Bideford Railway Heritage Centre I was up in Barnstaple back in May 2025 as I was on the gorgeous Tarka Line (or the North Devon Line). It's been a railway line that I've been wanting to go on since my first year in Exeter and finally, I've got a chance to do so. In this post, you'll be joining me on this trip up north to explore North Devon's lost railways. Tarka Line Map (Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=108960715) The Tarka line runs between Exeter and Barnstaple, serving various towns and villages in between, notably Crediton and Eggesford. It also serves a pub (Portsmouth Arms) and the middle of nowhere (Kings Nympton, with the village miles away from itself). A number of stops on this line are request stops, which means you need to notify the guard specifically if you want to get off, or flag down the driver if you want to get on, like hailing a bus) 158951 takes me to Barnstaple Shoutout to St David's Starbucks for calling me Brian...
Winchester Cathedral Recently, I've been getting quite a bit of questions about my Christian beliefs. While I appreciate the interest and the care behind those questions, my faith is simply not something I'd discuss openly. To me, it's an extremely personal part of my life, which is why I never cover religious topics in this blog before. As the questions keep coming up, I thought it would be helpful to write this once and share it here, so I can gently point people to it instead of trying to explain everything in person or in group settings where I don’t feel comfortable going deep. So, why have I become a Christian? Some of you may know that I went to Christian primary school, and study and memorising verses within the bible didn't actually turn me into a Christian. It's not until a few years ago I realised that how far that I've lost my way and was becoming someone I really didn’t want to be. God, in his mercy, guided me back to where I should be, pulled me up...