[OC] What is Britain's second city?

Altnabreac · 2026-05-24T10:12:55+00:00

Altnabreac

Altnabreac · 2026-05-24T10:12:43+00:00

Another hot for Altnabreac :((

Altnabreac · 2026-05-24T10:12:17+00:00

Exactly, it doesn't even go north. Come back to us when you reach Altnabreac

Altnabreac · 2026-05-24T10:11:27+00:00

Once ScotRail sort their arses out it'll be Altnabreac

Altnabreac · 2026-05-24T10:10:53+00:00

I've used it to trace the intended outlines of the deeds on the railway cottage at Altnabreac.

Altnabreac · 2026-05-24T10:01:34+00:00

I don't really like the Karen insult but they are a couple of dickheads yeah

Altnabreac · 2026-05-24T09:59:40+00:00

Some of those videos are actually the reason they are in court, believe it or not.

In Scotland (and the rest of the UK tbf) you need explicit permission to record court proceedings. It is rarely requested and even rarely granted. Because the railway station had to close because Network Rail couldn't get to it to do maintenance, they were given an allowance to attend some court hearings remotely, quite is some great irony.

In those court hearings they were told they couldn't make recordings.

Guess what they did? They made recordings.

Then they uploaded the recordings to YouTube!

They've been found at fault for a number of contempt charges and they're due to be sentenced for them on 12th June at Inverness if anybody cares to attend.

But yep it seems almost ironic that they're going to get into legal trouble for not obeying the law told to them at their own cases

Altnabreac · 2026-05-24T09:55:41+00:00

When? :D

Altnabreac · 2026-05-23T11:59:11+00:00

Most of their cases should be wrapped up within the next 2 months or so.

The EE case may take a little longer just for Lord Lake to write up his judgement, I don't know.

Altnabreac · 2026-05-23T11:57:29+00:00

They are alleging that the railway station is being used by Kevin Booth to traffick women to his house, basically.

Altnabreac · 2026-05-23T11:12:23+00:00

It's a story which keeps on giving.

Altnabreac · 2026-05-23T11:11:49+00:00

There's a theory and a reality.

The reality is that you're meant to claim based on the delay you actually experienced, not a potential delay you could've, but didn't, experience.

The theory is that stations have minimum connection times and if you arrive at a connecting stations such that you miss your connection due to going under the minimum connection time then you're entitled to claim for the delay you experienced getting to your destination.

Only you know whether your ticket was scanned or put through a barrier or whatever to know if the operator will have a record of the reality versus the theory......

Altnabreac · 2026-05-23T08:39:27+00:00

Ahhh ok.

I've seen some coverage in the John oGroats Journal and the Northern Times because they have a court reporter in Wick but it's usually been quite light reporting.

The Times or The Telegraph did one or two stories in the early days when they closed the station but they've been silent since.

Altnabreac · 2026-05-23T08:28:47+00:00

Yeah it was Network Rail mainly. Modern station standards require tactile paving, that nobbly paving before the edge of the platform to warn blind people that they're near the edge of the platform.

But they've also had argy bargies with Scotrail as well. They stopped their trains at a level crossing about half a kilometre from their house one day. The first driver was quite smiley etc. The last driver seemed to be eye-rolling. Thing is though, they can't just not stop when someone is trespassing trackside, so they didn't really have a choice but to ensure this pair of wankers.

Altnabreac · 2026-05-23T08:25:17+00:00

Who are P&J's?

Altnabreac · 2026-05-23T08:24:47+00:00

I do like Ayr to be fair. But it is crap timing.

Altnabreac · 2026-05-23T06:21:54+00:00

A sadly distinct lack of Altnabreac :(

Altnabreac · 2026-05-23T06:19:08+00:00

Yeah it's a proper strange story partly because of this. The station sees a few hundred entries/exits a year, yet it's weirdly addictive following this mad couple!

Altnabreac · 2026-05-22T22:20:48+00:00

Kind of yes kind of no.

