Felixstowing The Line

Felixstowe & Walton v Barking

Original Plan was for Elburton Villa on Friday night and Bodmin v Brislington on Sat but I was at the Dawlish Sea Wall opening ceremony yesterday where it pissed it down with rain and the cliffs fell apart and the railways shut again so instead I headed east.

My interest in Felixstowe has stemmed from the bad things Tony Williams Publications did to them in the early 1990s. First of all the non-league guide spelt there name wrongly…..

….and then they chose to illustrate their entry with a few blokes and a flat-bed transit mending floodlights.

Anyway. Flying solo today on the 0758 off Swindon to Pad. Update from last week; main stage at Reading Festival is now all in place.

On to Pad and slightly ironic that the TfL service I got was heading for Barking.

On to Liverpool Street where the first cheese related issue of the day was the International Cheese Centre being closed. 

Next concern was the Ipswich service going off platform 14 so chance it could be a unit. However, good news it is a shove set 

…with an aptly named Skoda doing the grunt work.

Uneventful run up to Ipswich.

Which meant I made the connecting bus to the Woodbridge Road.

Now I know what you are probably saying. What does Portman Road look like from the top deck of a Transbus bodied Volvo 32490? Well, live in the shade no longer for here it is.

Reason for venturing out of town was to visit Scograil, the UKs only retailer of Tillig České Dráhy corridor coaches in HO gauge. Four were procured.

First Guide Pub of the day was the Fat Cat on the Eastern side of town.

Two Adnam’s sticks didn’t look hopefull but the beer poard promised…

….and the tap room delivered with a Harveys; Sussex Wild Hop.

Next was the Dove Street Inn for something relatively local, Sudbury giving a Mauldons; Midsummer Gold.

Next was the Mulberry Tree on the outskirts of town. Went north this time for a Woodford’s NOG.

The return of Pork Scratchings by the pint measure…

….and a bit of tribute fun for the kids.

Next stop was the Cricketers for a Cliff Quay; Clipper. This is a Wetherspoon so cant be arsed to take a pic. This cleared 4 of the 8 Ipswich GBGs so next stop was cheese.


The cheese shop in Ipswich has shut down so I was reliant on the Cheese Cart on Cornhill Market. Except it wasn’t there. Instead I went for charcuterie. Red Deer…

….and beaver salami. Sold by an east European who extolled the virtues of potted Carp.

Next move was to the bus station which has a bizarre layout of only a single entry/exit point, but no turning circles, and on a public thoroughfare. So a myriad of buses doing three point turns, narrowly avoiding running people over.

My bird to freedom was the Ipswich Buses 98 service to Shotley Marina for the ferry. Driver rolled up on departure time, fucked about with bus, eventually let people on, then didn’t give anyone tickets. We were 15 late for a +12 onto the ferry. I spoke with the driver about the chance of making the connection, reminding him that he rocked up late and he had taken cash without issuing tickets, and all of a sudden he was like Colin McRae through the mean streets of Freston, Harkstead and Erwarten.

In the end I had to phone the ferry company and they held it for me. Pulling away from Shotley….

….heading for Harwich….

And arriving into Harwich.

Here the opportunity was taken to head for the New Bell Inn. Firstly there was a rhyming beer, Oscar Wilde – Dark Mild, then there was Britains largest snow globe collection

Various globes caught my eye, celebrating reggae…

…jesus…

…..Amsterdam sex museum…

……Newcastle….

…and a bridge to far.

Departing Harwich we picked a race with MV Sikinos, a Malta registered, Greek owned, oil tanker on the way to Rotterdam.

We’d soon got o=it on the run. It is passing a Maersk container ship, which gave me flash backs to Christmas 2013 when I had a crate of Durham Ales White Stout to demolish, but instead I was forced to build this with my nephew. 

Just when it looked like we would be victorious, we were ordered by the harbour master to hold back and let it past.

And off it went on it’s merry way to the Netherlands.

Landing at Felixstowe is proper Saving Private Ryan, onto the shingle beach which may look scenic in this picture…

….but in reality is still in the shadow of the port.

Somehow they have made a busy viewing point out of the landing point…

….with a packed events calender. I will be back on September 19th for the “International talk like a pirate day”.

Bus soon turned up to take us onto Felixstowe…

…shouting the virtues of its leather seats.

Goldstar are a shipping company owned by the chairman.

Felixstowe & Walton 1 v Barking 1, FA Cup Extra-Preliminary Round

Felixstowe were formed in 1890 in the Ipswich & District League.  They won it a couple of times, and after World War 2, merged with neighbours Walton United.  In 1966 they switched to the Essex & Suffolk Border League, then the Eastern Counties League in 1976.  In a saga to rival New Milton, the club have demerged, formed new teams, and then remerged again, though under a variety of names. 

The original Barking club was formed around 1896, playing in the South Essex League.  In 1912 Barking became founder members of the Athenian League, and after spells in the London League, they switched to the Isthmian League.  The late 1970s and 80s were the clubs glory times, winning bthe league and reaching the FA cup proper on a number of occasions.  In 2001 Barking, merged with East Ham United to form Barking & East Ham United, but the new club folded in 2006.  The current outfit were formed, playing in the Essex Senior League.

Good to see that the staple transport of many a YTS team, the high-roffed LDV Convoy, is still in use in East London.

Ground is a bizarre set up. The main facility is the cricket pitch, who’s pavilion the football club have taken over…

..the cricket club using this monstrosity instead.

Clubhouse had some unique football club life rings.

North Norfolk digital in the house.

Entrance to the ground.

And the salubrious players entry to the pitch.

Away support didn’t do too much to dispel the recent Daily Mash article.

The lovely old woodern stand has gone, replaced by an Atcost but at least with a facia board. Life = lessons from the dugouts were; Barking = BODY SHAPE, Felixstowe = FELIXSTOWE WIN for every goal kick.

Barking had the early play…

…then Felixstowe got back into it and from this corner…

….Barking went up the other end and scored. Believe me, it’s in there somewhere.

Felixstowe equalised early in the second half, I missed it as I was checking the programme to check if they really did have a player called Armani, which they did. How posh.


Game finished 1-1 and next move was to the railway station for the train back to Ipswich. Although the station is now a Co-op, from where I got some local cheese.

Station is now half way to Ipswich…

….and an Abellio (ie Dutch State Railways) Greater Anglia 156 appeared.

I went as far as Derby Road, as this is closer to the Eastern part of town than the main station.

A stroll down to the quay took me to the next tick, a house brew Cliff Quay; Mermaid at the Brewery Tap, which is the ex-Cobbolds brewery.

Next a walk along the quay, firtly found two teenagers in a Citreon Saxo, absolutely stinking of skunk, and as I walked past the one on the passenger side opened the door and vomited prodigiously. Further along, I found a harbour festival, which betrayed where the Ipswich Cheese Cart was today.

On to Briarbank brew pub for a Briar Bitter…

I forgot to take a photo of the Thomas Wolsey, where a Crouch Vale; Brewers Gold was ticked, before ending up at without doubt the best of the lot, the St Judes Brewery Tavern, with a Jolly Friar.

Then headed for the station, past the other football ground, with our Bobby looking on.

Slightly late train back from Ipswich into town.

With a rare outing for the Cheese Rucksack; Ferndale Norfolk Dapple, Rodwell – Shipcord, Copys Green - mrs temples Walsingham, and an absolute favourite of mine, Suffolk Farmhouse – Suffolk Gold. Two salamis also in shot. They absolutely stank.