Direct trains from Gobowen to London planned

Direct trains from Gobowen to London have been promised by the new operator of the West Coast Main Line. 

First Trenitalia has today (Wednesday) been announced as the successful bidder to operate the West Coast Partnership.

The Department for Transport says this will mean that from December 2022 passengers will benefit from 263 extra train services every week and that destinations including Gobowen and Llandudno will now be served by direct trains to and from London.

Subject to approval from the Office of Rail and Road, two trains per hour will run between Liverpool and London.  

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "This award is positive news for passengers, with more services, more direct connections and ambitious plans for a cleaner, greener railway, and also represents a decisive shift towards a new model for rail."

Keith Williams, Chair of the Rail Review, said: "The railway needs reform that prioritises the customers and communities it serves, with an absolute focus on delivering benefits for passengers. I have also been clear that my review must not stop or delay investment and innovation.

"This West Coast Partnership delivers for passengers. It is a step forward that is firmly in line with the review, introducing benefits for passengers today and capable of incorporating the reforms needed for the future."

First Trenitalia will oversee the introduction of new environmentally-friendly trains, entirely replacing the diesel-only fleet and reducing CO2 emissions by 61%. 

It will also invest £117 million in a major refurbishment of the current Pendolino fleet, providing more comfortable seats and additional luggage space.

Obituary of distinguished Llangollen-born diplomat

The Guardian has carried the obituary of Sir Wynn Hugh-Jones (pictured) who was born in Llangollen and died recently at the age 95 after a distinguished career as a diplomat and general secretary of the Liberal Party.

You can see this at: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/11/sir-wynn-hugh-jones-obituary

Petrol Honda CR-V is a strong family market contender

* The Honda CR-V. 

* The CR-V cockpit.

Honda CR-V road test by Steve Rogers

CARAVANERS have always loved the Honda CR-V. The SUV offered a huge amount of space and effortless towing but has the Japanese company shot itself in the foot by dropping diesel from the latest model?

Honda would say not because diesel sales have fallen off the cliff and are unlikely to recover as car companies plough resources into petrol hybrid and electric power. Catering for towing is hardly top of the priority list but pulling a caravan or trailer with a petrol engine is always going to be second choice.

So here's a challenge for CR-V. Towing my four berth 7.2 metre caravan 340 miles to Redruth in Cornwall. The car's 1.5 VTEC turbo engine seems an unlikely match and more importantly what is it going to do to the gallon? My last petrol experience was 1989 when I got 20mpg from a 2-litre Mazda 626. Painful on the pocket.

With 170bhp under the bonnet I had no worries about CR-Vs ability to pull my van. It has a capacity of 2000kg, way more than I need. No, my concern was the 220Nm of torque, a lot less than a diesel. The six speed gear box was going to be busy.

How did CR-V do? I was right about having plenty of gear change practice but as long as the right gear was chosen the car felt very comfortable and pulled strongly uphill. The downside is engine noise. The VTEC likes its revs and tends to shout and scream once passed 3000rpm.

I kept a close eye on the computer readout for fuel consumption and was pleasantly surprised. The CR-V never fell below 25mpg and even reached 30mpg for the long cruise down the M5. The average at journeys end was 27.2mpg and it was much the same for the return trip, not a a bad return and not much worse than a Mazda CX-5 with similar power to CR-V from a 2.2 diesel which I used to tow a few weeks earlier.

Given the choice I would still opt for diesel but those choosing CR-V for towing are not going to be too disappointed.

But what of CR-V as an everyday family car? It has been the people's choice since it was launched 24 years ago and according to Honda is the world's best selling SUV. I drove it at the launch and wrote that it was a game changer with driving characteristics much closer to a car than the cumbersome 4x4s of the time.

Honda has done such a lot to improve CR-V down the years and the fifth generation is the best yet, as it should be, and is built on the same global platform as the Civic. It doesn't look a lot different from the previous model until you get close up and see all the new body creases and bulging wheel arches, all intended to give CR-V more kerb appeal.

A spacious cabin has been a big strongpoint and has got even better thanks to the longer wheelbase. Back seat legroom has to be the best in its class, there is even room for a seven seater version, a first for CR-V, while the boot is massive with the back seats dropped.

A couple of adults could sleep in it and it took my two adult bikes without any trouble. The sill is about as low as it will go and the tailgate aperture nice and wide for easy loading.

The SUV/crossover market is crowded, some would say overcrowded, so Honda has tried to distance itself from the pack with a combination of greater cabin space and more upmarket trim. It is not premium, but is knocking on the door.

Dashboard layout is clean and simple with the gearstick perched high in the centre console. This leaves a lot of space for stowage between the seats with the central box large enough to take a litre bottle of water with room to spare.

Honda has chosen Garmin for the navigation system which isn't my favourite. The graphics are not detailed enough and look more suited as illustrations for a child's book. At least reaction time for the touchscreen is good although I was none too impressed by the advanced traffic warning that twice wanted to send us on a wild goose chase.

We ignored the first report of a big delay and found there wasn't any, but took the second alternative route because of an apparent delay which also turned out to be out of date.

That apart, CR-V continues to be a strong contender. Driven solo the 1.5 VTEC is a bit of a flyer with 40mpg plus economy and commendably low emissions, and while the handling is not as dynamic as the Mazda CX-5 or the new Seat Tarraco, it has a more comfortable ride which is more in tune with the needs of a family.

