Travel

#train travel uk #

British Rail Travel - The Fast, Easy Way to Get Around

By Ferne Arfin. United Kingdom Travel Expert

Ferne Arfin, your Guide to UK Travel, is an American abroad. A freelance writer, guidebook author and native New Yorker, she has lived in the UK for many years. A writer all her life, Ferne started out as a newspaper journalist in Boston. She wrote corporate literature, advertising copy and public relations before seeing the light and turning her attention to full time journalism and travel writing. Now, with her constant traveling companion Wallace - a very discerning and well traveled West Highland Terrier - she spends as much time as she can discovering new places around the UK.

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UK trains are the easiest and, usually, the fastest way of getting around England, Scotland and Wales. The Brits love to complain about their trains, but the truth is that:

• unless you are a commuter riding the rails during the rush hour - when seats may be at a premium,
• or you need to get some place so tiny and remote that three changes of train are required,

you are likely to find British rail travel convenient and a remarkably spontaneous way to get around.

You can get there from here

The UK rail system has been around a long time, so the network is well established and extensive. Most major towns are connected to London and to each other by either direct services or links to regional hubs. Smaller communities may have less frequent service or may require changing trains a few times but chances are there s a train station nearby.

Tickets are easy to buy and useful journey planning tools are available online. If you are visiting the UK from abroad and think you will make more than two or three train trips, you can buy a variety of BritRail passes before you leave home. They offer, savings, unlimited travel during specified periods and other perks and benefits.

Insider tip: Check a detailed map when you are planning a complicated rail journey. You may find that a community with more frequent or direct UK rail service is just a few miles or an inexpensive taxi ride away from one that can only be reached twice a week by changing trains six times!