A-Z of Railway Stations: B is for Bridgend

The modern ticket office at Bridgend station

Well this is an easy challenge so far.  Spoilt for choice of where to go for a B.  In the end I decided on Bridgend more because I fancied a trip combined with a bit of geocaching.  It's an easy trip from Cardiff that's for sure as Bridgend is on the main Cardiff to Swansea line and most trains stop there.  Have I  been there before?  Not that I can recall though I must have been through it on the train many times before.

So regular is the service I didn't even bother planning my trip - just turned up at Cardiff Central and caught the next train to Bridgend.  Fortunately for me it turned out to be one of the new Class 800 trains.  My dog gave it the thumbs up and lay down quietly for the journey.

One of the new Class 800 trains at Bridgend station

Once at Bridgend I had a nose around the station, quite a mix of modern and old.  It was then out and virtually straight into the centre of town.  Yes, the River Ogmore does pass through the centre but if I was being honest it is not at its most attractive at this point.

The historic bridge in the centre of Bridgend

My hound isn't at his most comfortable in town centres - mainly sniffing out scraps of food that people have dropped.  So maybe that should be I am not at my most comfortable with my dog in town centres.  He's probably perfectly happy.  We soon escaped the main streets and the rest of the day was spent geocaching to the south west of the town along the banks of the River Ogmore, finding all bar one of the ones we looked for.  Some were a bit tricky but most were OK, some quite inventive in the way they were hidden. 

One of these creatures wasn't real.  

The Phoenix pub in an old chapel.

Another pub - tempting this one but not with the dog. 

For more news on this challenge visit:  A-Z of Railway Stations