere

Swimmers rescued amid ongoing emergency response

A significant emergency service response has begun after reports of a number of people getting into difficulty in the water off the Devon coast.

Police were called at 10:25 GMT to the beach at Budleigh Salterton after concern was raised for people in the water.

A number of people have been safely brought back to shore and will be checked by paramedics, Devon and Cornwall Police have confirmed.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said Exmouth and Beer Coastguard Rescue teams, RNLI lifeboats from Exmouth and Torbay, and coastguard search and rescue helicopters have been sent to the scene to assist, alongside police and the ambulance service.

Members of the public have been urged to not enter the water along this stretch of coast while the incident is ongoing.

Cold health alert as parts of UK set to freeze on Christmas Day

A cold health alert and weather warnings have been issued for parts of the UK on Christmas Day, as forecasters dashed hopes of a white Christmas.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued the yellow alert for south-west England from 18:00 on 25 December to midday on 27 December.

A Met Office yellow warning for wind covers south-west England, Somerset and a large swathe of Wales, stretching from Cardiff and Swansea up to Bangor. Gusts hit 68mph (109 km/h) early on Thursday at Berry Head, Torbay.

Organisers of some Christmas and Boxing Day swims in Devon and Cornwall have had to cancel events.

In total, the Met Office warning covers 18 of Wales' 22 council areas.

In south-west England, temperatures on Christmas morning were between 1C and 4C (34F and 39F) for most, said BBC Weather's Matt Taylor, but it was "feeling below freezing due to the wind chill". Winds around coasts and on moors have exceeded 40mph at times, hitting 43mph at Plymouth and 49mph at Liscombe, Exmoor, he added.

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said it was "highly unlikely" the UK would see a white Christmas. "We've got a very dry picture across the UK over the next few days," he added.

Although not an official part of the UK, the crown dependency of Jersey experienced snow on Thursday morning. The Jersey Met Section said it was only the third time since records began that snow was observed on the island on Christmas Day and the first time since 1970.
...

The highest temperatures on Christmas Day were forecast to be around 7C (45F) in north-east England and 6C in south or south-east England. The Met Office added that frost and freezing temperatures were likely in western rural areas overnight on Christmas Day into Boxing Day, with -6C possible in rural parts of Scotland and -4C in rural Wales.

Organisers of the Coverack swim in Cornwall said with the weather forecast it would be "too dangerous" for the event to go ahead and postponed the event until New Year's Day. Start Bay Inn, in Devon, said it was "really sad" to announce its Boxing Day swim had been cancelled, while the RNLI Teignmouth took a similar decision, insisting "safety considerations must come first".

No 12 has to be Taunton?! Platform 2?

re 7, the angular style of the GW lettering matches the 1930s date of the northern extension of Brunel's original trainshed thus providing an equally elegant cover for the higher-numbered platforms.

After more head-scratching and puzzlement, I have now decided that 7. is London Paddington.

I reckon 3. is somewhere in Czechoslovakia - whereby I'm happy with being awarded just half a point for identifying the country.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I do have the benefit of copies of grahame's itineraries for his travels in Europe earlier this year - but I'm still struggling here.

I recognised 1. immediately: "It's that small station near Bath Spa"!  But then I simply couldn't remember the actual name of it, so I could post an answer here.

Sorry, Timmer - I know it's your local station.

Browsing around on the Coffee Shop forum, as I do (usually looking for something else ), I stumbled across this topic.

Noting that it's exactly a year since I posted, I'll give it a gentle 'bump' here.

CfN.

Small point to the BBC:

    One of the Isle of Wight's ferry operators taken over by new owners.

Have they sorted out the Hythe ferry?

The owner of a Grade II listed pier in Southampton Water says it will remain closed to the public for now despite essential electrical works being completed.

People in Hythe have raised concerns about what the closure means for the potential return of the ferry service.

The vice-chair of the parish council, Mark Clark, said it had not received responses to any letters to the ferry's parent company requesting answers about the return of the service or the reopening of the pier.

When contacted by the BBC, a spokesperson for the ferry company, which leases the pier from its owner, said: "Essential works to support the pier and ferry operations are progressing."

The ferry service between Hythe and Southampton has been suspended since August 2024 when damage was found underneath the landing pontoon at the pierhead.

Again? Or is this still an issue of engines being away for servicing that caused a lot of problems in the summer?

1. Oldfield Park

20:06 Westbury to Gloucester due 21:41 will be cancelled.
This is due to a broken down train.