Thurso to Bucharest and back- the summary

Posted on 6th Mar 20256th Mar 2025 by insightndes

The journey

The map taken from the Interrail app shows just how far the journey was, but misses the far north line and the detour to Oxfordshire.

From the Interrail app: 5784 km distance

15 trains on the Interrail ticket, 20 in total.

Seven countries.

Weather

Sunny almost throughout, but a big variation in temperature. Highest ,around 14 centigrade in Augsburg, lowest -10 in Bucharest.

Food

The food was good, but had to get creative in the meat centric countries. I had my first experience of a Lebanese restaurant in Bucharest, the very good Coin-Vert Libanez.

I had to fight through the snow and ice to get to it. A week later I had my second Lebanese restaurant experience in Paris.

Plenty of good food on this trip.

Hotels

I stayed in three Premier Inn plus rooms, three varieties of Ibis: budget, styles and no moniker, a Radisdon Individuals Schiller Park in Linz and Ramada by Wyndham in Bucharest.

Best bed:Premier Inn plus

Best shower: Premier Inn plus

Best view: Ramada by Wyndham

Best location: Hotel Schiller Park- in central location near the railway station.

Best breakfast: Ramada by Wyndham

Best rooms: Premier Inn plus

Most expensive: Premier Inn St Pancras

Best check out times: Ibis / check out by noon.

I like the simplicity of the Ibis Budget.

Locations

Both Augsburg and Linz were amazing places to visit. Smaller and not as busy as Vienna but interesting buildings and history. Bucharest lacked the beautiful buildings but the lake was beautiful.

Travelling by train emphasised the change in landscape and buildings. Farmhouses are tiny and ramshackled in Romanian but huge and well maintained in Austria and Germany.

People

As well as meeting the natives of each country that I visited I was surprised to meet people from so many other countries. I had conversations with Qataris, Russians, Albanians, Norwegians, New Zealanders, Moldovans, Canadians, Taiwanese and probably more. Talking to Austrians in German with their local accents was a joy, including a woman in her 90s from Vienna,

Cycling

Cycling was awful in Bucharest, but faster than cars. Driving in Bucharest also looks awful. Paris cycle way provision is good in Paris, but blocked by vehicles on the Sunday. Vienna was busy, Augsburg pleasant. I heard a tram hitting a car in Vienna and saw the massive crumpled side of the car, the tram just drove off. The closest I came to an accident was Inverness, where a car was being driven at 60 mph in a 30 zone, as I was turning right. The bike gave a good way to cross cities between stations and to get to hotels. It was also a great luggage trolley.

Travel

Paris to Inverness

Posted on 4th Mar 2025 by insightndes

Is it possible to get from Paris to Inverness in a day by train? Yes, and with only one change.

It’s an early start but not overly early from the hotel. Onto the Gare Du Nord.

Speeding across France

Lunch or second breakfast at Giraffe , Kings Cross

Arrived at Inverness just after 8 having left London at 12 and Paris at 9:10 French time. 90 minutes to change in London, but 12 hours to get from Paris to Inverness.

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London to Augsburg via Paris

Posted on 20th Feb 202520th Feb 2025 by insightndes

A short walk to St Pancras station. As ever border control seems chaotic and the waiting area is packed and too hot.

Time for a quick late night tour.

A pleasant but long day. Also confusing language wise. German, French, English (and some Polish) being spoken on the train. French bartender spoke to me in French until I hesitated ,then he switched to German.

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Didcot to St Pancras

Posted on 19th Feb 2025 by insightndes

A day book ended by two Premier Inns

Bathroom- shower better than standing in a bath.

A view of the BT tower on the way across London

The cycle route was mainly on protected cycle lanes. Some are very new. This makes the ride far more pleasant. But stop start.

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Inverness to Didcot

Posted on 19th Feb 2025 by insightndes

Breakfast on the sleeper- it’s dark outside

Passing through Reading with a mosque visible

The journey was in bright sunshine and blue skies.

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Didcot to the far north. Snow!

Posted on 20th Nov 2024 by insightndes

Then a cycle to the Great Nepalese Restaurant near Euston station.

