The great British train scandal

[sqibjib]

Still trying to book a train from Windermere on the Sunday. But due to Northern rail being the inspiration of all rail networks they don't have a train running on Sunday. So it's drive to torver again I think.

I have just got back from France where you can get from one side of France to the other by train for £20. Good old blighty. We will never get to net zero emissions because our public transport is pants and only running to pay the share holders of this world.
I need to stop sounding like a grumpy old man. The joys of turning 50.

[Bearbonesnorm]

need to stop sounding like a grumpy old man. The joys of turning 50.

I found it gets worse as you slowly begin to realise that you don't comprehend the world around you

[pistonbroke]

you can get from one side of France to the other by train for £20

Ditto Spain, next Tuesday MrsPB and I are travelling from our local station to Cordoba 850km and a 9 hour drive away for €28 each including bikes. The only hassle is the bikes have to be in a plastic bag which will be binned when we get there as we're cycling back. The high speed trains are more expensive but run at 250kph so Barcelona to Madrid takes just over 2 hours.
Doesn't stop people moaning about the price. €100

[thenorthwind]

Tell me about it
This reminds me... I was on a train in Estonia recently. This is a standard carriage:


I think all carriages are the same, though most trains are only two or three carriages (there's only 1.3m people). Their train operator is state-owned, and all their trains are the same design. Admittedly they have it easier with a wider guage (I think) without the constraints of Victorian tunnels, etc. A 2 hour trip between two major cities cost about 10€, booked the day before.

We also got a ferry, and experienced a rare phenomenon... there was an extra charge for bikes, but to my surprise and disbelief, cyclists get the same discounted ticket as students, OAPs, etc. which actually made it cheaper to take a bike than just to walk on

[RIP]

Curious. Every 45 minutes or so from 10:53 on Sunday 1st? Isn't there a strike on Saturday? Admittedly that would make it something of a riskier proposition than normal with Northern I suppose.

https://www.thetrainline.com/book/resul ... sDh7Snc%3D

[Bearbonesnorm]

(there's only 1.3m people

No one taller or is it a bit like a scaled up Lilliput?

[PaulE]

I agree about the Spanish ones - just booked the high speed Barcelona to Madrid train for 2 adults & 2 kids, complete with reserved table seats, and it's £57 one way... which is probably less than the cost of petrol for the journey so all round excellent.

[Alpinum]

you can get from one side of France to the other by train for £20

Ditto Spain [...]

Switzerland is great for public transport too, also with bikes. So good infact, I still don't have a driving license. But... to get across the small country (despite superb connections, thanks to mountain ranges to cross - a 10 hrs trip) with a bike would probably cost you around... a kidney.

[faustus]

Heartily agree about all the multitude of wrongs with Britain's railways, having had blissful travel in Scandinavia, France, Netherlands, and Germany.

Worth noting if you're travelling this Sunday it's the day after a strike so that'll potentially add more chaos to the mix...

[slarge]

(there's only 1.3m people

No one taller or is it a bit like a scaled up Lilliput?

I'd be a giant

[thenorthwind]

(there's only 1.3m people

No one taller or is it a bit like a scaled up Lilliput?

No, all exactly 1.3m. Even the children. It's weird at first, but you get used to it. All down to one of those crazy EU regulations the Daily Mail warned us about. Clever old Britain, dodged that bullet.

[RIP]

(there's only 1.3m people

No one taller or is it a bit like a scaled up Lilliput?

No, all exactly 1.3m. Even the children. It's weird at first, but you get used to it. All down to one of those crazy EU regulations the Daily Mail warned us about. Clever old Britain, dodged that bullet.

