The average Brit has seen just 32% of Great Britain, according to new research. Researchers commissioned by Railcard, which offers a third off train travel, looked at the areas of Great Britain and found most of us have seen less than a third of the country we live in.
“With so much focus on foreign holidays during the Summer months it can be easy to forget the stand-out destinations available on people’s doorsteps. Getting a third off train travel with Railcards makes it even more attractive than ever to get out on the train to explore Britain for less.”
Exeter St Davids railway station
The Best of Britain by Train
According to the Railcard study, 43% have never been to Newcastle, while 42% are yet to visit Cambridge. A further 41% have never visited the Welsh capital Cardiff and a third have not visited the Scottish capital, Edinburgh.
Bath Spa
Incredibly, 15% of Brits have not even ventured to London. Over a third of us have not been to the Roman Spa town of Bath according to the poll of 1,500 Brits.
Most of us have been meaning to visit parts of Great Britain but have “never got around to it”. However, 57% have been to Paris, while four in ten have visited Barcelona and Amsterdam.
Many of us mean to visit more of the country we live in but may be put off by traffic jams and parking the car including high car park charges. With the summer holidays now underway Railcard offers a third off rail fares giving people the perfect excuse to explore the best that Britain has to offer.” Without hassle road travel presents.
Beaches
St Ives, Cornwall
While a third of Brits have visited Mallorca, one in ten of us have never been to some of the UK’s most famous beach locations. Only 18% of us have visited the Gower Peninsular in Wales home to Rhossili Bay, which was recently ranked amongst the world’s top ten beaches, challenging beaches in Hawaii, French Polynesia and the British Virgin Islands.
However, despite our lack of travel around Britain, 71% of Brits still think Great Britain is the best place in the world.
Plymouth railway station
Heritage Railways
43106 LMS Ivatt Class 4 at GCR
Many heritage railways are accessible by travelling to a nearby mainline station. Sometimes this is on foot whereas other times a short bus ride is required. Let me know in the comments below of those you know about. The Great Central railway is a 15 min walk from Loughborough railway station. The West Somerset Railway can be accessed at Bishops Lydeard by taking the bus from Taunton station. Sometimes, heritage railways even provide a link to a mainline station using heritage buses and these special trips are a delight, well worth looking out for. Other heritage railways such as the Bluebell, Mid-Hants, Keighley & Worth Valley, Strathspey, Ffestiniog and of course just recently the Swanage Railway, can be accessed directly from stations on the National network. Visit the Heritage Railway website to plan your visit.
Railcards
Lots of places in Britain are accessible by train. It’s my favourite way to travel. I can relax with a cup of tea. As John Betjeman said you really do see much more from a train than ever you do from a car. He points out that on the train you don’t have to bother about road signs, there aren’t any lorries in front of you or neurotics hooting behind you. To my knowledge, he hasn’t mentioned the worries of parking a car!
All types of Railcards allow you to purchase a train ticket at a reduced rate, typically 1/3 off the price of an adult fare and 60% off a child’s fare (for Family & Friends Railcard only). However, different Railcards have different eligibility criteria so you’ll have to check whether you qualify before you apply. Some Railcards can be used anytime but others can only be used outside of peak times. In many cases you can get back the cost of the Railcard on your first journey.
Railcards include 16-25 railcard, Two Together Railcard, Family & Friends Railcard, Senior Railcard,Network Railcard and Disabled Persons Railcard.
1-year Railcards are priced between £20 – £30 and 3-year Railcards are priced between £54 – £70. These work out cheaper than buying a 1-year Railcard for three consecutive years.
There’s no limit to the number of times you can use your Railcard – great news if you’re a frequent traveller. Some Railcards will only give you a discounted fare. Others will also cover the people travelling with you – so that you can all save.
So take advantage of this great offer! Get out there exploring by train seeing parts of our wonderful country you haven’t visited before.
Carbis Bay, Cornwall
I’m still amazed that people are so keen to go abroad when there’s so much to see in this country. I guess I’m not in the 15% who haven’t visited London because I’ve worked there most of my working life. But then again, I’ve only been to a few of the famous places in London.
Yes, Railcards are good value. I’m on my second 3 year card and have had a good number of cheap outings with it. Last weekend I went to Birmingham New Street & Snow Hill, Wolverhampton & Shrewsbury. I was surprised to see semaphore signals still in use there.
==Peter==
Great post with great tips, thanks for sharing.
Bought a 3 year card on your recommendation and it has already paid for itself in savings in four months.
I have a Two Together railcard with my Brother for when we are on train trip outings together. I also have my Senior railcard for when I am out and about on my own. We must have saved a fortune since we got the 2-together card. I’ve just renewed it to March 2019.
Good article. I think more people would use the railway to explore the country, but the where are railrovers advertised? You never see any adverts these days for all line rovers and sectional rovers.
I think using the rail network to travel the UK is such a great way to really see the country. It’s so easy to navigate, and it’s good that there are railcard options available, especially since the costs of rail travel continue to rise.