Key facts

CR-V SE 6sp manual

£28,405

1.5 VTEC turbo; 170bhp

0-62mph 9.3secs; 130mph

44.8mpg combined

143g/km. 1st year tax £210

Boot: 1756 litres max

Insurance group 24

Gardening club's summer open show this Saturday

Llangollen & District Gardening Club has its Open Summer Show at the RAFA Club this Saturday, August 17.

A copy of the show

 schedule can be picked up from Watkins & Williams, the Library, Tourist Information, Zingibers and Courtyard Books. 

Chance to get an inside look at Glyndwr University

* The Gallery, a new facility at the university.

* Vice Chancellor Maria Hinfelaar. 

An exclusive opportunity to see the elite Colliers Park football training facility is among the experiences on offer at Wrexham Glyndwr University’s next open day.

The event takes place on Saturday, August 17 and transport will be available from Glyndwr’s main Plas Coch campus in Wrexham to take interested students on the behind-the-scenes tour.

During the tour, sports academics at the university will be on hand to show visitors around the newly-redeveloped site, which is operated by the Football Association of Wales (FAW), in partnership with Wrexham Glyndwr University.

The tour will be held at 11.30am (with transport leaving Plas Coch at 11.15am.) It will also feature a session looking at body composition and an overview of the sports programmes on offer at Wrexham Glyndwr University.

The new facilities at Colliers Park are among the latest upgrades students at Glyndwr can expect to see, with series of recently-opened social learning spaces and upgraded teaching rooms and lecture theatres on show which have been completed under the university’s ongoing Campus 2025 estates renewal strategy. 

In one of the recently opened spaces, The Gallery, prospective students and their family will get the chance to chat with Glyndwr’s Vice Chancellor Maria Hinfelaar face-to-face over coffee. The session, at 10.30am, is designed to offer the chance to ask questions about the university, its courses and what it’s like to study at Glyndwr in an informal manner.

There are also a host of other, subject-specific talks, demonstrations and activities on hand throughout the day.

Wrexham Glyndŵr University Admissions Manager, Andy Phillips, said: “We’ve got lots of activities and talks taking place this open day, including ‘Criminology: Your Route into Public Services,’ ‘Psychology Café – the Psychology of Love Island,’ ‘Stop & Search Knife Crime,’ an interactive physiotherapy session - and much more.

“There’s also the chance to get your hands of some of the amazing high-tech equipment our academics and students use in a PlaySpace arena – with an opportunity to explore everything from Virtual Reality headsets to 3D printing, ethical hacking and the internet of things. ”

The August open day is designed to give prospective 2019 entry students a taste of what it's like to study at Glyndwr, to let them learn more about the wide variety of degree programmes available and to show them what each of Glyndwr’s campuses has to offer -  as well as being giving them the chance to meet with course staff and current students.

The university has a wide range of courses available at foundation, undergraduate and post graduate level, many of which can also be studied part-time. More than half of current Wrexham Glyndwr students study part-time and includes a wide-variety of age groups.

A number of the university’s supporting services will also be on hand on the day to speak to prospective students, including the award-winning careers team - whose work supporting students has been recognised with a national accolade from AGCAS (the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Service.)

There is also the opportunity to speak to the admissions team about course entry requirements and the application process, and the student funding and money advice team for information on funding and fees.

The open day runs from 10am – 2pm with last entry at 1pm. You can drop in throughout the day but don’t forget to check the list of talks and events so you don’t miss something that’s important to you. 

* For more information or to book to attend the Open Day visit: wgu.ac.uk/openday.

Llangollen has county's highest earning car park

* Llangollen's Market Street car park.

A car park in Llangollen is the top earner for Denbighshire County Council.

The Daily Post put in Freedom of Information requests to local authorities across north Wales to discover exactly how much their car parks made in fees during 2018/19. The total was £4.3 million.

And the reply from Denbighshire showed that Martket Street in Llangollen was its highest earner, bringing in £137,244.03 during the period.

Two other car parks in the town also made it into the county’s top ten.

East Street came in at number eight by notching up £42,723 and the tally for Mill Street was just a little less at £41,036 which brought it in at number 10.

Denbighshire’s full top ten is:

Market Street, Llangollen £137,244.03
Rhyl Promenade £108,677.23
Sky Tower, Rhyl £65,078.84
Nova, Rhyl £61,507.72
Factory Ward, Denbigh £54,818.91
Market Street, Ruthin £47,489.88
Morley Road, Rhyl £43,891.30
East Street, Llangollen £42,723.93
Underground, Rhyl £42,224.55
Mill Street, Llangollen £41,036.60

* See the full story at: https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/parking-cash-cows-netted-north-16733201

Oak Street Gallery to host John Peacock exhibition

* John Peacock's work entitled Marigolds.

Artist John Peacock is to stage an exhibition at the Oak Street Gallery in Llangollen.

His medium is stitched collage, with the use of fabrics, stained and oiled brown paper, colour papers and newspaper.

His work is often enhanced with coloured inks, dye, paint and/or bleach. 

Much of his inspiration comes from the countryside, particularly trees and woodlands. Antique embroidery and patchwork, Oriental carpets and rugs often influence the colour pallet used in his work.

There will be an opening event on the evening of Saturday August 17, from 7pm to 9pm.

The exhibition will run from August 18 until September 14, and the gallery will be open Wednesday – Sunday, 10am-4pm.

 * Orchard by John Peacock.