What age would you let your child do this train by themself?

at 14 mine did a 2-hour train journey with 1 or 2 changes. If they get it wrong it’s a learning experience.

Depends on the child. My son did this at 14. Very immature for his age, only one train trip before hand. But I was on call to FaceTime & look at the departure boards with him. All was good. Second time, they got on the wrong train in the wrong direction & figured everything out themselves. It’s good life skills. As long as they know you are there, with modern technology there should really be no problem.

My daughters were catching the train to school, (which involved a change of train) when they were 11., so I wouldn’t be worried about the train aspect.

The wandering round a city 1.5 hours away with a boy I didn’t know is a different matter. At 16 I’d probably leave them to it. Any younger and I think I your suggestion makes good sense.

Some random boy you've never met???

Nope

It's not the train that worries me. If they were just doing the train journey and being met either end, then I would say about 12. I'd be more concerned about the day by themselves in York. Probably more like 14 for that.

I think the 16 suggestions are because of the mystery boy rather than the train journey. The OP hasn't clarified whether he's a boy who's just joined her class at school/ church youth group or something, or someone she's met online who might turn out not to be who the dd thinks he is/ to be a lot older, or any kind of unknown quantity (in which case 16 would still be arbitrary and a worry tbh).

Has she met the boy?

I think you should meet the boy. There's too much weird stuff going on there. I say that as the Mum of a boy.

I reckon he is at risk just as much as she is.

DS did his first solo train journey at 16. I'd have been happy for him to do one with a friend earlier but he didn't have any that wanted to.

Kids here get themselves to school on public transport (including crossing the city) at age 11. Parents might travel with them for the first few weeks until they know the ropes.

So I'd say around 12/13. I wouldn't think twice if she was going with a girl friend or a group of friends. It's the boy you don't know who's the issue here.

Echoing others - it's the boy who is the biggest variable.
How does she know him? Any chance of meeting him (however briefly) before she gets on the train??

We don't catch trains often. At 14 DS got a train to a city he'd never visited to meet up with a similar aged girl he knew through a youth group, but lived a couple of hours away, so I'm not too fazed by the journey assuming she 12/13 or older.

But, are you sure the boy is, well, a boy and not a man???

I probably wouldn't be keen under 14.

It’s not the train that’s the issue, it’s the unknown boy. I used to get trains aged 13/14 ish. Probably 15 for this far away.

Wandering around with friends in a familiar city close by - 12 ish, same thing in a familiar city 1.5 hours away - 15ish, all that with a not well known boy maybe 16

13 or 14? I was getting the train to the nearest city at 13 to work in a weekend job in a cafe and at 14 regularly went to London which was about 2 hours away.

My DD is 14 and has got trains with her friends before - direct trains up to about 1h journey.
So seeing as she will be on a direct train and not alone 14?
If they get the wrong train back they’ll have to figure it out won’t they. Make sure she has a power pack for her phone!

DS has been catching trains on his own since he was 10.

12 for us. but mine takes the train to school daily, knows how to plan alternative routes if a train is cancelled, has ended up on the wrong train and found his way to school. They learn quickly.

11/12 depending on maturity levels. You can track her phone if it makes you feel more comfortable.

some of the suggestions of 16 and above are ridiculous, how do we expect children to grow up if they are never given a chance.

16 minimum in that scenario.

If any younger, I would do as you propose.

No way with someone I’ve never met daughter or son.

I’d say 12 for the train with a friend. (Can’t believe the number saying 16 - no wonder kids can’t cope when they go to uni, theyve been infantilised and thought totally incapable by their parents.)

As others have said though it’s the random boy that’s got the bigger potential for things to go very pear shaped.

My daughter was regularly doing a 2 hour direct train journey from the age of 12 and she was fine. For me, it wouldn’t be the train journey that would be the issue, it would be going with the boy she doesn’t know very well. Can’t he come to meet her locally?

Also, why York? There must surely be a closer city they can go to.

I can't imagine what age she could be where it's ok for her to be wandering around a city with a boy she's just met, but she's also never been on a train by herself (and he's never been on a train?).

Taking out the random boy and the fact she's never been on a train on her own, I would say 14 is around the age I'd allow this.

Adding in the boy and the lack of train experience she'd have to be 16 (at sixth form, not school) and essentially in charge of her own life because it sounds like a bad idea to me.