Europe by train, 1972-1997: British Interrailers

[WessexEclectic]

For your consideration....

 

[peteb]

A most interesting lecture. The brown cardboard inter-rail ticket, the red Thomas Cook Timetable, photos of friends on cross channel ferries and the orange TGV trains bring back a lot of memories. It cost £120 for a month when I did my first inter-rail. Something a lot of us have in common is faded photos stuck in albums, for some reason mine are all slowly turning purple(!) But maybe that's a subject for another thread?

 

[tbwbear]

Interesting lecture.

This might not be the best place to post this - but this my blog on an Inter-rail trip I did in 1984. Looking back now, I think we were a bit mad !

1984 – Europe – “Inter Rail”

Touring Europe’s capitals by rail

trainstobeyond.com

Inter Rail Log

Sunday September 2nd 1984 1532 Train #1, 1532- Blackpool to London Euston, 2110 Euston – Arrive at Euston (almost 2 hours late due to Power Failure at Crewe) 2130 Met up with friend at Vic…

trainstobeyond.com

 

[duesselmartin]

Thank you. The blog is interesting as I lost my interrail documentation.

 

[bspahh]

Interesting lecture.

This might not be the best place to post this - but this my blog on an Inter-rail trip I did in 1984. Looking back now, I think we were a bit mad !

1984 – Europe – “Inter Rail”

Touring Europe’s capitals by rail

trainstobeyond.com

Inter Rail Log

Sunday September 2nd 1984 1532 Train #1, 1532- Blackpool to London Euston, 2110 Euston – Arrive at Euston (almost 2 hours late due to Power Failure at Crewe) 2130 Met up with friend at Vic…

trainstobeyond.com

Interesting. I think "scare resources" might be a typo

I was 16 in 1984 and also went Inter-railing with a couple of friends. We started with 5 day lap of Scandinavia. We took the ferry to the Hook of Holland, and a night train to Copenhagen. There we messed up the currency conversion rate so we thought that everything was twice as expensive as it really was. It was already quite expensive, but it was a bit of a shock. We took a night train to Oslo, and then a day train to Trondheim, where we stayed in a youth hostel and then went to Stockholm, and a night train to Amsterdam.

We then took a few days to cross to the West coast of France, and then spent a couple of weeks camping by a beach.

 

[tbwbear]

Interesting. I think "scare resources" might be a typo

Thank you - I have corrected that.

Although I think our scarce resources might have been a little "scary".

Your recollections of Scandinavia are interesting. I still remember the expense of Norway and then the relief at finding goulash and bread in Budapest for the equivalent of 40p.

 

[The exile]

Thank you - I have corrected that.

Although I think our scarce resources might have been a little "scary".

Your recollections of Scandinavia are interesting. I still remember the expense of Norway and then the relief at finding goulash and bread in Budapest for the equivalent of 40p.

Yes - the juggling of scarce resources on the Scandinavian leg at the end of a 1991 Interrail remains with me as well (not to mention the juggling of small change in about 9 different currencies!). Duet was unrelieved bread and “toothpaste cheese” for the whole of the round trip to Narvik.

 

[nanstallon]

Yes - the juggling of scarce resources on the Scandinavian leg at the end of a 1991 Interrail remains with me as well (not to mention the juggling of small change in about 9 different currencies!). Duet was unrelieved bread and “toothpaste cheese” for the whole of the round trip to Narvik.

Yes, Norway has amazingly beautiful train rides, but the cost of living - wow! I joined the Salvation Army until my last night when I treated myself to a glass of beer.

 

[BJB123]

Interesting lecture.

This might not be the best place to post this - but this my blog on an Inter-rail trip I did in 1984. Looking back now, I think we were a bit mad !

1984 – Europe – “Inter Rail”

Touring Europe’s capitals by rail

trainstobeyond.com

Inter Rail Log

Sunday September 2nd 1984 1532 Train #1, 1532- Blackpool to London Euston, 2110 Euston – Arrive at Euston (almost 2 hours late due to Power Failure at Crewe) 2130 Met up with friend at Vic…

trainstobeyond.com

amazing, you certainly covered some miles on that Interrail trip! Brilliant, very interesting to see.

 

[Steve4031]

This brings back memories of my first rail pass trip to Europe in 1990. I rode a EuroCity train from Amsterdam to Basel that was still in German livery. I remember eating lunch in the dining car as we arrived in Cologne. Another trip highlight was taking the Transalpine express from Basel to Salzburg. Again, there is great scenery and a great dining car for lunch.

I also remember a train strike in Italy during the World Cup. I was riding in a couchettte train from Rome to Zurich. We left Rome a couple of hours late. The windows were open, and we were really moving on the diritessima. Somehow, we were on time when I woke up in the morning in Northern Italy.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

From memory my first Interrail in 1974 cost £34, the second (and last) in 1975 was £38.
On these I discovered the scenic delights of Norway and the RhB in Switzerland as well as many many others, and mainline steam in West Germany and in Italy (well, branch line in the latter case).

 

[The exile]

This brings back memories of my first rail pass trip to Europe in 1990. I rode a EuroCity train from Amsterdam to Basel that was still in German livery.

Just out of interest, why “still”?

 

[Steve4031]

Just out of interest, why “still”?

I probably should not have used the word "still." This was my first international train ride in Europe, so I had no experience to compare to Amtrak in the United States.