No window seat on the way to Paddington, so no photos.
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.
North
Tag: Sutherland
North to the south
Changed from the far north line to the sleeper at Inverness.
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.
No fly zone …. Paused
Due to work commitments I had to fly back to Scotland. Still managed to complete the journey by rail.
Very early start to get the 0740 flight to Heathrow. A trip involving a tram and the airport bus to Budapest Airport. Budapest is a fairly pleasant airport compared to the nightmare that is Heathrow. Then onto Inverness Airport, which now has its own railway station. Inverness airport is relatively pleasant.
Not great flying but almost halved the carbon footprint compared to flying both ways.
A 45 min wait for the 12 min train ride to Inverness. Then a further wait before heading to the far north.
In contrast to the other train lines the vegetation is really close to the track.
A spectacular display as the sun sets on the journey north.
Thurso to Bucharest and back- the summary
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.
Inverness to Thurso- the last leg
Yesterday there had been issues with the far north line, with rail replacement buses provided, but today the train seems to be running.
Due to the early start Premier Inn provided a pack breakfast.
The train arrives almost on time.
Didcot to the far north. Snow!
Then a cycle to the Great Nepalese Restaurant near Euston station.
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.
There’s proper snowy scenery
Then back to the coast.
Then up the Helmsdale Strath.
To the south west
How could someone design such an ugly ship?
I had to catch the lunchtime train to Inverness due to a reduced timetable.Time to kill in Inverness.
Were they playing or tuning up?
I had a seat booked in this train, which someone sat in- no point moving them as the seat next to it was free.
I caught the Penzance train here. A few issues. Firstly the train rolled past platform 5 to platform 6, leaving everyone rushing over to get on board. And it wax crowded.
Bridgwater is not particularly bonny, but I did find a picture to make it look good.
Coast to coast north south north by train
This journey, starting in the far north of Scotland, visiting Oxfordshire (twice), London, West Sussex, Poole, Surrey, Cheshire , Liverpool and Inverness.
No dishwasher working on the train, hence the disposable cup.
The only issue on the cycle to Paddington was a close pass from a speeding motorcyclist. Why are they allowed in the bus lanes and why can’t they ride better?
After chatting to the man on the train doing the food trolley he said he would give me a free tea, if he got time before Didcot. Very kind.
First train issue- train to Paddington delayed so caught a different train.
Cycle across London in glorious sunshine, taking in Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, London Eye…
I came across a new menace in London, motorised skateboards exclusively ridden by idiots. These are not legally allowed to be used on pavements, roads or cycle paths. What happens if collide with an illegal vehicle, with no insurance and no sense?
After a stay in London I trained on from south London via London Bridge to Sussex.
The trip included cycling on the wonderful cuckoo trail. Lots of birdsong but no cuckoos heard,
A stop in Poole then back on the train.
Change at Reading, on to Ash.
Fun at Ash, delayed train from Guildford due to something being thrown on the line.
A stay in Surrey for the weekend.
Another cycle across London.
Things started going pear shaped at Liverpool from where I was trying to travel to Inverness.
Liverpool station
Caught an earlier train , which I was only able to do due to having arrived early at Liverpool.
The train got stopped, so my connection at Haymarket started looking unsafe,
Despite warning the conductor and his best efforts we missed the connection to Inverness. ScotRail refused to hold their train. Splitting up British Rail was not a good idea.
Shoved on a train to Perth.
After a late taxi ride from Perth to Inverness I eventually got to bed.
Two weeks (almost) around the UK by train
Sleeper went via east coast so arrived from wrong direction at wrong time resulting in being parked up for an hour.
A bit of industrial action and a few cancellations to make the trip more interesting.
Frosty Elgin-Inverness-Far north
A beautiful frosty day.
At Elgin station there was no sign of the 1236 train to Inverness on the displays and confusingly the ScotRail app showed the train already at Forres. It turns out that the train shuttles back and forth between Elgin and Inverness.
Insight 