Posted on November 21, 2009 - by Janice

Bopping Around the UK by Train

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The Brits really didn’t want me behind the wheel on their narrow roads. I didn’t want to be driving there, constantly double thinking which side of the road I should be on – which way the traffic was coming from. So, on my most recent solo travel adventure, I decided to cover the UK by train. As a train passenger I was safe… and so was everyone else.

The practicalities of the UK by train.
Renting a car may make sense if you are traveling in a group but, for the solo traveler, the train is a good option. It’s less costly, better for the environment and it’s social. You can connect with other people if you wish.

Tourists traveling into the UK save money by buying a BritRail pass before leaving home. Britrail.com offers a wide range of packages. On the site, you can also purchase an Oyster card for the London Underground, airport transfers and other services. With three legs to my train journey on non-consecutive days, the FlexiPass was best for me.

With my Britrail pass in hand, I went to the ticket wicket at the station on the first day. The clerk there explained how it worked and wrote in my first day of travel. From then on, each day I traveled I simply wrote in the date on the ticket myself and climbed on board. The pass was very simple to use. And, while I could have made reservations, I didn’t. Especially traveling first class, I had no trouble getting a seat on any train I wanted.

My three travel days involved Cambridge to the Lake District (Windermere); Windermere to Bath; and, Bath to London. There are so many cities and towns to service in the UK that the train system offers more than one way to reach any destination. Fortunately, they have an excellent online system to help. To find your options, go to the National Rail Enquiries site and use the Journey Planner. Plug in your dates, origin and destination and it will give you a variety of choices that show  departure times, arrival times, number of train changes and wait times between trains. The choice is then up to you.

This all sounds pretty complicated to the uninitiated. And, I must admit that, while I love train travel, I found the UK by train to be a bit overwhelming at first. There were transfers to negotiate with little time in very busy stations. But there was always extremely knowledgeable staff on the platform. They could tell me the exact time and platform for my connection and, if there was a train delay or cancellation (something that seems to happen more frequently on Sundays) they knew my best options. They were pleasant, efficient and, in some cases even fun.

The Pleasures of Seeing the UK by train.
Would I recommend seeing the UK by train? Absolutely! It was a wonderful, comfortable way to see the country and its beauty. Heading north to the Lake District I viewed a spectacular sunset and actually tweeted about it thanks to the free wifi on the Virgin train service. The skies were Turneresque (if I may be permitted to use this word) and the trees, with half their leaves fallen, were backlit by the setting sun to look like lace. It was stunning and a sight I would not have been able to enjoy had I been driving.

And the stations were all bustling with British life. People use their train system extensively for commutes as well as travel. It was great people watching. And in the stations the food was quite good. On the train platform in Oxenholme I was surprised to discover a mobile coffee shop.  In a country where people drink instant coffee on a regular basis, this mobile canteen – complete with bean grinder and elaborate espresso machine – was a delight.

As I mentioned, occasionally a train is cancelled. But even that works out well. This happened to me between Bath and London. The train was cancelled and we were all loaded onto a coach for Swindon station where we picked up the train. This inconvenience actually presented a new opportunity. I sat next to a lovely woman who organizes the Homeless World Cup, an event that I had not heard of. She explained how it engages disadvantaged people around the world in sport and, thereby, improves lives and communities. It got me dreaming of Rio de Janeiro, where the games will be held in September, 2010.

The trains presented plenty of time to dream, watch the beautiful British scenery and get to my destination safely. The UK is yet another country I would recommend to travel by train.

My thanks to BritRail for their support with this trip.