Any of you use the train instead of the car as a family?

[Posey]

Always used the car for weekends away etc. But this year for holiday we did 6 hours on the eurostar to Avignon and it has converted me to train travel.
For instance both sets of parents live a good 3 hours drive away (more on a Friday trying to get out of London). We live a 10 minute bus ride from Kings X to get to my parents then its only 1h 15m on the train No one has to drive, we can more easily entertain the kids, play games etc, go to the loo without having to stop. And with a family railcard it brings the price right down. Wish we'd done it sooner.

We have a rail card, we don't have a car so its either bus or train (not that either are much good in Cumbria!).Kids love it and its more relaxing for me!

Yeah, we are in London, where it would be silly to have a car, so we always use the train. It is more relaxing, particularly for dh who would have to do all the driving. I also like to try and support our public transport. I know it has it's problems, but coming from the US, I think it is still pretty great. Get to see better scenery, don't have a dd vomiting every 20 min from motion sickness, and it is less isolating than car travel.

Tried it once. When DD1 was about 16 months. 2 day trip.

NEVER AGAIN.

we got a family rail card for days out its fab and saves £££££
we went to eureka on the train and afterwards went into haxifax for tea and both i and dh could have a drink as neither were driving it was fab
its so relaxing on the train no worries of traffic/parking (depending on age of dc)

Being on a train is great, it's getting to and from it that sucks big time.
Last time we travelled on mass transport I had rucksacks on my front and back, and two bags. One step cracked when I trod on it. Was tough.
Steps are horrible, even when they take your weight. Don't get me started on pushchairs.

My kids do what they're told 99% of the time, which is good, but can be pretty bloody scary near a platform that contrary to any rational health and safety practice has no safety measure at all.
You know any other business that's allowed to do stuff like that ?

Commuter crowds aren't great for little kids.
Do people offer seats to parents with kids ?
Do they fuck.
Posey is right about Eurostar, and yes onboard toilets are good.
When they work.
Mainline rail has a "sometimes" view on plumbing, and many trains don't even try to have toilets.
Toilets in tube stations ?
Oh how we laughed.

Family railcards do bring down some prices a bit, but on any journey I can see, it's still cheaper by car.

It's way cheaper by car, faster and more convenient. We, too, were laden w/kiddie gear. Of course, b/c the luggage areas were stowed, we wound up carrying a lot of it and standing up like cattle.

Then there were all the drunken losers crowding us and the rank toilets.

As I wrote, NEVER again.

DH put it best, 'If I can't walk there or drive there, I'm not going.'

yep do it all the time. We have no car. Once you know what you are doing and plan to go at not so busy times then it can be great. The kids love it.

Yes, we do because we can't drive. It is a SODDING NIGHTMARE and I wish wish wish we had a car.

Although trains are a tragically bad way of moving small kids if you have bags, or want to get there in a rational time scale, we started taking DS on the tube to school at 4. But to an extent that's part of his toughening up process, not some daft green militancy.
It's 3 stops on the outer reaches of the Central line, so not that bad, and of course he walks to and from the stations.
My MIL was the teacher in charge of dispatching girls to university interview, and the majority had never been on a train alone, and regarded travelling from Winchester to Oxford as a reckless joiurney into the heart of darkness. She browbeat them all into public transport, even though "mummy will take me".
Again that's toughening them up, and yes it is worrying that kids are like that these days.

Most of that is parents who habitually drive their kids to school, and sadly no government is going to take on the Daily Mail over this.

But...
It doesn't have to be the case that train journeys are some sort of rite of initiation into adulthood. Again that's not going to be fixed either though.

My preference is to drive, but DH prefers train when he can. As we're on the edge of london, we use public transport into town and car out of town. Kids see the train journey as part of the outing. Agree that the stressful bit can be getting to/from the train, not the journey itself.

Even with a family railcard train travel is way too expensive for us to use. We don't have a car either so it's a choice between the bus, walking, or not going at all.

We often have this debate when going to PILs who are in London. Usually end up going in the car though as (a) we'd have to drive to the station from here anyway, (b) we usually want the car seat for when we're there, and I'm certainly not lugging that on the train, (c) it's more expensive, even though we'd only pay for the 2 adults. Then end up in the car, stuck in traffic, and regretting it!!

We have a car but I can't drive it so ds and dd have used train, DLR, bus and tube since birth to get around with me.
I think train journeys with children are great too - but the disgraceful cost in this country is a big turn-off IMO. Even with a Railcard one Christmas we were quoted nearly £400 to get to see my parents in Carlisle (and not travelling on the highest peak demand days either, and we were trying to book from October onwards).
Needed to get from gite to Lille and back in June, distance of about 100km each way. Return fare was £12 and the trains were busy but spotless and graffiti and damage free. I think trains are done much better on the continent where they are still state-run.
London's buses, on the other hand - fabulous. Much better since TfL and Ken's passionate commitment to the cause of public transport

Yes, it's true, the trains in France rock all over the trains here.

If we are going to London we take the train (it takes about and hour) it is about teh same time as the car, but with less moaning. The kids see it as an adventure.

However I think it depends on the age of the kids. Mine are 7 and 5 so I don't have buggies/huge bags/toilet and toddler issues. Even then I used to prefer the train. Especially if I am on my own with the two of them, driving is a pain and I can't have a glass of wine

Last week I took 4 kids on two trains to go to the beach, they were most dissapointed they came home in the car!! It only took about 35 mins on the train, plus 1/2 mile walk, they all carried their own bags too!! But again 7 and 5 year olds are easier to herd!!

We have also done Eurostar which was fab, especially as we can back 1sr class

I think the ability to sit and talk to them (or shout at them ) without worrying about navigating/driving is priceless. I love journeys on public transport with them, even in buggy days, like you crunchie.

I like to support public transport as much as I sensibly can, was completely reliant on it until very recently. Some train jopurneys are nightmarish though - 4 kids, no seats, barely room to stand, plus a pooey nappy, etc.
Dp refuses even to try, persuaded him once to do a day trip by train and he was surly, grumpy and downright sulky all day.
At least on trains you don't have the restriction of having to strap kids down - feel especially bad about babies who don't understand why and just want cuddles.
I'm p*ed off about the way train fares seem to have rocketed though...

One nice thing abuot the train is that you can drink whilst travelling .

The trick to train traveling is to have a bolshy/hyper/sulky looking teen (who is also an expert at seat nabbing) and a potentially whingy toddler in tow. Trust me it clears places beautifully (they are great kids really jsut got them well trained )

Trick 2 is to bring your own beer with you as if you think the tickets are expensive you'll freak at hte price of the beer.