THE CLOSED RAILWAY

Fancy a change from the car? Then try alternative forms of travel in the UK.

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Railways

For their first century or so, railways in this country were in private ownership. Then in 1948 the government nationalized them, and the transport minister closed down half the lines (he was simultaneously running a large road-building company, you'll be amazed to hear!). In the 1990's the run-down remnants were shoved back into the private sector, and the government demanded that they attract more customers. This naturally led to overfull trains, for which the government blamed the rail companies (?). The system is currently once more in a state of flux, as companies bid for new franchises. Confusingly these franchises only give the holders the right to run trains; the tracks are owned by another company, which the government renationalized as Network Rail (better known as 'Notwork Rail') in 2002. If this sounds a complete and utter mess, I've got it exactly right.

Rail travel is expensive and confusing, and you need a degree in advanced statistics to understand the ticket structure. A few simple rules; tickets bought in advance tend to be much cheaper, as does travel after the morning rush hour or at weekends. Remember that parts of the system close down at weekends and bank holidays for engineering work, with trains being replaced by much slower buses (there are websites that tell you which lines to avoid). Also, trains into and out of major cities, especially London, should be avoided during the rush hours on weekdays. Curiously return tickets cost almost the same as singles, and it's much cheaper per mile if you travel further. Apparently the railway companies think that you'd gladly pay those extra few pounds just to go somewhere you don't want to (?). On the plus side, in the more remote parts of the country it offers some unique perspectives on the countryside. The Kyle of Lochalsh, Oban and Thurso/Wick lines in Scotland and the Settle-Carlisle line in England in particular are stunningly beautiful.

Some companies allow private steam companies to run their locomotives on certain summer days. Normally these old locomotives run on the high number of small private preserved railways, which are also well worth a visit. Several of these railways now connect with the rail network, and many more are extending to so do. They are expensive, but the service is massively superior. Particularly good ones are the Severn Valley Railway near Birmingham, the Torbay & Dartmouth Railway in the south-west, the Swanage Railway in Dorset, the Bluebell Railway in Sussex and the Keighley & Worth Valley and North Yorkshire Moors Railways, both in Yorkshire.

London: Aisports and the 'Tube'

As with railways, the Underground service is frequent but rush hours should be avoided, unless you enjoy the sardine experience. Ticket prices have varied in recent years, but if you're planning three or more separate journeys in one day, buy a travelcard. One particular point; if flying into Heathrow avoid the so-called Heathrow Express train to central London. It costs a bomb, whereas the slightly slower but much cheaper Underground (Picadilly Line, very dark blue on the map) will get you there just as well apart from the aforementiioned rush-hour squeeze. Similarly the Gatwick Express trains have a local rival which is slower but much cheaper; there are plans to either slow or discontinue this service, which has recently been voted the most reliable in the country. Says it all, really. Note that travelcards which give the freedom of London's transport system (train, tube, bus and tram) for a day or more do not apply to either Express service. London's two other major airports are Stansted and Luton; the former is connected by train from Liverpool Street Station in the east of London and there are plans to link the latter as well.

Bus/coach

If you're prepared to take a bit longer to reach your destination, then the coach network is for you. The difference is generally that bus means local travel in one town or area, whilst coach means regional or national travel. National Express are the main national carriers, but these days there are many others. They are cheap, basic and not always reliable, but you just about get what you pay for.

Air travel

Because of the high proportion that checking in/out takes out of the shorter flights, internal air travel in the UK is normally restricted to businessmen, although it is getting more popular. If however you want to get somewhere quick, it's barely more expensive than train travel. If you're visiting say Scotland from London, fly up and then take a train or hire a car.

Canals

Now largely restricted to pleasure craft, this is the ideal way of seeing the countryside if you are one of those people who enjoy taking your time in seeing the country. The costs are fair.

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