Train to Barnstaple

By: Mike

 

Thursday 13 August.

 

We are off again.  This time by train. 

                            We are off!  Our train awaits at Twickenhan Station

It’s Uber to Twickenham, Southwestern to Reading, GWR to Exeter and then the Tarka line to Barnstaple, taxi to Bideford. Because of the virus, we have to wear masks all the time, in theory.  In practice there are so few people risking public transport that we uncover quite a lot of the time.  There is no one in our GWR compartment.

Does it make sense to go by train?  Not really.  The return ticket costs £117.60 and there are taxis as well.  The journey time is longer than driving – especially when we miss the connection at Exeter because the GWR has to slow down because of the heat.  (It’s been a bit of a heatwave).  Our thinking was: Barnstaple is the only place on the North Devon coast accessible by rail, and there are very good bus services in the area, meaning we don’t have to rely on a car.  Plus, we are booked into The Royal Hotel in Bideford, which is bang on the Path. 



 

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