Walking by Rail – What About Delays and Cancellations?

We launched Railwalks.co.uk with a video explaining how easy it is to walk across most of Britain by public transport – and rail in particular. Our message was generally well-received, but a few people made comments like “that’s if the train turns up 😊”. That made me reflect: I have been doing this most weeks, often several times a week, for 15 years. I must have done over a thousand day-walks by rail. During all that time delays or cancellations have never caused me serious problems. So why the difference in perception? 

Of course, a train cancellation (or a traffic jam) can cause a big problem if you need to be at a specific place by a certain time, but when I go walking, I set out with a different mindset. I may have a plan, but it’s always flexible. It’s easier now you can carry a map of the whole country on your phone. When our website is finished, with walks from most UK stations, it will be easier still. 

To give an example, a couple of weeks ago, I was on a train which was running a few minutes late, about to miss a connection. When I arrived at the connecting station I thought: I could wait for 50 minutes, or I could try a different walk starting from here, which is what I did. I also got half the fare back for an hour’s delay to the destination where I never went. 

When I explained this to some friends recently, they said: “Ah, but what about the train home?” I always aim to finish somewhere with a reasonably regular service, usually in a town with pubs or cafés. Again, it’s much easier nowadays, when you can sit in a café and watch the next train moving towards you on one of the rail apps. I have often thought: because I don’t own a car, I could afford an occasional taxi ride, but in 15 years I have never had to do that. 

That raises another reason for different perceptions of delays: it all depends what you do with the extra time. I always carry reading material, earphones and a supply of podcasts. I also spend much of my travel time – probably too much – dealing with things online. I never feel that time spent on a train, or in a pub or café, is wasted. Isn't that a bit like life in general? If you want to see something as a problem it will be.  If you want to see it as an opportunity, it can be.  If I’m going to be home late (usually because I decided to walk further), I sometimes message my wife to say: do you fancy meeting at the pub by our local station? And she usually says yes!

Steve Melia

www.greentravelwriter.co.uk