To Leeds

 Another slight change of plan, and good reason to have a Rail Rover ticket. I will not change trains at Edinburgh onto a CrossCountry train but stay on the LNER train all the way to York where I'll get another for the one stop to Leeds.

An hour to wait for my train

Original reserved seat

Final seat in next carriage

Slight problem with my reserved seat, it's reserved by someone else from Berwick. Ticket man said to look in next 2 coaches before it fills at Edinburgh. I am astounded at how full this train is. Not one first-class seat is available and there are over 100. Found one marked 'May be reserved later' in next coach so that's where I  am  now. Window and facing, so excellent. 

Tay rail bridge

There's a really bad poem by William McGonagall about the Tay bridge disaster, well known by all in Fife and Dundee.

Had bacon roll and coffee,  hopefully lunch later. 

Managed to grab a couple of photos on Forth bridge. 

Pilot boat

container ship

Now we're past Edinburgh due in Berwick in half-an-hour.

lunch

Just finished lunch, much the same as Tuesday on the way to Edinburgh, but wine today instead of beer. Newcastle in half-an-hour and York an hour after that.

Newcastle and River Tyne

Alnmouth

Now on the train to Leeds, just one stop. 

TP Express, same as when returning to Manchester from York

York is a big station, it took me a full 10min to change from platform 3 to platform 10. At Leeds it was a long walk to get out of the station to find the hotel. When outside in the pedestrianised road, looked around and thought that (opposite) must be it, but when I got nearer I stopped and looked around and saw my hotel is part of the station. The entrance is next to one of the station exits. Like Charing Cross, Glasgow Central, Newcastle and so many others.

The first hotel named their rooms, all on the first floor. At the other three hotels 4th floor was favourite, here I'm on the 7th (of 8) with a city view, yes I paid a little extra for that.

View from my window

 I've only spotted two lifts so far and they are very slow to respond, I suppose that's to be expected if there are 20+ rooms on 8 floors. 

Apologies to all you folk in the 30degree heat of today but I have found the air-conditioning controls and set it down to 22degrees. The breeze is wonderful.

I'll have a quick look to see if there's any nearby theatre with something interesting on. My grandmother worked in a large theatre here as a theatrical seamstress. She met Morecambe & Wise when their stage names were something like Bartholomew and Wiseman. There's nothing on that I fancy any of these three nights.

Tomorrow's plan is Hull. Never been there. 

Then Saturday's plan was Liverpool but I don't fancy a city in the expected 30degree heat so I'll look for somewhere else to go on a first-class train from here.