Does travelling cross-country by public transport make sense in the UK? Pondering a visit to my parents in the south west, I feel compelled to consider taking the train this time.
Having moved south from rural North Yorkshire a few years ago, they now live in the very heart of a world heritage city, which attracts over six million tourists and visitors annually.
While a beautiful city to visit, getting there always seems a hard slog, characterised by slow-moving traffic on approach. If it’s not the descent into the valley itself, it will be a problem on the motorway.
Indeed, on each of my recent visits, I’ve been caught in lengthy traffic jams for hours on end. On my last, two years ago, I got stuck in a stationary queue on my way home for as long as it would have taken me to fly to Istanbul and back.
On a good day, the journey by car should take just over two hours, costing about £25 in fuel. To travel by train, the journey would take over three hours — the easiest route requiring a journey into central London first — and cost at least £75 just one way.
I am not sure which option I can bear, the painful memories of my last visit still playing on my mind. I left my parents that day midafternoon, but didn’t arrive home until nearly midnight. Dare I risk that again?
If only somebody would hurry up and invent the teletransporter. I’m not cut out for these journeys any more. To take the train or not take the train, that is the question. Perhaps the answer is neither: postpone until the spring instead.
Last modified: 25 November 2023
