In searching for a non-depressing item of news on the web (look, I’m not motivated to look too hard), I found this. Was published on Tuesday. I’m not normally looking at the travel section of that website, can’t work out why (oh wait…).
Anyway, the article is suitably enthusiastic. For those who do not want to taint their browsing experience by clicking on a Guardian link, it’s how you, as an environmentally responsible skier living somewhere in the UK can make your way to the ski slopes by train instead of sullying up the environment by flying.
It is well up on carbon costs. It is not well up on financial or time costs. Now, if you’re an environmental activists, the cost on the financial or time side is not going to matter too much to you but in the real world, it matters to people.
Here is London Chamonix. Journey time, approximately 15 hours, including an overnighter, cost, 142 sterling. Sorry. From 142 sterling return. The overnighter only runs on the weekend as well, both out and inbound.
It’s an interesting idea. However, the “why go by train” page is disengenuous. All that scenery? Not if you’re overnighting the trip. Extra days? Doubt it…Look at the schedules for the overnighters. Look at the day cost on a day spent in the train. Changing trains in Paris? From Paris Nord to Paris Austerlitz? With a load of sports equipment?
I love trains. Mostly, when I go to Brittany I fly into Paris and get the train across from Montparnasse to either Vannes or Quimper. But I really think this is a bit unrealistic in terms of how easy it is to do. From Ireland, absent a rail connection to somewhere on the European mainland it is completely unrealistic.
If you’re interested in giving it a shot, however, here is the website in question.
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