Anyway, my train arrived 15 minutes after it should have left.... and I had the pleasure of standing for the first half of the journey, nose-to-nose with fellow passengers like in a rush-hour tube. This delay was exacerbated by then "meeting" two local "stopper" trains, which meant we travelled a fair part of the journey at their speed.... and that was SLOWWWWWWWW. S0, the result was that my 1hr 10 minute third-leg of four journey took 2 hours and I missed my connection at the other end. That added a further 10 minute delay to get the "next" local train.
Since this difference had meant an extra hour to my journey and an eventual arrival time at my local station at 2040, not 1940, I decided to change my plan to walk the half-hour from the local station (now in the dark on barely-lit roads) and get off at the station before and take a taxi home. So that's what i did..... but all this is only the preamble!!
I went straight to the cab office, which is actually in the station building. I said I needed a cab to my house (3 miles away). "Don't have one, mate", said the controller.
"So how long until you will have one,?" I asked.... accepting that I'd have to wait (rather than schlepping 3 miles on semi-rural roads at night, dragging a wheeled suitcase).
"Can't say, mate", was the reply... "Dunno when I could even fit you in...."
Great. So, I dragged my case to the bus stop...... last bus at 18.35 - useful, eh? So I called another cab firm on a local number. Bad news, the call got transferred, twice. I asked for a cab..... "Don't cover that area". Feeling like I was in a Monty Python sketch, I asked "Then, pray, what is the point of providing a local number?" CLICK, dead line.
So I started my walk. I stopped at a pub half way to have a half of cider and a rest and got home just after 2200..... almost 8 hours since starting my journey. I felt pretty good that at my age, dragging a suitcase, in the dark (and with a 20 minute break) I had completed a google-estimated 55-minute walk in about 1 hr 10..... But I did feel every inch of the three miles and had to disentangle various dried bits of vegetation from the wheels of my case.
However, the station cab company is described as a "Taxi Service" and licensed as such. So how does a company that cannot provide a cab to someone at 2040 on a weekday qualify as a service?
We'll leave out the obvious "don't give a sh*t" attitude of the fat controller, safe behind his plexiglass shield...... 
I've just put in a claim for my delayed journey...... a refund of the £40 would make life sweeter, but pigs don't fly, so I bet it's pro-rata....
Still.... feel an email to the local council about that cab service coming on!
...... Yes the entire cost of all 4 individual legs. I had expected to be offered some pittance as compo for the leg that actually caused the overall delay, but no....