Train to Turkey - Leg 7 - Belgrade to Sofia

28 Mar 2020 Belgrade, Serbia

It’s fair to say that this is the part of the journey we were most worried about. The daily train between Serbia and Bulgaria is the one which we have invested the most research and nervous phone-checking during our trip. We even had the staff in the hotel double-check that the train is actually a real train and contacted people online who had b... Read more

Train to Turkey - Leg 6 - Zagreb to Belgrade

11 Jul 2019

With an hour before our train we didn’t have much time to spend in Zagreb and we were very keen to make sure we don’t miss the train. We left the station and headed towards to city in search of supplies for the trip ahead. We failed, but probably went the wrong way or something. The parts of the city we did see were good, a very different Croati... Read more

Train to Turkey - Leg 5 - Munich to Zagreb

09 Jul 2019

We were ready for a good sleep after the adventures of Munich and a day travelling across most of Germany. I have to admit, a sleeper train at this point wasn’t terribly appealing, the knowledge that we were going to end up in Croatia and that we did have a bed was fine enough to make me want to jump aboard. We waited on the platform for our tra... Read more

Train to Turkey - Leg 4 - Cologne to Munich

08 Jul 2019

Day 3 was set to be a warm up for what was to come, long days spent on trains doing nothing but relaxing and looking out the window. We started the day getting up early and leaving the Ibis, it has served us well, but we couldn’t wait to leave. The walk to Messe/Deutz station was quiet, nobody was really awake, clearly everyone had a late night ... Read more

Train to Turkey - Leg 3 - Brussels to Cologne

07 Jul 2019

On to third train of this trip and after a short break in Brussels we were keen to get onboard and to Cologne for some beer and a chance to stretch our legs. We waited on the platform in Midi for our Thalys train which was right on time. This train like the Eurostar requires seat reservations so we booked them in advance, they weren’t cheap, 20 ... Read more

Train to Turkey - Leg 2 - London to Brussels

07 Jul 2019

Early start on our second day after arriving on the sleeper. We were up and ready for the journey ahead, day two should leave us in Cologne, Germany in time for tea which means we have some serious mileage to get through and the two tightest connections of the trip. From Paddington we took the Hammersmith and City line to St Pancras for connecti... Read more

Train to Turkey - Leg 1 - Penzance to London

06 Jul 2019

We’re on our way! The weather in Cornwall was fantastic, a tropical 25℃ with unspoilt sunshine, it better stay like this across Europe, we’re going to have a mega time if it does. Before we could get going with Leg one we needed a final positioning trip to get to Penzance, we travelled as a four so we could be waved off in proper Cornish fashion... Read more

My Updated Rail Travel Map

25 Jan 2016

I’m sure regular followers of my blog are aware of my Rail Map (well, it’s National Rail’s map really), it shows all of the railway lines in the UK which I have travelled on at some point. Both a record for where I have been in the UK and a challenge to travel the entire network! The last update I made to the map was in 2013, which is a shocki... Read more

Getting Locked on a Train

09 Jun 2013

This weekend I thought it would be good to travel a little off piste. Marylebone station is now just around the corner from work and I was keen to explore and see what it was all about. Marylebone is indeed a very interesting and unique station, the youngest of any London termini and the only station with no track electrification. The station ha... Read more

First Trip on a Class 43

22 Feb 2013

Probably the most iconic of all British trains, the Class 43 is something to be proud of and we still are nearly 50 years later. Somehow I’ve never had the opportunity to travel on one, until this week. Atos have an office at Winnersh Triangle near Reading which fate had it I needed to visit, without a seconds thought my tickets were booked! I ... Read more