Bottesford - Least Used Station in Leicestershire

Time to tick off another Least Used Station and Dave came along with me, in what is perhaps a two-parter, as we went to two stations in one day! This one, and the next one at Elton & Orston station which is just over the county line in Nottinghamshire.
You can download the ORR statistics here: dataportal.orr...
Thanks to Bob too - we hope Bottesford gets its garden!

[@Fs3i]

"It's quite a nice day" -- Geoff Marshall, about a totally overcast sky. Confirmed British.

[@NewNightmare115]

It's not raining. It's a nice day.

[@woodchipnz]

If Dave and Bob walked apart you'd have "Six Degrees of Separation".

[@adamtoms761]

I thought that that was the gag Geoff was going to make! 😂

[@JoesCallingAt...]

That's even worse than the three degrees joke 😂

[@geofftech2]

I knew Dave a degree in maths, I just didn't realise he had a PhD and hence three of them! :-D

[@AbsolutGB96]

I’m watching this instead of revising for my maths degree finals

[@GarfyUK]

after the 3 degrees joke, you should have asked them to stand a little further apart and said, 6 degrees of separation.

[@rhysrobertstransportationa1668]

Geoff Marshall Ned least used in wrexham then cceshire

[@MercenaryPen]

You went with the three degrees, but my thought was- with the two of them- six degrees of separation.

[@duckydashcam751]

Geoff Marshall when will you be doing least used Nottinghamshire

[@MelechFreedman]

Every least used station needs to have a Bob. Geoff put that on your checklist ‘does this station have a bob’ #stationbob

[@alberto5147]

It could be like an honorary title to anyone who's there even if they aren't named Bob. "Today, you shall be our BOB".

[@BuzzinsPetRock78]

That will confuse any Dutch viewers....as BOB always drives the party home after going out (B.O.B. = Bewust Onbeschonken Bestuurder, or designated driver in english) :)

[@davinacaine3615]

BOB is the name of one of the loaves of bread at work

[@AdrianTripp]

Bob: the name given to an old retiree who just won't go away :)

[@peterr9761]

I’d be worried if there was a Bob at Redcar British Steel!

[@stevenjlovelace]

You ditched Bob! :'(

[@stephengentle2815]

Haha, Bob, what a legend! So keen to be involved. You should have taken him along, that wouldn't have been weird, it would have been awesome!

[@willdbeast1523]

Random update on the Community Garden, it did get there in the end

[@lukaskurtscheidt1794]

i was hoping to see such a comment :)

[@rhodrage]

Do you know Bob?

[@NoahAviation09]

Update: Yes Bottesford does have its garden and it is very nice

[@benwilson9150]

Should have taken Bob with you!

[@AshJamIng]

Bench fact: The bench you sat on is a variation of the one designed specifically for Milton Keynes by Brian Milne, its design is now used all over the world

[@arfski]

And that they used to have round holes but were changed to slots as people got their fingers stuck in them!

[@wilfbm9067]

I thought it was an old Network southeast bench

[@beeble2003]

@@wilfbm9067 They were installed all over the country, even during the sector days of British Rail so I don't think it makes much sense to call them "Network SouthEast benches."

[@beeble2003]

@@wilfbm9067 I'd apologise for unintentionally writing something that you interpreted as aggressive, but your insult-ridden hypoctitical rant shows that there's no point.

[@wilfbm9067]

@@beeble2003 Just re read my comments and would like to sincerely apologise for the manner in which I approached you which was as you said hateful and aggressive. I was not in a particularly good place in my head at that time due to personal reasons which I would rather not go into however that is no excuse for what I wrote. Again my most heartfelt apologies to you for any offence caused. It is understandable for you not to accept my apology as it was a particularly harsh and unnecessary comment. I wish you well for the future and hope you stay safe during these uncertain times. Regards, W.

[@cesariojpn]

All the Stations - Rubbish Bins Blowing in the Breeze Edition.

