Europe by Train: The Best Way to Reach a Slow Cyclist Trip
At The Slow Cyclist, your journey doesn't begin when the plane takes off; it begins the moment you leave home. It's one of the reasons we recommend the train wherever possible. A journey from London to the south of France, for instance, emits roughly a tenth of the carbon of the equivalent flight, and that's before you count the hours gained for reading, or simply watching the world go by. Here are three routes we've taken, or carefully mapped, to reach three of our cycling holidays without going anywhere near a plane.
London to Quercy by Train - Jasper's Journey
Earlier this year, Jasper from The Slow Cyclist HQ swapped the departure lounge for St Pancras station; he shares his story of the joys of train travel below:
"Arriving a little after 6.30 am with coffee in hand, I started my journey to France. Security and passport control took no more than ten minutes, leaving time for a relaxed breakfast before the 7.31 Eurostar rolled south under the Channel. Two hours and twenty minutes later: I arrived in Paris, smooth and on time.
From Gare du Nord, the Metro carried me to Montparnasse, a short transfer that doubled as a chance to pick up lunch, a French delicatessen sandwich eaten on the platform. I boarded the 12.37 TGV, and by 17.28 stepped off at Toulouse Matabiau, with the vineyards and stone villages of Quercy a short journey further on. Eight hours, door to door, and every mile of beautiful French countryside visible through the window."
Bristol to Edinburgh by Train - Emelye's Journey
There's a different rhythm to a domestic journey, and Emelye felt it on the Friday afternoon CrossCountry service from Bristol Temple Meads to Edinburgh. Taking the time by train to go from Bristol to our new trip destination in the Scottish Borders, Emelye shares her journey.
"On a Friday afternoon, I took the CrossCountry service from Bristol Temple Meads to Edinburgh. There was time to walk to the station listening to birdsong, and the quiet reassurance that ten minutes before departure really is plenty.
A booked seat matters more here than on the high-speed line from London. Mine, in Carriage J, was held, but further down the train the aisles had filled with passengers who hadn't reserved one, a cheerful group of ramblers among them, keeping the whole carriage entertained with weekend news loud enough to reach the driver's cab.
By the time the doors opened at Edinburgh Waverley, it was a wee bit chillier outside, but not far to walk before finding my colleague Kailan, and one of our Scotland guides, waiting in the van, e-bikes loaded, ready for the road out to Thirlestane Castle and the Scottish Borders beyond."
London to the Basque Country by Train
We haven't made this particular journey ourselves yet, but we've mapped it the same way we'd plan any of our own: stage by stage, with time built in rather than shaved off. From St Pancras, the Eurostar reaches Paris Gare du Nord in around two and a half hours. Cross the city by Metro to Montparnasse, and a TGV covers the long run south through Bordeaux and the Landes pine forests to Hendaye, on the French side of the Basque border, in around four hours and forty-five minutes.
From Hendaye, the Euskotren, a little cross-border tram, carries you over into Spain at Irun, and on to San Sebastián in well under forty minutes altogether. All told, that's around nine hours from London to the Basque coast, the Pyrenees rising ahead for the final stretch.
The Journey is Part of the Holiday
Travelling by train may not be the fastest way to get anywhere, but we feel that's rather the point. Arriving with your holiday already underway beats stepping off a cramped flight. The possibilities for train travel to our destinations also keep expanding: from 2028, a new direct service will link Oslo, Copenhagen, Hamburg and Berlin, the first direct Norway–Denmark rail connection in over twenty years, proof that the rest of Europe is thinking the same way. Whichever Slow Cyclist trip you choose, there's a good chance the train can get you there too.
Many Slow Cyclist destinations are just a scenic train ride away, from the rolling hills of Herefordshire to the vineyards of France. Ready to ride? Explore our scheduled journeys to find your next adventure.
