Travelling in the UK by Rail by Alison Wilson

You are planning a visit to the UK but are unsure about driving yourself, you have heard about the fast motorways, and horror of horrors you have heard of those massive roundabouts that you may go around two or three times until you are in the right lane to exit.

However in spite of that you want the independence of doing your own thing as and when you wish, so a coach tour is not the answer either. Well how about a Britrail pass for quick and easy travel. Having just travelled on a seniors flexi-pass I am converted.

First class travel on the major lines, sit back in comfort and watch the scenery fly by as you are given a complimentary coffee. If you are planning a journey of more than an hour and half it is preferable to prebook your seat when possible but not essential. I did find the first class carriages were full of business people all using their laptops and blackberrys and conducting their business whilst they travelled. Seat reservations were free by the way and you just need to pop into your local railway station to book (to pre-book from Australia they charge us around $33 per person).

As an example of the money to be saved using a pass which cost me A$371.00, a couple on the train from York to London bought their tickets on the train (this facility is available on some trains) and the first class one way journey cost UKpounds300.00 for 2 persons, approximately $710.00 just for a journey a little over 2 hours. Yes you can certainly find much cheaper fares on the internet if you have that facility available to you and you have the time to search and also know your dates and schedules ahead of time. I however liked the spontaneity of saying “today I think I will go to Cambridge, and tomorrow to York. I also found all trains ran to time and there were no delays, although of course this may effected by bad weather conditions.

There are an assortment of rail companies operating, First Capital Connect, National Express, Hull Railways, Anglia (this was a single one class carriage on one journey that I took) Virgin and the pass was accepted by all and could be used 24 hours of the day, so no peak or off peak times to restrict your travel.

It is a little confusing at some larger stations to discover that one platform may have up to 3 platform numbers so you do need to ensure that you are waiting on the correct part of the platform for the train you wish to take, otherwise you may just find yourself off to a destination you had not planned to visit. Most train stations are only a short walk from the city centre and again this is convenient.

There are several options available when purchasing a Britrail pass, so choose the one most suitable for your requirements, consecutive pass, flexipass, Uk pass, England pass, Scotland pass and enjoy your train travel.

Don’t forget that only Travelscene American Express at Samford lets you travel anywhere, any time and pay with your membership rewards points so contact us on 3289 3700 and let us help you turn your American Express membership rewards points into your next trip.