Rod Smallwood: Nether Moor Images
When I was a kid, cycling was freedom, and, perhaps because we did little travelling, train journeys were adventure. It is difficult to imagine the excitement of travelling from Liverpool to Manchester in 1830 at the start of the railway age. It is pretty humdrum now though, travelling across the ‘bottomless’ Chat Moss in a diesel multiple unit. My introduction to long-distance train travel was in, I believe, 1963. I was a penniless student, and took the cheapest route to Hamburg, overnight from Calais. The third-class carriage had wooden seats, and I think it took 13 hours including a couple of hours stop in Köln. I remember standing in front of the Cathedral and seeing the towers disappearing upwards into the darkness. The whole journey from London took about 20 hours. It can now be done, in much more comfort, in about 11 hours by Eurostar and ICE.
When the Channel Tunnel opened in 1994, I grasped with both hands the opportunity to avoid the environmentally irresponsible tedium of air travel for business and pleasure journeys in Europe. In the past 20 years I have travelled many times, for work and pleasure, to France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany. The journey begins under the magnificent train shed at St. Pancras International, designed by William Barlow and Rowland Mason Ordish – the largest single span roof in the world when it was built. The Paris end of the Eurostar route is equally magnificent – the great cathedral-like hall of the Gare du Nord.
Brussels Midi is less exciting, but more convenient, with direct connections to the Netherlands and Germany. There is a direct service from London to Avignon.
Some destinations are too far for one day – the TGV from Paris to Barcelona leaves early in the morning, but who would complain at having to spend an afternoon and evening in Paris? The sleeper train to Munich – another magnificent station – allows time for being a flâneur and having dinner.
The train trips usually involve some wandering around cities and walking in mountains. The first two are about France and Switzerland, and amalgamate trips spread over the past 20 years.
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