The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Posted on 6th Nov 2025 by insightndes

The problem with catching the late afternoon train in autumn is that it’s dark. No views.

The ride from Euston to Paddington was less affected by the traffic lights than normal. As a result I managed to catch an earlier train to Reading.

Then on to Mortimer.

What a smooth journey, all the trains on time. No overcrowding. I had slept very well on the sleeper. A good journey.

And then……

On to the train at Reading to Manchester Piccadilly. It was rammed. Totally overcrowded.

Things started going really wrong and confusing as we went to Oxford. Announced that we would have to change trains. Then announced we would not have to change trains but we needed to go past Oxford into a siding and then come back. A long wait in the siding then back to the station. Then it was announced we would have to change trains after all.

There was a signal failure near Banbury.

We crossed Oxford Station and caught a train towards Hereford, changed at Worcester, heading to Birmingham. This was bad as now I was due to be in Manchester two hours late.

Change at Birmingham New Street. This is a very badly designed station. The signage is poor. Very confusing, The ugly side of architecture.

More delay due to trespassers on the track. The train had to go slow as a precaution.

Manchester Piccadilly two and a half hours late

The Premier Inn is a quarter mile from the station.

Environment, Travel

South by train – with a non-folding bicycle

Posted on 10th Sep 2025 by insightndes

First time traveling in a long while with a non-folding bike. The chief difference is that I had to book the bike on most of the trains, including the far north line and the sleeper.

A stunning train ride to Inverness.

The bike went into a room on a carriage for bikes and large luggage. Not sure about the way the bike is hung up.

Interesting ride, an impressive number of cyclists on route to work, some with no road sense. One, who was on my right, turned left across my path without looking or signalling.

Nice to be the fastest for a change. Faster than the bikes and the cars 🙂.

Some jeopardy getting onto the SWR train, as they don’t do bookings for bikes. Will I get a space?

It only required three trains to get from the north coast of Scotland to the south coast of England. Weather good all the way,

Travel

North

Posted on 7th Jun 2025 by insightndes

No window seat on the way to Paddington, so no photos.

Dinner at the Great Nepalese Tandor next to Euston station.

And we’re off

Still had a four hour journey north and the sleeper breakfast is not sufficient. So..

Too much chatting to take pictures. I reach my destination only ten minutes late.

Travel

North to the south

Posted on 1st Jun 2025 by insightndes

Blue skies and a few clouds heading south.

Changed from the far north line to the sleeper at Inverness.

Speeding away from Inverness.

Near Kingussie

Not sure this breakfast looks appetising. It tasted ok. A few issues on the train. The lock on the cabin was not fully functioning, no pull out table in cabin, coffee machine in buffet car not working. There are some maintenance issues it appears.

Arrival in Euston is 20 minutes late due to work in the line. I had been forewarned by text.

Then headed back east

I witnessed an old couple falling over on the escalator just after getting on. while they were heading up. I was heading down. A woman at the top shouted for someone to hit the emergency stop. A hapless woman holding a dog appeared transfixed and unable to hit the button. After what appeared to be an age someone finally hit the button. Chaos. No staff about.

It’s sunny again

Ash

Farnham

Travel

UK north coast to South coast and back a bit

Posted on 7th May 20257th May 2025 by insightndes

The far north is a joy when the views are clear and the days are long.

The breakfast did leave me hungry.

15 mins of delay at Waterloo due to incoming train being late, there was an obstacle on the line.

I had to get myself into the front five carriages as the train splits at Bournemouth.

Barriers going down

Train arriving at Wool

I am about to start my minor backtrack.

Environment, Tourism, Travel

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

Bucharest to Linz

Posted on 28th Feb 202528th Feb 2025 by insightndes

The temperature has climbed but it’s foggy in Bucharest

Leaving

Cycling in Bucharest is awful, but faster than driving, bus or walking. Could the tram be faster?

Leaving Bucharest North

I am told that I will be joined in the cabin at Timisoara, where we are due to arrive at 0716. I set the alarm for 0700.

The train is late at Timisoara, so could have had a longer lay in. I am joined by three Iranian students.

There’s a check before the border. The Iranians of course attract attention and my passport is checked.

Just over the border in Hungary there is a bit of a wait.

It seems that the rail operator has built in a big pause at the border, longer than our wait, so we are back on time.

Delay – confused by time change at border.

They took the back end of the trai off.

A wait just across the border.

Near Gyömrő

Unfortunately no time to explore- on to the next leg.

This time it’s an OBB train direct to Linz.

There loads of wind turbines near the border on the Austrian side.

Don’t fly

The train was 45 mins late to Linz. I managed to complete the journey within 24 hours, just. The total time on the train 23 hours.

Tourism, Travel

Wien to Bucharest

Posted on 24th Feb 202525th Feb 2025 by insightndes

One train, almost 19 hours..,,

I have a bed booked for the train. I have no idea of the quality of the accommodation.

Here’s my ride- the actual carriage that I am going to be sleeping on.

Three of us sharing the cabin. So there followed a game of Jenga to fit everything in.

Bike space, later becoming my shoe rack.

The train set off, crossing the border into Hungary just after half past nine, Austrian time. I slept through most of Hungary, but was woken up by shouting, possibly in Budapest.

We crossed in Romania at around 3:45.

Train station Simeria at seven in the morning.

It’s a long journey from the border to Bucharest, under bright blue almost cloudless skies.

Many of the houses are small but colourful.

It’s cold outside but looks dry with the grass parched.

I didn’t see any livestock, apart from close to houses. Presumably due to the grazing being poor at this time of year.

We start seeing snow.

The snow is getting thicker and the buildings have the look of a resort.

Near Braşov

Near Brasi

The journey flew past in a flash. I slept well, much to my surprise. I shared the cabin with an Austrian and a Romanian who works in Austria, but barely speaks German. They were good company.