[@glenncooney3959]

Bob’s a good sport. Hope Bottesford gets/got its garden from EMR.

[@IainG81]

you should one day go by yourself and find a Bob. He was good value. 😁

[@DanLoudShirts]

There was another gag, you should have left a gap between Bob and Dave, then you could have had six degrees of separation!

[@alberto5147]

The camera on the luggage rack was brilliant. I loved that angle. You've gone Hitchcock Geoff!

[@anonandon71]

If you look very carefully you'll see Bob appear in every, yes EVERY KZbin video.

[@musicevangelist]

I thought it would be a Six Degrees of... gag.

[@matthewjmcnaughton]

I would love to see you and Tom Scott work together on something.

[@jacksonb6849]

Hey Geoff I love your work. I have been a massive fan of yours since June last year when you got me addicted with the tube. Every weekend i pretty much rewatch all your videos and particularly like your secrets of the underground series. When the Elizabeth Line/Crossrail opens will you do a secrets for that??

[@mysteriouskazakh]

It's easy to forget Bottesford is even in Leicestershire. It's up there on that little nib between Notts. and Lincs.

[@Zeem4]

I used to work in Bottesford, and half the people who live there think it's in Nottinghamshire.

[@ProfessorPesca]

I have to say I live near Bottesford and had always assumed it was in Lincs. Incredible fossil hunting in the ploughed fields round there.

[@willdbeast1523]

@@Zeem4 to be fair it does use a notts postcode so I can see why it'd be confusing

[@isaactimmins8959]

Counties are weird like Ashby-Swaddlincote-Burton you traverse Leicestershire Derbyshire and staffordshire, See Geoffs least used northamptonshire that's another due to county boundary anomalies,

[@Dean256]

@@ProfessorPesca bottesford is definitely in Leicestershire and the Borough of Melton. :)

[@ellenkingsley]

I loved it how Bob just kept cropping up in the background

[@annescholey6546]

Bottesford was once a major junction from Newark into deepest Leicestershire until the late 50s. The last section went in 1988.

[@merlotburmese]

When I worked for Leicestershire CC, based in Leicester but essentially mobile, nobody ever believed you needed to go there. Over an hour from Leicester, it's reputation was as the place to disappear to for a day, totally off-radar. In Leicestershire but north of Nottingham.

[@catherinegillard959]

Take a walk through Bottesford 40 years ago .That's when it was a village.The sheep were taken from field to field though the High street .yes we did get our community garden.can you remember when every station had a garden? It was a pleasure to see,the stationmaster kept them beautifully.

[@Dean256]

Typical Leicestershire County Council. The Borough of Melton as a whole is totally ignored by Leicestershire County Council especially in places like Bottesford, Buckminster and Redmile. The Borough of Melton needs its independence from Leicestershire.

[@sheldoncooper4922]

Cheaper to get the train from Bottesford (free parking) to Nottingham than driving to Nottingham and parking in the city centre. Station has always been (relatively) busy every time I've used it - but the 2 hour wait for trains back is a bind...

[@MostlyLoveOfMusic]

Do least used station in Rutland please :)

[@hazzalandy]

Well up for that

[@stephenholt4670]

The least-used station in Rutland is also the most-used station in Rutland :)

[@Cheeseatingjunglista]

Isnt there only 1 station in Rutland.....

[@willharvey7263]

Yep, my home town of Oakham

[@benreeder5490]

So Oakham

[@MrMoley55]

From now on, every time I watch one of your videos, I will be looking out for Bob the Parish Councillor in the background.

[@SteveMorton]

#allthedegrees

[@rosiefay7283]

6:28 Geoff's reaction after Dave failed to take his hint. 8:33 I see you credit Sisi (sp?) with pointing out about passengers making return journeys -- had you really not taken that into account before?

