Striking out for a Low Carbon Holiday

Did you know you can catch a train to Barcelona from London?

You can, I’ve tried it.

In fact, it includes an Orient Express-style overnight sleeper and restaurant car.  Minus the chandaliers, but plus pink plastic walls.

Surprisingly fun, especially if you use the earplugs to dull the train’s trundling sounds overnight.  And the bunk beds cleverly turn into comfy chairs. 

So how did the journey go?  The connections from Eurostar to the “Train Hotel” in Paris went smoothly and all the trains there and back were on time. 

As we approached London on the return journey, a sexy French voice echoed out over the PA system “Passengers are warned zat zer ees a Tube Strike in London so you will need to make ozzer arrangements”.

Argh!

So our final step, from St Pancras to North Oxfordshire, was the most fraught in the whole trip from Barcelona. 

• Spain? Si Senora.  No problema. 
• France?  Mais Oui Madame. 
• UK?  Up yours, we’re on strike.

We all want to use public transport as part of our low carbon efforts, but this is totally useless unless we can guarantee service.