On my recent trip to Scotland and England, I took two longer train trips. The first was from Ft. William (end of the West Highland Way) in Scotland back to Edinburgh and the second was Edinburgh to London.
I fell in love with train travel when I was a kid. We didn’t have a car, and to visit relatives, we had to take the train. Traveling off the beaten path and watching the landscape go by gave me a glimpse into a world that wasn’t visible from the highway. To recapture that feeling, I try to include trains in my travel plans when it makes sense.
On the first journey, I had finished hiking the West Highland Way and was in Ft. William. The bus back to Glasgow or Edinburgh was a shorter and efficient option, but the train chugged through the very areas I had just hiked through. Throughout the hike, the trains were our frequent companion. Hikers go over the train tracks, under the train tracks, and along them in numerous locations on the trail. In other locations, you can see the train traversing the mountainside in the distance. To sit back and see the beautiful highlands and valleys through a different perspective made the decision to choose the train an easy one.
The train ride didn’t disappoint. The route meanders north for a bit and then slowly works its way through the highlands. There’s a day on the hike where for several hours you are walking along an old military road, high in the hills, above the tree line and you can’t see a living thing (except for a few other hikers) or any evidence of civilization for as far as the eye can see in all directions. When we went back through that area, imagine my surprise when the train slowed to a stop at a small station with absolutely nothing visible but a small building and a narrow vacant country road leading off from the station. A man got on the train. Where did he come from? How did he get there? What is like to live here? I would have liked to ask him those questions.
Coming out of the hills, we rode along beautiful Loch Lomond, where we had walked just days before and finally to the more populated areas. It was so nice to re-live this beautiful hike from a comfortable chair, without worrying about my footing. This was the first time I had taken a train through an area I had just hiked. To experience a beautiful area ‘up close’ for days and then to see it as a big picture was really amazing.
The second journey was from Edinburg to London. This was my first trip to England and if I had just flown to London, I would have missed the beautiful countryside and the small towns that lie outside the major cities. The train was crowded that day because an earlier train was cancelled, but it was still nice to sit back, eat my packed lunch (or you could have purchased lunch on the train), and see the sights.
There are a couple of tricks to traveling by train. First there often isn’t a lot of room for large luggage. In most cases, there’s a small luggage rack at one end of the car, but it is limited, and you might have to lift your luggage onto the shelf to get a space. There is a luggage storage area over the seats, but a bag that is U.S. carryon size is probably the largest bag that would fit. For many seats, there is a small amount of space under the seat for a small backpack or purse. If you have a large bag, and I did for both these train rides, try to get in line early so there’s a better chance you’ll find a place
for your luggage if the train is crowded.
Although many trains have snacks or sometimes more for sale on the longer train rides, you might have to walk through several cars to get food and the selection is somewhat limited. I try to pick up lunch and snacks before I get on the train to avoid the hassle. Finally, just like on a plane, the temperature in the cabin is unpredictable. Dress in layers so you can remove a layer if it’s warm and carry a sweater or sweatshirt in case it’s cold.
A lot of times when we are traveling, we want to get to our destination as quickly as possible. But sometimes the journey itself can be an important part of the trip. If you want to see parts of a country outside of the tourist areas or the airports or the highways, consider taking the train and watching the scenery out the window.