[@yundi6173]

Hi Geoff. I’m a fan of you from Hong Kong. It’s great to have such a meaningful KZbin channel, introducing the UK train system. I have always been addicted to the history, facts and maps of the UK train system. I have learnt a lot from your channel. Hope that you received supports from your fans. A big thank you from Hong Kong. Make more videos for your fans:)

[@hereticosjc]

I'm a recent subscriber and i would like to see more of Bob, he seems like an awesome chap

[@gti505]

Did you take in your calculations that 2016 had 366 days Geoff?!!!

[@PiousMoltar]

I've been on trains through there many times, but never stopped there. Always notice the fantastic spire on that church, including when I'm driving on the main road a bit farther away. Must be one of the tallest village church spires in the country, if not one of the tallest in general.

[@maplady572]

Only just noticed that the letters in your name in the end credit change colour - I thought my eyes were going nuts!

[@Alun49]

I was born directly opposite the station. I can still recall steam trains arriving there!

[@uwlodar]

Nice job on getting the stopper to Newark. I always get that train if I can, because its always mostly empty

[@starlinguk]

What a pretty village.

[@BTRailwayProductions]

Another Fantastic Least Used Station Geoff! I think the community garden at Bottesford would look Really nice!

[@HenrysAdventures]

Very good! I love the shot of the tractor passing the church!

[@zogworth]

The guy driving it would have been going home for his lunch and is a bit of a local character

[@stanmarsh14]

Ahhhhh, the old Nottingham > Skegness run..... quite a few low use stations on this run..... just wished EMT would use something better, than those god awful "Dogbox" 153 Sprinters, especially now Skegness is heading towards peak season. Oh Geoff, may want to look for EMT's Jolly Fisherman service (Normally on a saturday, starting at Nottingham), which in recent years, has been covered by an HST..... Staff at Nottingham (Michael "Mad Mick" is normally good for this info) are generally helpful here.

[@borderlands6606]

It used to be a pair of class 20s. Summer only as no steam heating on the choppers.

[@stanmarsh14]

Oh yes, pair of Whistling Billy's, and a nice rake of compartment style coaches..... absolutely loved them.

[@stephendines1936]

Never ever thought I'd see Sheila Ferguson in a Least used stations video.

[@danielgosbee6295]

Another great video Geoff! I live in Grantham and have friends in Bottesford, they used the train to get to and from school in Grantham. Also, I did my dissertation on young people’s usage (or lack of) of public transport in Lincolnshire.

[@borderlands6606]

Bottesford used to be an east-west, north-south junction between the Great Northern and London and North Western Railway companies. The church seen in the background is famous for its tombs, including "victims" of the Witches of Belvoir. Bottesford was also a WW2 bomber base. Fun fact: the now closed Redmile station nearby, had a wooden trapdoor in the platform that exposed steps for the exclusive use of the Duke of Rutland. Saved him having to bother crossing the line the long way round.

[@norbitonflyer5625]

The Nottingham - Grantham line was GNR and the now-closed Newark- Leicester line was GNR/LNWR joint. Each line had its own station.

[@borderlands6606]

Yes, I wasn't suggesting Bottesford station was a junction, I meant Bottesford the place had a 4-way junction. IIRC it had four signal boxes. I think Leicester-Skeg excursions used the junction until quite late.

[@ulky13245]

Geoff! Come to Denver! (When the covid situation is under control). We have a light rail (As a fellow Englishmen who ended up in America, I admire the South Carolina experience!) - Me and my friend have been watching the videos and we're going to try and re-create this format at every station!

[@baconrasher6650]

Bob is a legend!!! I wonder if he got the garden thing..... Any ideas people?

[@charlottebarber]

We did get the garden

[@harveydee9115]

A little nerdy fact. One of the units on the train from Grantham to Bottesford is named after a heritage railway and the train after the naming ceremony ran on the heritage line quite a few times as it was attending a gala!

