What can you see from the train when travelling in and out of London?
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.
That was an amazing trip to Oulu and back.
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.
I am staying in a hotel where the room is modelled on a cabin.
It’s practical and located close to the station in the middle of the city.
I went off to get some food.
Heading to a restaurant in the meat packing district.
Copenhagen had proper infrastructure for cyclists. I came across a cycle flyover.
As I was walking I spotted a group coming out of a sauna and entering a swimming pool which still had some ice on top.
Next morning it was a stroll around Copenhagen to find some breakfast and explore.
And back to the hotel.
The number of cyclists in the city was impressive, taking cars off the street. Everyone was wearing their normal clothes. It was noticeable that the cyclists followed the traffic signals. I had to keep my wits about me due to high numbers of cyclists, although they all seemed very attentive and careful.
It’s back on the train heading to Helsinki.
I had not reserved a seat. The train conductor pointed out that the train was going to get very full. She found a seat with a cancelled booking for me.
Some pretty houses on the way.
Its then on to a tram to go to the ferry.
It’s warmed up in Helsinki do the snow is getting slightly slushy.
We get sightings of the different waterways from the tram.
Some interesting buildings on the way.
The tram arrives at the ferry terminal
Checking in and going through passport control is fast and straightforward.
Off to find my cabin which is on the fifth deck, the level we entered on.
The sun is setting as we leave Helsinki giving some magical views.
A wander round the boat, some food, then to bed. There is live music on board and a massive dinner buffet. However I got up for the breakfast buffet. Again with a view.
Then it’s a trip with a bus and underground to the Central Station.
Temperatures have risen since my previous visit.
A little walk to the central station.
The snow is reducing.
I changed to a regional train at Lund. No pictures as I spotted a train leaving before my planned connection so did a rapid change. Now I was 35 minutes ahead of schedule.
The sky is grey with very low cloud.
Malmo sky
Disappointingly the crossing on the bridge from Sweden to Denmark is very foggy.
Oulu is sixty miles south of the Artic circle and is this year’s European City of culture. Consequently there is a lot happening, even in February.
I walked from the station to the island Pikisaari, where I was staying. Walking mainly on compacted snow.
Crossing over frozen waterways.
Passed the oldest restaurant, which is on Pikisaari.
Onto my accommodation, TurusenSaha.
There is a supply of socks, eating area and cooking equipment.
The socks must be for those who have under estimated how cold it can be- outside. Very thoughtful.
I had a walk back to the centre.
The market has a cafe, fish, meat shops and shops aimed at tourists.
After buying some provisions in a supermarket, I headed back to my accommodation. It’s now getting dark.
It’s all well lit up.
While walking back I spotted something strange.
What was going on?
Holes in the ice are being cut to provide the competition pool.
The next day I was out and about.
Headed towards Nallikari Beach from Pikisaari.
Cyclists are out despite the cold.
I went to see the ice sculptures that had been made the previous week. That must have been quite a spectacle when they were being made.
I walked down to the beach.
Where does the beach start and end?
I could tell when I was on the beach as the snow was soft.
I then started walking on the sea.
There were tents scattered around and one man was fishing in a hole. No idea if he caught anything.
Heading back to Oulu via Pikisaari island. The steam generating industry buildings in the distance looked very atmospheric.
After having a coffee in Oulu centre and buying some food I headed back. It was snowing.
If there is snow covering the ground for a large part of the year the markings on the ground will be covered. The solution is to project the markings on to the snow.
The compacted snow got a dusting of soft snow overnight making it harder going as I headed to the station.
It is cold and snowy in Helsinki.
I had plenty of time before checking in time for the hotel, so decided to ride the tram to the end of the line and get the flavour of Helsinki.
Got to the end of the line having passed the central station. Hopped onto a different tram on the basis that it would go to the central station, which it did.
It’s one stop up the line on the train to where I am staying.
Had some good food in Helsinki.
The snow is often not cleared but strewn with grit to help the grip. Most of the time this is fine but just occasionally I found a slippery patch.
Had a little wander through Stockholm which is based on a series of islands.
Decided to drop off my luggage at the hotel.
And continue exploring on buses.
It got very cold once the sun went down, sub 10 degrees centigrade. I looked for an underground station and really struggled to find the entrance despite using the SL app. I didn’t quite know what I was looking for, eventually found a very inconspicuous entrance.
I purchased a 24 hour ticket for the public transport which I made good use of. The SL app was useful for navigation and buying tickets.
It’s cold and wet in Hamburg.
Went to visit the Hamburg Bunker.
Good views from the top.
Towards the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.
Then to the old Elbtunnel.
Then visited the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, a few photos from the top.
And then into the centre.
Nice to be back in Oxford, which is vibrant and benefiting from many of the streets in the centre becoming traffic free.
It was wet, but no issue. I visited the Art Café and had a very nice chocolate and coconut flapjack, with no animal products involved.
The Oxford Illusion Museum is worth a visit.
The cycle lanes marked out in Guildford are beyond useless. No segregation, suggesting a totally inappropriate position for the cyclists to take on the road. I would cycle at least at the line. I actually cycled in the mostly in the middle of the lane to take the decision away from the drivers, so they did not attempt to overtake at the frequent traffic islands. Of course I was hooted at, but ironically I was going faster than the motorised vehicles. Guildford suffers from pollution,
There are plenty of stations in the commuter belt.
Someone had pulled a communication alarm on a train causing all the trains to be delayed.
Two days later headed back to Oxfordshire. Dodged the rail replacement buses by travelling from Farnborough.
Insight 