[pistonbroke]

Just been to our weekly Spanish lesson in which we were discussing transport, the word for slow traffic caused by lorries etc is caravana

[sqibjib]

That's it I am driving. The only train from Windermere to Ormskirk is 8 hours and I have to kip at Preston station. It leaves at 8 pm and gets to Ormskirk at 6 am Monday . I should have stayed in Canada and drove my f250 6.2L until I died. 12mpg and still cheaper to run than my t5

https://photos.app.goo.gl/LpYGME6qh2cakSr16

[sqibjib]

I might have to do what goat did and ride there and back. .
Back to 1840 give me a penny farthing and all get back into the work houses free labour for the top 5%,
Got to love it. Now how to I get my Irish passport, good old grandad french lessons here I come

[sqibjib]

I might have to do what goat did and ride there and back. .
Back to 1840 give me a penny farthing and all get back into the work houses free labour for the top 5%,
Got to love it. Now how to I get my Irish passport, good old grandad french lessons here I come

[sqibjib]

Oops double post ....

Rant over...

I

[touch]

(there's only 1.3m people

No one taller or is it a bit like a scaled up Lilliput?

No one tall in Tallin

[Richard G]

I was impressed in Spain. I don't have much experience other than there though.

If I do Badlands again I may even choose to fly into Madrid and take the train down from there to Granada (don't particularly enjoy coach trips as I can't walk around).

[thenorthwind]

(there's only 1.3m people

No one taller or is it a bit like a scaled up Lilliput?

No one tall in Tallin

Ah yes, Tallinn is exception... that's where they send all the people who aren't 1.3m. That's why the rest of the country is so sparsely populated. Some say it's an arbitrary and draconian policy, but everyone seems happy enough.

[Rapideye]

[thenorthwind]

Just tried to book a train to see my mum in Halifax in a few weeks. We can get there for £17 each if I'm willing to choose a particular train and change twice (some of the options are £70 each ), but coming back, none of the tickets for the same journey in reverse are less than £34. It's a two hour drive.

On the plus side, I've bought a ticket to Alnmouth to go for a ride tomorrow morning for £3. Only downside is it's at 5.57. To go to the next station up the line, 13 minutes extra, would have cost more than 3 times as much.

[sqibjib]

Bloody hell what have I started. I can see the ditch sleepers of this world marching on parliament. ....


Ooops that's gone and done it now, it's got me banded from every platform on the net. I will have the men in black knocking on my door soon help.

The worst thing is I am over 1.3m just o darn it...

Head for the hills, well I would if I could catch a bloody train

[dlovett]

The UK pricing structure is a bit crazy. I could get the train from my home town to a place North of us I could start the last audax, for £4 one way. If I got the train to another station that is about three miles further but east, it was £9 one way. It also seems crazy that a single to my parents is £13 off peak or a return is £12.50.

As I don't go on trains that much, I find they are normally ok in terms of seats etc, most seem to have mains or usb power down here. Still last time I was in France for work, I caught the TGV from Perpignon on the Spainish board to Paris and that was some silly like 70 euros first class, and was an amazing experience sitting on the upper deck in a massive leather armchair with the biggest windows you have ever seen. Unfortunately I fell asleep pretty much as we left and work up to see the Eiffel tower in the distance, so I didn't get to try out the restaurant etc, but it looked amazing.

I have just checked out of interest and the journey to the BB isn't too bad, £34-£105 out bound Friday £87 for the return leg on Sunday afternoon/evening.

15:27 Portsmouth & Southsea [PMS] to Newport (South Wales) [NWP]
18:33 2 3h 06m
Great Western Railway service from Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central show calling points

Train 18:38 Newport (South Wales) [NWP] to Shrewsbury [SHR]
20:26 4B 1h 48m
Transport for Wales service from Swansea to Chester show calling points

Train 20:32 Shrewsbury [SHR] to Machynlleth [MCN]
21:43 1 1h 11m
Transport for Wales service from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth show calling points

Petrol/diesel however should be less then £50 if I go easy and allows me to spend the night with friends in shropshire.

[sqibjib]

Right then

I drove up to the lakes, and good job as it's been tipping down. Good old lakes weather, everyone else is have the last nice weekend of the year and it's 11c and maa as only the lakes can be. So in the end I have slept in the van both nights.
Sometimes it's just best to drive( guilt free well no but I did try )
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z3LN4WtpaLjPY6Cg9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vkU7NgCXzD1W1fou5

Got to love a bit of dirtbagging.

It's going to take ages to clean that van.

Keep rolling and good look to all you bb200 folks