[@Sim0nTrains]

I be honest Geoff, your least used stations get funnier and funnier each time I watch them, great video to watch while on a Southern Train Which was a first for me, watching your great video on a Southern Class 455 👍🏻

[@damienmanu117]

It would be better on the later style 377' :)

[@peabody1976]

I think I could listen to Dave [read] timetables, I love his accent so much. And hello, Bob! Good on you to help improve your local station! Geoff, have you any idea how many split-side platforms there are on the network? They don't seem very common compared to island platforms, paired side platforms, and single platforms.

[@andrewwilson6240]

They are quite common in this part of the world. It is when there is an immediate level crossing adjacent to the station. It allows the signaller to close the crossing, and when the train is at the station, can raise it again. Staggered allows that in both directions. Attenborough is an example of having to have a signal on the platform because it is not staggered. Carlton works better, both for rail and road traffic

[@dickjohnson4447]

Bob looks and acts like a Bob, a nice guy

[@josephhouk6703]

Massively great one today, Geoff.

[@BruceJSkelly]

@11:07 The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter #156497

[@themaconeau]

How did the 15 floors of stairs treat you? 😬

[@emjackson2289]

Dave looks like a young Andy Burnham. Interesting "Skip" at LKX for Thunderbird duties. Wish they'd paint them with some interesting paint jobs though the way a lot of Class 37s were done. Classic BR large livery for example.

[@leegrant4807]

Bob's a legend!!

[@kimifur]

What a great idea with the community garden! Did he ever get it going? I hope so! Great video as always, Geoff, I wish I'd discovered your channel sooner!

[@Northfan42]

When you stood Dave and Bob next to each other, I though you were going to have them walk away from each other and call it 6 degrees of separation...

[@aronwood4178]

The way the other bloke said Bottesford was triggering me 🤦‍♀️

[@cathrynglee3484]

Geoff found a rare train movement it happens once a day 6 days a week and is very unusual

[@davesayswords]

I am a bit disappointed that you didn't make the whole "if Geoff stands apart from Bob and David then it would be six degrees of separation!" gag too! Hindsight eh?

[@dennistay9980]

And there's me struggling with basic algebra...

[@trueblue5567]

Customers obviously ‘bottled it’ from using it!....... I’ll get me coat 😞

[@Crazyneil1986]

Close. But Bottlesford's a lovely little place in Wiltshire. This'un has no 'l'.

[@stevecooksley]

Geoff, loved the video as always. Can I heartily recommend getting an external mic with a deadcat/windjammer on it though - considering most of your outdoor shots are in exposed places it would be a good investment (I use a Rode rifle mic with a DeadCat on, it works wonders in the wind).

[@MrMoley55]

I kinda like the wind effects

[@stevecooksley]

Ah, then you could record the background noise on a separate channel and lower them when someone is talking.

[@HighlandMike325]

PhD in mathematics. Surely he's seen Good Will Hunting?

[@marvintpandroid2213]

The American beauty plastic bag video was actually faked, they used a bit of string on the bag.... Sorry

[@andrewhotston983]

My sister used to live in Bottesford. I don't think the footbridge was there then. Years ago I went on a train on the line from Bottesford Newark. It's a footpath now.

[@kieran4550ify]

One of the all time great least used stations! Every video needs a Bob!

[@airfoxtrot2006]

Great video Geoff i enjoyed watching it.

[@QuarioQuario54321]

Is there a station with less use it Nottinghamshire? And have Tom Scott be companion for that, he came from there.

[@norbitonflyer5625]

The least used in Notts is much less used than Bottesford.

[@Drdee1]

Does Bob have his own KZbin channel?

[@peterhanahoe4913]

I really am enjoying your films which I have only recently discovered. I noticed something on this which you didn't pass a comment on but as the train leaves you at Bottesford, a flippin' 153 with a name on it. Not only that, it was named to commemorate the 150th anniversary of something or other. Why didn't they stick that on a 150 or am I just too literal with these things?

