We pick up at Brighton station on my journey from Eastbourne in East Sussex to Weymouth in Dorset.

I was aiming, as before, to sit on the left-hand side of the train, hoping this would give me the views of the coast as I headed west out of Brighton.

Fortunately, this Southern train was not as full as the first one and so I was able to find the perfect seat next to the window facing the direction of travel.

Departure from Brighton

Following my failure to capture the departure from Eastbourne, this time I was determined to have my phone ready.

So I got set up and lined up my camera against the window ready for the departure. I was confident this would look great as the train pulled out of Brighton and around the curve towards Hove at the start of its journey.

Fail No. 2: I did record the departure and was fairly pleased with the recording … until I viewed it back and discovered I had the camera set to “slo-mo” rather than “time-lapse”.

So this is, mercifully, just a short section of the 1:59 video which I ended up with. I wouldn’t inflict the full video on my worst enemy.

Note: the video is mute because I have spared you the very animated conversation about house prices and property moves which the three women in the seats opposite held while the train was on its way.

Leg 2: Brighton to Southampton

Journey time: 1 hour 50 minutes, 21 stops

The route runs along the Sussex coast but there are precious few glimpses of the sea. The track is inland and the first part of the journey hops past industrial units, runs between the backs of houses and gardens, skirts school playing fields and allotments with no real sense of being only a mile or so from the coast.

Shoreham harbour, Brighton City Airport and Lancing College provide some relief but it is not until the train goes beyond Worthing that the first real views are on offer: there in the distance on the right-hand side is Arundel Castle as the tracks meet the Arun Valley line.

And then on the left, lovely but brief views as the line crosses the River Arun at Ford.

Beyond that, my view was of row after row of polytunnels growing crops. I couldn’t tell as the train whizzed past what was being cultivated beneath the plastic structure – and even now, looking at the still image, I still can’t discern the product destined for our plates. My best guess is strawberries but it is very much a guess.

And so on to Barnham which has an inviting station cafe between the platforms and the branch line to Bognor Regis. What also caught my eye as the train departed was a mosaic celebrating 150 years of the station.

The mosaic was designed by train driver Bob Dorkings and made with the help of volunteers from nearby Ford prison.

The best views on this leg of the journey were after the train had left Sussex and entered Hampshire. Look at this scene of boats on the River Hamble near Swanwick.

At this point, I started to get nervous. The journey planner said I had four minutes between this train’s arrival at Southampton Central and the next train’s departure to Weymouth: four minutes (assuming both trains were on time) to get off, find the footbridge and get up, over and down onto the right platform. I checked on my phone and my train was 3 minutes early at Swanwick and the train I was hoping to catch was at Winchester, running 1 minute early. So it was looking good that I would make the connection.

This train trip certainly leaves the best until last. The most spectacular views are as the tracks curve around Southampton bay on the approach to the city’s central railway station. I was fortunate that I travelled on a sunny day to capture these scenes.

I arrived at Southampton Central right on time. Four minutes and counting …

(to be continued)