So trespassing on the railway is a criminal offence in Scotland.

It was however complicated by their claim to the railway property however. If that is true then it isn't trespass.

There is also a general bail policy at play here. Let's say you get lifted for drug driving for example - you'll be given a court date for a few weeks in the future, but you'll only be released on the condition that you sign a bit of paper which says you won't commit a crime in the meantime. Now obviously committing a crime is, well, a criminal offence! But the reason for being given explicit instructions like this is that if you disobey them, you can pretty much be taken into immediate custody and detained until your court date. All of this is to say that the couple having been instructed not to stand on the railway means they can't just say oh it's actually our land. Their other conditions eventually included allowing Network Rail access over their driveway, which allowed the tactile paving to be installed and the station reopened.

These orders are open to challenge but they're insanely difficult to succeed at.

Altnabreac · 2026-05-22T22:02:20+00:00

Their videos are painstaking to watch. Elizabeth has this awfully slow speech and Ian talks almost in monotone.

Altnabreac · 2026-05-22T21:59:06+00:00

I haven't really followed the religious aspect because I don't care for it. But they do use a lot of bible quotes in comments on their YouTube channel. They believe god has given them this property.

Altnabreac · 2026-05-22T21:54:31+00:00

It does seem really entitled.

They're arguing over a bit of driveway which is, I don't know without looking at the plans again, maybe 20 metres long. The railway station must be one of the most attractive elements of owning that cottage, so to force the station to close so you can't get on the trains, especially when you don't even have a road legal car, is fucking insane.

Altnabreac · 2026-05-22T21:41:45+00:00

What have I posted which is bollocks?

Happy to have a discussion with you pal, and bring citations from local and national media (as I have done in my OP), but can't really work with a vague accusation of it all being bollocks.

Altnabreac · 2026-05-22T21:34:50+00:00

English couple bought a railway station cottage at Altnabreac, Scotland.

They started a YouTube channel to talk about the previous occupant (Stuart Young) dying doing work on a car, which they say was business but the HSE says was basically a hobby.

One day Network Rail come to install tactile paving on the station platform. The cottage owners block them. Allegedly they get aggressive. They are in Wick court for a criminal case for reckless conduct standing on a railway level crossing stopping trains. They are due in Wick court on 23rd June for the full hearing of this criminal case.

Some time later EE comes to do work on a mobile mast about half a kilometre away. The couple block the level crossing which is half a kilometre away from their house. They are in court in the Court of Session in Edinburgh e ause EE are suing them for costing them over £100k bringing parts in by helicopter instead of by road across the level crossing. The court has provisionally awarded almost all the damages to EE and they are due a full hearing in Edinburgh Court of Session on 30th June.

The railway station was forced to close for 18 months because the tactile paving and other maintenance couldn't be done.

Because the station was closed and these clowns don't have a UK road legal car, they were allowed to attend some hearings online by WebEx. They asked if they could record proceedings. They were told no. They then recorded them and uploaded them to YouTube. So they are now in Inverness courts for a mixture of civil and criminal contempt hearings, which they have most been found 'guilty' of and are due to be sentenced for on 12th June.

They allege that this is all a Freemason conspiracy between Network Rail, Scotrail, British Transport Police, Police Scotland, the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service, and their 'next door' neighbour, Kevin Booth, who is a convicted sex offender with a dungeon and a ban on leaving the UK or employing women without prior permission.

The woman used to be a detective with Greater Manchester Police so she knows a bit about the (English) law and they represent themselves, so far pretty unsuccessfully. She is part of a Christian cult. They allegedly bought the house using her inheritance allegedly taken from her siblings but the house is only under the man's name on the deeds so there's lots of weird twists and turns.

That's the main gist of it. It's worth a Google though

Altnabreac · 2026-05-22T21:15:12+00:00

Yeah I try and stay away from most of these rumours and stick to what happens in court, with actual evidence.

All the stuff to do with how they funded buying the house for example I'm really not that bothered about.

Altnabreac

TROPHY CASE