Sunday's spotlight - Would Derby be as disastrous as Doncaster?

BY GUEST BLOGGER PETE

Regular readers of this blog may remember the pretty disastrous trip Pam and I made to Doncaster a few weeks ago, when about 50% of everything was either closed for the day or permanently closed as a result of the recession.

Photo by orangeacid

It was, therefore, with some trepidation that we set out for a trip to Derby; it having been something approaching two years since we were last there.

One of the factors that decided us to take the plunge and go to Derby and risks seeing 50% of everything closed was that the particular day we chose to go was the last day of our O.A.P train concession pass. It cost us £20 each to buy this pass but it meant that we could get 25% off the train fares.

Photo by ~Duncan~

On the bus taking us from Derby railway station to the city centre Pam  began talking to a fellow passenger and he said that he thought Derby was a mess right now. This was not exactly cheerful news and also not very well timed because we just spent one and a half hours on the train getting there.  This fellow bus passenger went on to say that they, by which we took him to mean the city council, had gone mad with a rebuilding  and road alteration changes to such an extent that the city wasn't worth visiting now. We didn't think of asking him why he was on the bus going to the city centre. Pity!. A lady from Belper, with whom we shared a lunch table, was of the same opinion even though she didn't express herself in the same graphic fashion.

Photo by  orangeacid

In actual fact we thought the new buildings and the changes made since our last visit there greatly enhanced the city centre.  For a start the city now had a bus station and this meant that passengers didn't have to queue out in the open weather waiting for a bus because now they can queue  under cover.  A great deal else had been improved as well.
 

Photo by *Debs*

Derby Boasts of two indoor markets.  It is true that in the larger one some 50% of the stores were closed but whether that was because Tuesday wasn't a particularly profitable day for the stallholders or that they were feeling the financial pinch is something we didn't know. The second indoor market with 100% open so perhaps the stores in the first market were the result of the recession. I can't remember seeing any shops in the city closed so, on the whole, we had a good day out.

Photo by eamoncurry123

Pam had an especially good day. She found a craft shop and as her main hobby is making greeting cards she was in her element. I haven't seen much of her since we got home!

We even caught the right train home! That's more than could be said about the aforementioned trip to Doncaster!!!!