A little over a week from now and I will be setting off on my next, slightly more adventurous, rail driven “challenge”. Interesting choice of words? Perhaps! But before I set-off on what will be definitely be a spicier challenge, I thought I should summarise my thoughts from my 7 day all line UK rail rover:
- The UK’s rail system is a lot more impressive than many people realise. Recent disruption has created a lot of negativity and certainly there are infrastructure investments that are needed, but all up, the system works well and I was able to cover an enormous amount of ground with only occasional delays.
- The rail rover is a superb ticket to hold – it would be especially so if you hold a railcard that presents a 30% discount but even without this, and in First Class, I felt like I got a lot of value out of it. I do acknowledge however that my itinerary might not represent the average “rover” passenger. A few grippers (as we used to call them…or revenue protection officers as they are now formally known) took much delight in seeing the rover which was always amusing and made me feel like I was holding Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket!
- The UK is a beautiful country to be seen via rail. I barely made a dent in my reading materials. It is a great pleasure to just relax, day dream and stare at the beauty effortlessly gliding by.
- The First Class experience could be stepped up a notch to an almost airline level of quality, including the pre-departure lounge experience. Of particular note was the poor GWR lounge at Paddington on Platform 1, especially as it is housed in what is probably my favourite station and the starting point for 2 fabulous rail experiences. The onboard service of LNER up the East Coast Mainline could also be improved, especially considering the distance being covered.
- The GWR Pullman Dining experience was exceptional. Other long distance train companies should consider upping their dining experiences and could consider this as a weekend package deal.
- The GWR Riviera sleeper train to Penzance is a blast and very well executed, although don’t expect much sleep! And the Class 57 powering out of Paddington just before midnight was a top 3 highlight of the week!!
- Many of the UK’s stations are beautiful examples of Victorian architecture and fitting for the starting point of some great journeys however the in-station experience isn’t quite what it could be – Sheffield Tap Room was an exception.
- I wouldn’t want to be a revenue protection officer. The level of abuse being given to one RPO in Portsmouth was troubling and a sad sign of the fact that some individuals seem to have a sense of entitlement to free travel.
- There are more working Class 37’s around than I realised (sorry, only train buffs will appreciate this).
- Having recently taken 7.5hrs to cover 220 miles in the car, the train is the only way to go.
- The vast majority of train company staff were professional and very customer-centric.
- The week of travel was tremendous fun, smooth and relatively hassle free, and a great way to kick-off my gardening leave.
- Oh, one more, I still wish I was a train driver (or at least be given the opportunity to ride in the cab for a long, fast journey)!!
