Prague is a beautiful city. I caught this view as the sun was setting from The Villa Grébovka.
And the next night a walk across the city taking in some good views
Looking north from the Vyhlídkove bastion.Looking east The bridge crosses over the houses.Down a spiral staircase Tesco have made it to Prague Vltva RiverPrague Castle on the left.Prague Castle in the background
A beer and potato pancakes with red cabbage to finish the evening.
Setting off early Sunday morning means the trains are a bit spass. No trains from Farnham early enough so I am dropped off to get the first train of the day from Woking.
Early in Woking.
Lots of runners get on the train on the way to a half marathon.
The Brompton is essential for me to make it to St Pancras on time. The Interrail App does not even provide a connecting route from Woking to the Eurostar train that I am catching. It turns out that this is due to a number of underground trains not running due to maintenance work.
Waterloo
A quiet cycle ride gets me to St Pancras well in time.
Waiting area for Eurostar.
The Eurostar leaves 14 minutes late due to a technical issue with the train. We get underway.
Sunny in France
We are still ten minutes behind schedule when we arrive in Brussels but somehow I make a very tight change on to the train to Frankfurt Am Main. I did not expect to make this connection so I am two hours ahead of schedule.
Passing through Brussels Crossing the Rhine at KölnCrossing the Main at Frankfurt Changed trains at Frankfurt Glimpses of towns on route Arrived at a sunny Fulda
I conveniently have chosen a hotel 200m from the station.
There are plenty of pretty buildings in Fulda.
Stadtpfarrkirche St BlasiusStadtschlossh FuldaDom zu Fulda
A trip to the south, or the northwest of England as it is known, and then to the northeast of Scotland. This got off to a bad start when the ScotRail app told me at nine in the evening, before I was due to go, that the 0650 train was cancelled as it had broken down. Good that I was informed, bad that it was late in the day. The ScotRail app works well.
Could I catch the later train, and arrive late in Manchester or find an alternative? I went for the alternative, booking the Ember electric bus, meaning an earlier start, arriving an hour earlier in Inverness. The Ember bus is easy to book onto via the web.
Inside the Ember Bus.
The ride experience in the Ember bus was good, but still prefer the train. Early start meant packing a breakfast sandwich for the journey.
Cloudy crossing of River ThursoTurbine blades in WickNear Lybster
The elevation of the bus meant I could see far more than what I normally see from a car.
Near Portgower
A wait in Inverness and then on to the next leg, back on track.
Inverness Station Crossing the River Findhorn.
It is on to Edinburgh, where I changed trains. The temperature is far higher than further north.
Edinburgh Waverley It’s sunny River Clyde near CarstairsCarlisle
Changed trains at Carlisle. The forecast temperature here is 24 degrees but the temperature in the glass roofed station is more like the mid 30s. It’s a greenhouse.
Looking into the Lake District Coming into Manchester Manchester Piccadilly Station
It was a twelve hour journey.
I am staying at the Premier Inn near the station, which is extremely close and convenient. I am on the ninth floor, a room with a view.
There are lots of canals in the centre of Manchester.
Looking towards my room.Interesting architecture canal side.
Manchester is an interesting city.
Building ripe for redevelopment Minshull Street crown court Princess StreetWellingtonChinatown Back to Manchester Piccadilly
It is off to Crewe to catch the sleeper.
Leaving
The Caledonian Sleeper is due at 2345, but as ever it arrives late at Crewe. I get to bed just after midnight and I wake up in Scotland.
The Tay, Dundee.MontroseBreakfast approaching StonehavenComing into Aberdeen – River DeeAberdeen station Turbine blades Aberdeen Esplanade
I cycled in Glasgow and tried out the buses. Glasgow has some proper cycle lanes, separated from traffic. The drivers are polite and the cyclists obey the traffic lights.
Comprehensive bus service.
Crossing the Clyde
I visited the old Govan Church following a recommendation.
Old Govan church.
Fascinating old grave stones from 800 AD onwards are displayed in the church.
Person on horseHogsbackCasket
I had a proper explanation of the history of the kingdom of Strathclyde from the guide. A language close to Welsh was spoken here.
Meanwhile across the river.Also in Govan.
Had to wait for the bus for a long time due to a Scotland international friendly messing up the buses.
I had a realisation on this trip that not all trains have luggage racks and not all trains have toilets.
Didcot to Chester involved four trains, which is strange as I only needed three trains from the far north to Didcot.
On the way to Oxford.Changed at Oxford, no need to change platform.Approaching Birmingham
Change again at Birmingham, the most confusing station that I have come across, not helped by poor signage. Slightly stressful due to a slight delay in arriving. Had to go to platform 4B . Was that a left or right turn at the bottom of the stairs? Guessed correctly as left.
Platform 4B Birmingham.
Accents a mixture of brummie and scouse on the train to Chester.
What can you see from the train when travelling in and out of London?
The Thames at Maidenhead The Thames at Blackfriars station Looking towards the centre from NunheadNear Lewisham Near Waltham St Lawrence
Turns out there are a lot of good views from the train, and when the sun shines the countryside and London can look amazing. It beats being stuck in traffic.
Negatives: getting food poisoning and train delays. Germany really struggles to get trains to go on time. Eurostar also had its issues. I did have a 77 minute delay on the sleeper to Stockholm, but that worked in my favour. The sleeper Stockholm was also too hot and the curtains were poor allowing flashes of bright light into the cabin while travelling.
Questionable things: seeing people smoke on train platforms in Germany was strange, and also a bit objectionable. The speed that cars drive at in Hamburg is ridiculously high and not suited to the roads. Also objectionable.
Positives: the trains in Finland, Sweden and Denmark were great, excluding the sleeper. In time. The rolling stock was high quality throughout including Germany. Met some great people. The cycle facilities in Copenhagen and seeing so many cyclists was incredible. We should be doing this in the UK.
Exceeding expectations: The ferries between Stockholm and Helsinki were amazing, good prices, amazing views, great facilities. Finland in winter, incredible, stunning snowy landscapes.
Tips:
Don’t plan to catch the last train of the day.
Don’t make connections too tight.
Travel in your sports gear, make it multi purpose. (Sensibly)
Travel as light as possible.
Plan for the weather.
Don’t arrive late and leave early, it’s exhausting.
Staying for more than one night is more pleasant .
Rucksacks are better than wheelie luggage.
Make use of the late checkouts in hotels.
Carry just in case food and drink.
Make use of sleeper services.
Double check reservations.
Download apps for local public transport. They can be used to get the correct tickets and give directions.
Double check routes given by apps, sometimes they are sending you to the wrong place.
If in doubt, ask a local.
Chat to people on the trains.
Use tracking apps so friends and family can follow your progress. It’s fun and good for safety.
Give someone your itinerary- routes, hotels etc.
Look at and enjoy the landscape, as you travel through.
