Famous Five Style

A Famous Five Style Holiday (2)

‘The engine pulled slowly out of the station, its long train of carriages behind it, filled to bursting with girls off for their holidays’ (Five on Kirrin Island Again)

The holiday in the tower fast approaches! It’s almost time to leave to catch the Night Riviera train to Cornwall. I’ve never taken this sleeper before so am not quite sure what to expect but nevertheless most excited. My friend Amy will be Anne, minus the timidity and penchant for housework, and we will soon be meeting at Paddington Station, gateway to the south west.

As the starting point for literary children’s adventures (whether actually depicted within the story or not) Paddington is clearly the best London mainline station, Harry Potter and King’s Cross be damned. I can’t actually think of any good examples at this present moment, apart from Susan Cooper’s Over Sea, Under Stone, which opens with its main characters disembarking at St Austell, but I am sure there are many. Even though Amy, sorry Anne, and I are holidaying in Devon, we’ve decided to stay on the train and continue on to St Austell too, as it means a crucial two extra hours of sleep, arriving at 6 o’clock rather than 4 o’clock into Exeter St. Davids. We can then wend our way back to Exeter and then on to Lympstone and Peters Tower at our leisure tomorrow.

Although I seem to be lacking crucial Famous Five accoutrements such as a torch and compass, I do have a good OS map, my National Trust handbook, and the obligatory Pepys FF card game. I have also stocked up on beautiful cakes from local baker extraordinaire Violet so we can have a midnight feast on board. How Malory Towers!

‘”We can’t miss the train!” said George putting on her best scowl. She hated it went things went wrong’ (Five Go Down to the Sea). So, with this and random Tube occurrences in mind, it is time to depart!