Happy planning, for a happy trip, for a happy fare.

Just for a change, I thought that I'd inject a happy story on here.

My 5 year old daughter loves travelling on trains (especially with me ), the further the better, enjoys changing trains, taking different routes, doesn't mind getting up early etc, etc.

We've just booked Grange over Sands to Euston, Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley, Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street, Glasgow Central to Lancaster, Lancaster to Grange Over Sands for a day out in October - with time for a mini mooch in London & Edinburgh, & pick up fish and chips in Glasgow for our tea on the way home.

A day trip of 900 miles (ish) with reserved, clean, comfortable seating with a table for us to use throughout the journey and all for less than £50.

& all done purely for the pleasure of having a train trip together -- happy times.

Glad to hear you got a good deal! Just shows there are some good deals out there Let us know how you get on once you've done the journey!

yorkie said:

Glad to hear you got a good deal! Just shows there are some good deals out there Let us know how you get on once you've done the journey!

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I'd be happy to -- but I don't know how interesting it would be to read !

Once again, we're able to cover one hell of a distance in a day, for relatively little money.

I'm pretty sure Grange to Glasgow via London and Edinburgh is not a permitted route.

When my granddaughter gets to be five, I'll have just retired so might emulate this kind of thing.

Good work! That's a great value trip

neilmc said:

I'm pretty sure Grange to Glasgow via London and Edinburgh is not a permitted route.

When my granddaughter gets to be five, I'll have just retired so might emulate this kind of thing.

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Wouldn't it be great if it was a permitted route !
Its a collection of Advance Fares, that together make the trip (Interestingly enough, I can go from Edinburgh to Lancaster Via Glasgow, But I can't get tickets that take me from Glasgow to Lancaster via Edinburgh. Never mind)

We've been doing train trips since she was 3 and a bit and long distance trips from when she was 4. If you and your grand daughter enjoy it as much as we do, you'll have a great time. & if you have a Friends and Family Railcard and book well in advance, you'll be VERY pleasantly surprised as to how far you can go and for how little ££££.

If/when you do start on these trips, make sure that you have some favourite games to take with you, colouring books, comics etc (nothing electrical though) and don't be surprised at other people (friends/family) being quite/very anti the idea of a 4/5 year old taking a long train journey. For other people, it sounds like hell, but for us 2, its a lovely way to soend some time together undisturbed.

In the last year or so, we've been to
London, Paignton, Aberdeen, Newton Abbot, Dover, Inverness, Portsmouth, Glasgow, Southampton, Edinburgh, Mallaig (via the Sleeper), Inverness, Bournemouth, Kyle of Lochalsh and possibly a few others that I've forgotten !

We tend to set off early (as early as 05.00 if we need to) and try to get back no later than 9 at night - it seems a long day for a little'un and initially, she'd have a nap whilst we we on longer legs, but now she goes all the way through.

neilmc said:

I'm pretty sure Grange to Glasgow via London and Edinburgh is not a permitted route.

When my granddaughter gets to be five, I'll have just retired so might emulate this kind of thing.

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My Grandad used to do this with me in the 1970s.

They used to do Senior Citizen Railcard offers for £5 and kids used to go for £1. They used to be used to be issued on card tickets with no journey shown. You had an all line day rover for the two of us for £6. This was in the days of different shaped ticket punches and there was nothing left of the ticket by the end of the day.

Well, we did the trip and enjoyed every minute.
05.03 train from Grange to Lancaster. We were kept entertained by the antics of a group of ladies who were either making a very early start, or topping up from the noight before.
05.40 Lancaster to London - a big thank you to the train guard/TM for making the trip a bit more special. The day wakes up between Warrington and Crewe.
Walk to Kings Cross - see more taxis/buses in 10 minutes than we see in Grange in a month.
Kings Cross to Edinburgh. First time I've been up the East Coast since I was a little'un. IC225 is OK, but seems dated after being used to Pendolinos. Big windows were nice, & free WIFI seemed popular with others. Not keen on the £25 pp upgrade to First Class option.
Lunch by the Scott Monument. sat in teh sun, listening to Bagpipes, & watching lads on stuntbikes enjoying themselves.
Waverley to Queen Street - had the pleasure of watching a party group of the fairer sex enjoying some mid afternnon throat lubrication, so encourage their sing songs.
Walk from Glasgow Queen Street To Glasgow Central. Loads of people enjoying teh nice weather.
Glasgow Central to Lancaster. A sparcely filled Pendolino gave us room to spread out and enjoy our collection of games/puzzles/colouring books etc.
Lancaster to Grange Over Sands. see the day going to sleep and back home for 19.40.

Distance travelled 900 miles ish. Total fare £48ish.

A cracking day out and well worth every penny.

Scooby said:

Well, we did the trip and enjoyed every minute.
05.03 train from Grange to Lancaster. We were kept entertained by the antics of a group of ladies who were either making a very early start, or topping up from the noight before.
05.40 Lancaster to London - a big thank you to the train guard/TM for making the trip a bit more special. The day wakes up between Warrington and Crewe.
Walk to Kings Cross - see more taxis/buses in 10 minutes than we see in Grange in a month.
Kings Cross to Edinburgh. First time I've been up the East Coast since I was a little'un. IC225 is OK, but seems dated after being used to Pendolinos. Big windows were nice, & free WIFI seemed popular with others. Not keen on the £25 pp upgrade to First Class option.
Lunch by the Scott Monument. sat in teh sun, listening to Bagpipes, & watching lads on stuntbikes enjoying themselves.
Waverley to Queen Street - had the pleasure of watching a party group of the fairer sex enjoying some mid afternnon throat lubrication, so encourage their sing songs.
Walk from Glasgow Queen Street To Glasgow Central. Loads of people enjoying teh nice weather.
Glasgow Central to Lancaster. A sparcely filled Pendolino gave us room to spread out and enjoy our collection of games/puzzles/colouring books etc.
Lancaster to Grange Over Sands. see the day going to sleep and back home for 19.40.