[@isaactimmins8959]

bit late but it's in honor of a herrrtiage railway the ecclsebourne valley railway in derbyshire which uses 153s or it did not so much now on the adjacent national rail station on the Matlock-Derby line,

[@philipperry1304]

Love the Sound of the hst coach squeaking as you departed so miss the HSTs set

[@abp3234]

Your vids put a smile on my face; nice job Geoff.

[@HenrysAdventures]

10:53 "we need a steam train coming through". I once passed through on a steam hauled railtour!

[@tobeytransport2802]

7:36 you got a northern accent there. you said l-a-st rather than larst

[@michaelbruchas6663]

Dave is a good companion to Geoff....do more with him!

[@brianartillery]

I'm amazed (and pleased) at how well provided with bins Bottesford is. Several years ago, I had reason to de-train at Peterborough, a main line station, and there was not one bin in which to deposit my coffee cup and pie wrapper. They got half a day out in York.

[@Satters]

bins were removed from stations following the 1970s IRA bombings

[@oofuss]

I was expecting the degrees joke to be about six degrees of separation.

[@Iced-Rockin-Man]

dave is good with geoff when doing 2 least used staitions in 1 day

[@CommunistLenin]

Geoff looks even more younger then before

[@MGMG0]

You look excellent in spiked up hair

[@andrewholloway231]

That was brilliant. Thank you once again.

[@JohnBath-f8p]

Got a disused airfield as well. Flew over it 2 years ago.

[@mister19stick]

bin at 3:14 and 6:19 (bonus points) and 6:49 (that's enough now)

[@MrJoshieBabie]

#justiceforbob

[@bigm4njl]

South wigston is another, I recommend doing a video on that

[@arolinemorris7556]

I have noticed you and you friend have the same shoes

[@RandomRailways]

Sounds like you could produce a "least used station Top Trumps" set - most litter bins, platform length etc... First time I saw your bag in breeze I though of American Beauty as well :-)

[@SirDominic]

are you going to make us wait a week for the next one?

[@YourLeicesterspotter]

Yes it is I know this because I live it Leicestershire

[@vroteg]

90 is alot. letrs play by some rules. No more 10 people a day.

[@jamiet460]

I lived in Bottesford until i was 11 born in Grantham then we as a family moved to South Wales Pembrokeshire just watching ur video brings back some memories as a kid growing up in Bottesford.

[@agent_605]

The bench probably wouldn’t be Network SouthEast, but might have still been British Rail, probably Regional Railways (although they didn’t see as much investment on stations than NSE as regional railways mainly focused on the trains themselves, including pacers and Sprinters)

[@suffolkraider]

Oh look a NSE bench.......they are getting everywhere and taking over !!! lol

[@jamied674]

The pedant in me really wants to say that you should divide your annual head counts by 365.25 for an approximate day count as that would take account of leap years ( though the period you referred to in this case was 2016-17 which didn't have a leap day) but any such comment would just be sad beyond sad and pedantry at unacceptable levels :)

[@CompanionCube]

when the math phd guy has a better physique than the train guy, you know the physique of the train guy is seriously messed up

[@LuckyGamerRBLX]

Is David American

[@peterkay8073]

Check out VIZ, there used to be a character a young lad and he had a Border black bin bag as his faithful companion. He stayed at his aunt's in the Highlands and thwarted evil people. Gotta be better than watching one blowing in the wind, Dylan, more stations thank you.

[@JMac7991]

Geoff. How are you going to do least used stations when it comes to Scotland? By county still? Or are you really just focusing on England since it would be a trek and a half to Highlands...

[@Trockenshampooleopard]

I just noticed how appallingly few stations there are in Leicestershire an how many villages and towns directly adjacent to rail lines where the trains just pass by. Shame on you, Leicestershire, you need more stations!

[@lewismartin9292]

Where is your friend Dave from

[@McRambro]

That 3 degrees joke was on Par.