Complimentary food is available in the Sleeper Lounge.

Inverness station has a dusting of snow.

Unfortunately the Far North train does not connect well with the Sleeper. I have a two hour wait in Inverness. Not much open at this time so in a moment of inspiration it’s off for a breakfast at Premier Inn. Must get sponsorship.

The Premier Inn is slightly disorganised. The card reader is not working so I get a free breakfast. Due to a low number of staff it takes an age for it to be served. Can’t complain because I am not paying for it.

Slight speckling of snow near Conon Bridge.

There’s proper snowy scenery

Then back to the coast.

Then up the Helmsdale Strath.

Travel

Den Haag to Didcot

Posted on 18th Nov 2024 by insightndes

Appeared to be no luggage racks on the train.

Breda station is poorly signposted plus two platforms are missing. Very confusing for a visitor.

I had a little time to look around Brussels

Cartoons are on some of the house walls.. Rue des Capuchins

More cartoons. Rue Notre Damme de Graces.

View across Brussels from Palais de Justice.

In the cellar of the Judgy Vegan.

Kerfuffle at the border control. I was asked if I have a flick knife. Turns out to be a multi tool in the bag.

Due to congestion at the Eurostar terminal we leave late. Eurostar, you have something to work on. The whole process of passing through border control is hectic and disorganised with lots of pinch points.

It’s turned to dusk as the Eurostar sets off. It’s dark by the time the Eurostar has a pause waiting for permission to enter the channel tunnel.

Then it’s down into the tunnel and onto England.

I unfolded the Brompton to make it easier to move with the luggage. A mistake as it turned out. I was directed to the lift which is tiny and therefore has a long queue of people with large amounts of luggage, push chairs and one bike. I am second to last in the queue. Poor design!

I am the last to leave.

When previously passing through Oxfordshire on the train I had spotted that the train line would be closed between Paddington and Reading due to HS2 workday, but it was possible to get to Reading using the Elizabeth Line. So I cycled to Tottenham Court Road to catch the Elizabeth Line. I discover that the Elizabeth Line in the central area of London is not running. I am directed to take the District Line to Ealing Broadway to catch the Elizabeth Line. It is chaos at the tube station.

The District Line has small, noisy and very warm carriages. It is an old line. The tube train is crowded.

The Elizabeth Line has modern rolling stock. Nice and quiet but nowhere to put rubbish.

Reading- Elizabeth Line train across the platform.

The journey from St Pancras took far longer than normal so by the time I reach the Premier Inn at Didcot the kitchen is closed. So an emergency Macdonald’s it is.

The room has seen better days. One light out and sink plug jammed. Welcome back to the UK.

Travel

Surrey to Wuppertal

Posted on 11th Nov 202411th Nov 2024 by insightndes

Now the international journey begins using the Interrail ticket.

The Interrail app is confused by the Farnham to Waterloo journey, thinking that I have to change at Woking, which I don’t, so I arrive early.

The cycle route was full of commuting cyclist. Some of which were very fast, some not so, and some who didn’t seem to be quite aware of what was going on.

Nice smooth journey across to Brussels Sud.

But things then start going awry. There is simply not enough time to make it from the Eurostar to the connecting train. A combination of being the wrong end of the train, passengers getting in the way and it being too far. Connection missed! Resulting in a two hour wait. Then the Köln train is shown with no platform and a bit of text suggesting that the train was going from another train. A quick check with the information confirms this and I am told to get on a local connecting train ton Brussels north. Not just a change of platform but a change of station.

Next the Köln train leaves late. So I miss another connection.

A 50min wait in Köln. I finally arrived in Wuppertal four hours later than planned.

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November travels- far north to the south

Posted on 10th Nov 2024 by insightndes

Setting off on the afternoon train with a grey sky.

It was already getting dark. A downside to traveling in November.

This is the standard cabin on the sleeper

The standard cabin has no ensuite, you don’t get breakfast and cannot use the sleeper lounge.

Google maps appeared to put me on the wrong train so I potentially could have ended up in Taunton rather than Didcot. Ticket man pointed out the error and I was able to change at Reading.

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