Distance travelled 900 miles ish. Total fare £48ish.

A cracking day out and well worth every penny.

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Blimey a few miles in a day there then.

My 4 yr. old grandaughter is also train mad but I wonder if she would be able to last the pace like your girl.

I took her from March to York and back and she hasn't stopped talking about it for 3 months.

Scooby said:

Well, we did the trip and enjoyed every minute.
05.03 train from Grange to Lancaster. We were kept entertained by the antics of a group of ladies who were either making a very early start, or topping up from the noight before.
05.40 Lancaster to London - a big thank you to the train guard/TM for making the trip a bit more special. The day wakes up between Warrington and Crewe.
Walk to Kings Cross - see more taxis/buses in 10 minutes than we see in Grange in a month.
Kings Cross to Edinburgh. First time I've been up the East Coast since I was a little'un. IC225 is OK, but seems dated after being used to Pendolinos. Big windows were nice, & free WIFI seemed popular with others. Not keen on the £25 pp upgrade to First Class option.
Lunch by the Scott Monument. sat in teh sun, listening to Bagpipes, & watching lads on stuntbikes enjoying themselves.
Waverley to Queen Street - had the pleasure of watching a party group of the fairer sex enjoying some mid afternnon throat lubrication, so encourage their sing songs.
Walk from Glasgow Queen Street To Glasgow Central. Loads of people enjoying teh nice weather.
Glasgow Central to Lancaster. A sparcely filled Pendolino gave us room to spread out and enjoy our collection of games/puzzles/colouring books etc.
Lancaster to Grange Over Sands. see the day going to sleep and back home for 19.40.

Distance travelled 900 miles ish. Total fare £48ish.

A cracking day out and well worth every penny.

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A lovely trip, and I'm glad you [sorry, your 5 year-old daughter] enjoyed it so much.

Does she have a mileage/numbers book yet?

Johnuk123 said:

Blimey a few miles in a day there then.

My 4 yr. old grandaughter is also train mad but I wonder if she would be able to last the pace like your girl.

I took her from March to York and back and she hasn't stopped talking about it for 3 months.

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For us, they are just a way to spend some nice time with each other (away from her big brother !). We've got a goodly collection of board games, puzzle books, colouring books etc and the time just flies on by.

As you and your granddaughter found out, the day is what you make it ! & with a Friends and Family Railcard, you can do an awful lot, for not so much, if you plan things in Advance.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

telstarbox said:

Does she have a mileage/numbers book yet?

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She did have an I Spy on a train journey book at one stage

Scooby said:

For us, they are just a way to spend some nice time with each other (away from her big brother !). We've got a goodly collection of board games, puzzle books, colouring books etc and the time just flies on by.

As you and your granddaughter found out, the day is what you make it ! & with a Friends and Family Railcard, you can do an awful lot, for not so much, if you plan things in Advance.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


She did have an I Spy on a train journey book at one stage

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My grandaughter does have an annoying habit of being a bit loud and commenting on people.

Whilst waiting at Peterborough she asked a man on a bench "Was he a scarecrow"

On the train she told another girl her mother was "too fat and should do exercise"

Fortunately she spends most of the time pressed against the window announcing passing scenery.

She'd have a field day on the Tube as it tends to carry all of Britains weird and strange people in the same place.

Johnuk123 said:

She'd have a field day on the Tube as it tends to carry all of Britains weird and strange people in the same place.

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My daughter, upon recently entering a sparcely filled Tube train, span herself round one of the supprting poles and announced in a loud voice "look at me Daddy, I'm a pole dancer"

oh yes, the country bumpkins definitely were in town that day.

900 miles in one day !? That's more then I do in a month!
Glad to see you enjoyed it!

Joe

telstarbox said:

Does she have a mileage/numbers book yet?

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How absolutly lovely. I hope that you and your daughter have a wonderful day, and that any staff on your proposed journey hear/read about it that they help you make the day a bit more special for her.

Telstarbox's idea of a mileage/numbers book/log is excellent!

Scooby said:

Just for a change, I thought that I'd inject a happy story on here.

My 5 year old daughter loves travelling on trains (especially with me ), the further the better, enjoys changing trains, taking different routes, doesn't mind getting up early etc, etc.

We've just booked Grange over Sands to Euston, Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley, Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street, Glasgow Central to Lancaster, Lancaster to Grange Over Sands for a day out in October - with time for a mini mooch in London & Edinburgh, & pick up fish and chips in Glasgow for our tea on the way home.

A day trip of 900 miles (ish) with reserved, clean, comfortable seating with a table for us to use throughout the journey and all for less than £50.

& all done purely for the pleasure of having a train trip together -- happy times.

Click to expand...

Stories like this make my day! took my son on the riviera sleeper once last year and he loved that! all smiles and giggles!

NLC1072