Paeon to a simpler life

Once upon a time it was possible just to pop down to the railway station, buy a ticket & be away. Life seems so much simpler in those pre-privatisation times. Now I feel bombarded by a whole array of options.

I accept part of the difficulty arises from me using a wheelchair. This means I will have to notify the train company that we will need assistance at the stations. The Fox seems to think we will only need a small overnight bag so he'll be able to push, but I can't help thinking we may need something more than that. Usually when we go away for a couple of nights we do only take a small overnight bag. And a carrier bag with sandals & books, & a bed cradle, &.... Everything will have to go in this one bag to London. What is more, we're staying in a rather posh hotel where we may feel a bit more comfortable looking a bit smarter in the evening rather than being in our scruff all day long, especially if we were to decide to go the whole hog & eat in the restaurant one evening.

Then comes the question of ticket. There seems to be only one direct provider of trains on the route we want, Virgin Rail. At least that much is easy.

But, do we turn up on the day & get 50% off the full price as I am a wheelchair user? Or do I buy a disabled railcard at £18, which would get us a third off even the cheapest tickets? Would I be saving the £18? Admittedly the railcard would be valid for all trips within 12 months, but would we want to travel by train again? This is the first time I will have got on a train for at least 20 years. The reality of train travel with a wheelchair may turn out to be more difficult than we're told. It may be as bad as we have feared all these years, despite the introduction of anti-discrimination laws.

Certainly I can see the advantage of getting advance tickets. That way the Fox can ensure getting a seat. A friend recently came back from holiday & ended up standing all the way from Gatwick to Manchester, not an appealing proposition for the Fox.

On top of which, if I do get a railcard, advance tickets are cheaper.

Oh why do things have to be so complicated? I tell myself it's known as progress. In theory it should mean we can travel cheaper. After all we're not limited to times as to when we go, but it does add complexity.