Is 10 & 13 too young to travel unaccompanied on a 2.5 hour train journey?

[mymadworld]

My parents want to have our children to stay in the summer holidays and we are trying to work out logistics of getting them there & back. By far the easiest & cheapest option is putting them on a train at London and my parents meeting them the other end (& vice versa for the return) but I'm not sure if they're a bit young to do a big journey on their own. Eldest regularly travels by bus on his own and youngest has walks himself to school/local shops but it's obviously a big jump dispatching them off 200 miles!
Any thoughts?

You know your children and you know the answer to this question better than anyone else who posts on here.

It was fine for my two during daylight hours and they regularly did hour long train journeys at the age yours are just fine. They dealt with travel disruptions too and took it all in their stride. My two were fairly sensible and enjoyed being trusted with responsibility. I had friends who had children at the same age who were very different personalities and they wouldn't have felt comfortable. You can only do what you & your DC feel comfortable with.

Make sure that at least one of them will have a charged phone, and possibly a charging pack back up, then if anything goes wrong they can call you and ask for advice.

Given them sensible advice without terrifying them. It should all be fine.

My DS first did a 100 mile journey alone at 12. However he’s quite sensible and didn’t have the responsibility of looking after someone else. It’s your call as to whether they are mature enough.

I would be happy if the children were happy. I would lend them a mobile phone in case of crisis but wouldn't really have qualms.

I used to do this all the time. I was at school in Liverpool, and my parents lived abroad. School put me on a train at Liverpool Street, and my Uncle met me at Euston. he then put me on a plane at Heathrow with my older brothers. First time was 10.
It was easy and fine.

BUT I tend to be the opposite of a helicopter parent (and my 14 year old is going round US with scouts this summer). My two youngest are 11 and 14.
I really don't know if I would let them do it.

I think what I would do is see if anyone would be willing to accompany them. Eg an older teen (my 16 year old is looking for a summer job ) who is train savvy and could go up, hand them over and return. It would cost you the extra ticket, plus pay, but it would be worth it.
.
I just think we live in a very different world to the one I lived in.
When I did it, the ticket collector checked up on me, and the person sitting opposite always 'looked after' me, after being asked to 'keep an eye' by the member of staff who dropped me off!

Another point, for me Liverpool and Euston are both terminals. Manchester isn't.

(sorry, Liverpool station was Lime Street, not Liverpool Street!)

I would. Charged phone, reserved seats, entertainment and packed lunch - they’ll be fine.

I used to travel from South Coast to London when 13 .However that was back in the 70s TBH.Not sure how Id feel about it now really.Is the older lad a sensible sort?.Maybe use first class as other poster have said .Can you not travel down with them the first time just so they know the drill so to speak?

Definitely check the route, train reliability is awful on some lines. Also, just thinking practically, what about luggage? Will they need just a backpack or a suitcase? Can they manage to haul a suitcase around and would they be likely to remember it? Are they good at remembering to keep hold of stuff like their tickets?

My DSDs have done loads of local train/tube travel but always with an adult. When DSD1 at 13 did a short journey on her own, still local she still struggled a bit and called her dad for reassurance.

just to add ot my previous post, my dd (14) goes on train to school, and her sister (11) will join her in september. They are familiar with trains, but there is a world of difference between a local train and going London to Manchester

I wouldn't. Too many things could go wrong.
Strange people/drunks/fighting etc
Break downs/problems on the line
DC may fall-out/fight etc
Just too many 'what ifs' for me.

Mine did Crewe to Euston solo earlier this year (age 13 and 12) and they had a ball. Booked in advance the first class tickets were only £10 more than standard and they loved the free snacks.

As long as they have a phone, some emergency cash and they get along ok I think it's fine? Yes there are lots of what ifs but that's life - what is the cut off when we allow children to deal with this?

The idea that train companies don't let kids under 12 on unless accompanied by adults is rubbish. None of the Year 7s would get to school each day if that was the case?

I wouldn't. My nearly 10 year old would behave well, but for me a 13 year old isn't old enough to be responsible for both of them if something kicks off, e.g. row about seat allocation.

A short commuter journey is fine, but not a longer 1.5 hr journey. One of them will want the loo, and leave the iPad on the table and come back to find it gone etc.

Of course it’s fine. What do you think’s going to happen?

I have a 12 (13 in Dec) and a 10 yo who are not the best buddys mostly but on their own like that they would be fine and know not to play up etc. I would definitely let them do it if the train company allows it.

I would as long as they are sensible. Pre booked seats, some cash/debit card for an emergency, phone and charger. They will be fine! Kids need a little freedom and responsibility.

If you get the national rail app you can track the train in real time!

I do actually think though that 13 and 12 is not the same as 13 and 12.
mainly because they are both at secondary, and therefore used to being more independant.
It is the 10 year old that is young, if they were then with a 16 year old sibling, fine.

whoops, 13 and 12 not the same as 13 and 10.

Children round here regularly travel to school by train. Popular grammar school with kids of 11 doing an hour or hour and a half journey to and from school. I can't see why the rules would be OK for a journey to school but you need to be with an adult otherwise, how would they manage to operate a system like that.

They will be fine. It's just the train, quite a short journey and they don't even have any changes. The 13 yr old presumably has a mobile phone so can call if they need something, and there are members of uniformed staff from the train company who will assist passengers if "the train falls apart". When a train is delayed or there is a replacement bus service there is a notice at the arrival station so your parents would be informed of where and when to collect the children from if there is a change.

People are too over the top about stuff like this.

I have a nearly 14 year old and 10.5 year old girls (Y9 and Y5) and they would certainly be mature enough to be put on a train at one end and collected at the other. What an adventure!

I wouldn't have them schlepping across London with big bags but being put on the train and collected sounds fine. But kids are different as to their level of maturity. I've recently let mine go off together and get a bus and train to the next town, and DD1 is allowed to go into London in the daytime with her friends. It's really up to how you, and they feel. Are they happy to do it being the main thing.

It’ll be fine! Mobile phone to call you or grandparents for advice if there’s any issue, no changes - can’t see the problem at all. Go for it.

Another point, for me Liverpool and Euston are both terminals. Manchester isn't

Er, Manchester Piccadilly is a terminal.

In any event my eldest would have the National Rail app up on her phone and would be checking obsessively when they had to get off. There is no way in the world they would miss their stop, with her in charge.

I was also dubious about the possibility of the train failing or being very delayed. I'm a regular commuter and also go north from London a lot too as I don't drive. If the journey really is that length of time, then ok, but in some cases it can be stuck with no real explanation or predictability of arrival and that is quite stressful for everybody (who may then not be very patient or available for your 2 DC). Even the best comics, stickerbooks, water rations and phone batteries can be no match for delays.

Also I have had the experience, particularly on city to city routes, that overbookings or simply massively busy travel due to other services being cancelled or a couple of carriages being taken off (usually ones that are classic booking ones) are common happenings and even reserved seats are out of the window (eg if your DC were to move, that might result in someone standing bagging the seat). The Manchester services are generally super expensive too, even for service like this. Is there anywhere else on a quieter service that your DPs could meet them?

The London - Manchester services are far more reliable and faster than they used to be 15 years ago, IME. It takes barely two hours, and really does take only two hours. Not cheap though, but you can get cheaper tickets with advanced booking at the right times.