From a train window, approaching Berwick station from the south, if you knew where to look you might just catch a glimpse of our home in Spittal. Trains passing on the East Coast main line – the quiet swish of the electric passenger trains and the dull rumble of the freight trains – are part of the background to daily life here.
For Lens-Artists challenge #215 John invites us to share images of Planes, Trains and Automobiles – and the places they take us. Planes and automobiles are largely missing from my photo collection, so here’s a selection of rail journeys instead.
For five years, up to December 2018, I became very familiar with the trains from Paris Gard du Nord, through the tunnel to London and on to York and Northumberland.
Ten minutes to spare at Gare du Nord – January 2016
Normandy farmland seen from Eurostar – December 2017
Not far to the tunnel…
John Betjeman at St. Pancras Station – January 2016
Looking back at St Pancras from the forecourt at Kings Cross – December 2017
King’s Cross station – gateway to the north- January 2016
A Cambridgeshire village church glimpsed from the East Coast Main Line – July 2016
Cloud watching from an East Coast train – July 2016
Looking south from Paris, Gare de Lyon was the starting point for journeys to Avignon, Arles, Marseille and on into Italy.
Gare de Lyon, gateway to the south of France – January 2016
Avignon and Nimes, Marseille and Monte-Carlo, the mural in the old booking hall gives a taste of stations served by the lines south from Gare de Lyon – January 2016
A green view from a train window – somewhere south of Lyon – June 2018
Forest and orchards…
vines and pines…
then heading south to Marseille
Fishing boats share Marseille’s Vieux Port with passenger ferries and luxury yachts
East from Marseille, the railway follows the Mediterranean coast into Italy and south to Genoa.
Arriving at Manarola station – the exit is through a tunnel into the centre of the village.
The Cinque Terre villages are linked by a rail line hugging the coast and tunneled through the cliffs.
It’s a steep climb from Corniglia station to the village and vineyards above
Click on any photo to view that gallery.
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September 9, 2022 at 7:38 am
I would love to do something like this. Inspirational.
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September 9, 2022 at 8:24 am
Some lovely images here. And possibly one of my favourite journeys is that East Coast trip from York to Edinburgh. I didn’t know we could try to spot your house!
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September 9, 2022 at 9:27 am
Photos taken from a moving train are so much a matter of chance. I’ve not yet captured the glimpses of Durham cathedral, the Newcastle bridges, the colourful houses of Alnmouth, Lindisfarne castle…..
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September 9, 2022 at 11:15 am
Oh, I can tick off the first two anyway!
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September 9, 2022 at 8:47 am
What a great post. I love travelling by train too, it’s such a pity fares are so expensive in the UK. My longest journey has to be through Canada.
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September 9, 2022 at 9:15 am
Thanks, Jude. It is still possible to find bargain fares in the UK, if you’re able to plan ahead.
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September 9, 2022 at 9:41 am
Be better if they were reasonable prices all the time. I was once quoted over £300 because I was travelling through London after 3 pm when I was going from Guildford to Manchester. Those prices are ridiculous.
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September 9, 2022 at 11:07 am
One of the things Europe does better than the United States is train service. I’d like some day to sample rail service in the U.K. and mainland Europe.
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September 9, 2022 at 11:19 am
Starting from Paris the temptations of the European rail network are endless!
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September 9, 2022 at 12:01 pm
Ah, I love a good train journey!
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September 9, 2022 at 1:37 pm
I love that East Coast line. Usually we just do London to Newcastle (the view at Durham has to be the best station view in the country?) but on the odd occasion I’ve travelled further I’ve loved the coastal views 🙂 We’re just back from a weekend in Paris via Eurostar, I know that route well, but I’ve never yet used the trains to travel much further. Clearly, from your photos, I should!
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September 9, 2022 at 2:03 pm
Once Eurostar has delivered you to Paris, the tempting possibilities for onward journeys are endless. I didn’t include photos from the route which turns east at Lyon, through the mountains to Turin and Milan, then on to Florence…..
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September 9, 2022 at 2:26 pm
You’re right, but somehow staying in Paris is always even more tempting!
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September 9, 2022 at 3:23 pm
Beautiful – love trains too. And railwaystations! Somehow I always end up photographing more of the stations than of the trains…
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September 9, 2022 at 3:24 pm
Great selections. Those big ol’ European rail stations are people movers. Love Cinque Terra too.
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