Why I Like Travelling By Train

Why I Like Travelling By Train - Part 1

The offer from the discount holiday site popped up in my inbox towards the end of a long day at work. It offered a cheap deal on dinner, bed and breakfast for two nights at a hotel in a remote village in the Dales; even for a single girl it was value for money.

I got home and found the idea of escaping - for even just one night, never mind two - so tempting. My sister was clinging, my parents were overbearing. I went and booked it straight after dinner, and enjoyed the feeling of having done so for at least a day, before I told anyone about it. I checked train times, and bus links to the place, and planned what to do with my time there: mainly a couple of good, long country walks. I started to really look forward to it.

I told my family that I wanted a few days away. I charmed my boss into thinking he could manage without me - the deal was only valid on weekdays. Holidays - and getting there - always made me feel excited (and, truth be told, slightly horny)...the promise of the unknown, I think. Also, the utter dearth of available women in my small town was really beginning to get me down, so a few days somewhere new could only be a nice change. I wondered vaguely if I would meet someone, because it certainly couldn't be any harder than around here. But mainly, I was honestly just desperate to get away for a while. It was proving to be a balmy Autumn, and I relished the idea of walking in the bright air, with the mist, the crisp air, the colours of the flowers, the leaves on the turn. I settled in to my normal regime with a certain buoyancy that only the anticipation of a whole three days by myself could give.

Finally, the time rolled around. The night before, I ate with my family, then went to pack. I intended taking only a smallish rucksack, and the bare minimum of clothes. My walking boots were the heaviest (but really important) things. As for the rest, I settled on a versatile but functional selection of stuff, to cover all eventualities. Finally, I laid out what I wanted to travel in, and slid into bed with a real sense of anticipation.

The next morning, I showered and dressed and dried my hair before putting it in a loose plait. I finally threw my emergency make-up, some hair grips and my hairbrush into my bag and I was good to go. I tied the ends of my open shirt around my waist, stuffed something to read and my notebook into my handbag, made sure I had my purse, phone and keys, and pulled on my fleece. My dad was going to drop me at the station on his way to work. It was early for a day off - but no earlier than I usually set off for work. I was quite ridiculously excited in myself, though! Ah, to be off on my own, somewhere new!

The local station was pretty deserted as my dad left me. I bagged myself a window seat when the train arrived and enjoyed the view rolling past - although, like everyone else, I had to tuck in as more and more people got on. A young chap in a cheap suit sat next to me. I took great pleasure in ignoring his attempts to catch my eye for the rest of the journey.

At the mainline station where our train terminated, I found the waiting room and pulled out breakfast from my bag - a ham and cheese croissant and a small flask of coffee. I drank a cup and ate the croissant, then moved to the platform for my connecting train.

The black trousers of a trim woman in her early thirties caught my attention, and I whiled away the waiting time by surreptitiously checking her out. I would have wasted a whole journey trying to attract her attention - had I not, at the last minute, clocked a pretty redhead in a denim mini and a scruffy jacket slightly further down the platform. This girl smiled as I caught her eye. She was a bit short for my liking, but she smiled again as we stepped forward to meet the incoming train. We got on at opposite ends of the carriage, and met in the middle. She was really very nice - small, but perfectly-formed, with a gorgeous smile.

This train was filling up, and as I slid into a set of airline-style seats, she touched my arm and spoke. 'May I?'

I felt my heart flip quickly, as I looked at her over my shoulder. She was pointing at the seat next to the aisle.