Would you drive or go by train

[Beakthrough]

I'm very excited to have the time to go and visit my son for the first time since he moved 350 miles from home.

I'm going for 5 days. He lives half a mile from the station (on a branch line).

It will take longer and cost more (about £100 more!) by train, but I'm still quite tempted to let the train take the strain, as they used to say.

Definitely much nicer are there any rail cards you could get or can you buy cheaper advance tickets

No I'm in that middle ground where I'm too young and too old!

I like a long train journey. Reserved seat, coffee, snacks and something to read, scenery to look at out of the window, and time just to relax.

If you were going on holiday you'd budget for extras like new clothes, meals out and drinks - think of it like that.

A long distance drive won't be much fun if the weather is as wet as it has been recently.

Train. Good book, hopefully you'll get a cup of tea. Lovely!

Absolutely no contest I would totally go by train. I don’t actually understand why people drive these days the roads are complete hell . Youl be stressed and tired when you get there if you drive . Enjoy your peace. I LOVE travelling :) sometimes by playing around with stations you can save so much money .

Train and make sure you do split tickets if you can to reduce the cost

Train, split tickets and buy in advance to get the cheapest rate possible. Much better for the environment as well as less stressful!

Agreed
Split tickets (the train line app does it automatically)
Look into whether a network railcard covers the route (no age restrictions)
Try Seatfrog auction in case there's a cheap first class upgrade

Will you need a car when there, or are you being taken about by your son? (Just thinking if he’s at work or similar will you be able to get out and about). Do the train times work for pick ups from the station too?

Personally I’d drive, if it’s cheaper, quicker and then I don’t have to share public transport with people (I’m picky and also not a fan of cancelled trains which I’ve been subjected to!).

Without a doubt drive. Hate taking a train - someone else’s schedule, late trains, crowded etc.

Save the money, drive at leisure, leave when you want, blast music, listen to a podcast and stop when you want.

Far too many train journeys that were awful. I avoid them like the plague now. But it’s a completely persons decision- only you can decide what you would prefer.

My experience is that the trains are far more reliable than the roads for long journeys!

I came back from a long train journey yesterday and I would say train every time. I read my book, had a cuppa, snoozed, enjoyed the scenery and got home refreshed rather than exhausted.

Four different trains - all on time.

If you're not travelling alone you can buy a Two Together ticket at any age which costs £35 a year and all rail tickets are reduced by a third.

But you do have to share the roads....with thousands of homicidal idiots!!

I would plump for the train every time- if I could afford it.

There can equally be delays on the roads - accidents, roadworks, bad weather.

I like a train journey but sadly I rarely use them as they are so unreliable where I am .

And if you get delayed for more than 15 minutes on a train, you can get Delay Repay. Imagine getting a refund for being stuck in a traffic jam!

@crackofdoomtrue, luckily they’re not sat next to me eating something stinky or talking with their phone on speaker 😂

I’m honestly on the fence with this one.

I did pretty much the same thing last year when I went to visit my dd1 in Scotland. I did Trainline and the split ticket thing which was fine but I did have to change twice, ok so far but the changes were a bit stressful as I didn’t have much time. I really enjoyed the view and sitting back however once all this was done and I got to chat to some lovely people.

BUT the journey back was an absolute fucking nightmare. One train was cancelled so my dd had to drive me to another station, then I got stuck at another station for half an hour due to lack of a train driver, then missed my connection as the train that I needed departed.The next train was 2 hour wait in a freezing cold station. I cut my losses at this point and paid for another ticket to a yet another station then got the bus from there home, which ended up quicker.

I drove up the next time, much quicker, cheaper and ultimately less stressful.

i think maybe I was just unlucky (it was a Sunday) but it’s put me off trains 😆

Drive. I can't bare the thought of being stuck on a train with loads of other people, messing around changing trains, lugging bags on and off and in my case feeling sick. I'm going away with work in a couple of months and I've already said I won't be going by train.

Train for sure. I make myself feel better by reminding myself that on a long journey, unexpected car costs can arise — blown tyre, windscreen chip, etc — and while unlikely, at least that’s not a possibility! Plus train is just so much more pleasant. Headphones or book and it’s a nice time tbh.

I travel by train a lot for work, and they’re often complete hell too. The amount of cancellations and then subsequent overcrowding is horrendous.

With train journeys, you need to pick your time. Avoid weekends if possible. Midweek and late morning/early afternoon is the best time to travel, also usually the cheapest.

I've done long train journeys where I've almost had the carriage to myself. I've also had journeys where the train has been delayed and crowded due to a fatality on the track or theft of signalling cables or other cause.

But you can equally be held up for hours due to an accident on the motorway, or as happened to someone I know, protesters on the Dartford Crossing, so they had to detour via the Blackwall Tunnel.

And make sure its not a rail replacement day
Our 55 min train home from London is notlw 2hours 35

What route are you taking OP?

I enjoy driving and don't like being surrounded by people so I would drive. I have a nice car thats electric so cheap to drive.
If I ever do need to go by train I go first class