Station to station: Youtubers reveal all about journey along familiar lines
What does your love of railways stem from?
I work at London Transport Museum where I’ve learned about the impact of public transport on people’s lives and I’m passionate about sharing those experiences with others.
Geoff has been interested in railways from a young age. Over the years this led him to undertake similar challenges – he is a two-time world record holder for travelling to every London Underground Station in the fastest time.
Why did you decide to visit every one of the UK’S stations?
We both love the railways. For Geoff, it’s understanding the intricacies of the network; how timetables are created, and what service patterns are like across the country.
For me, it’s about how the railway affects people’s lives – how they shape communities, influencing decisions about where we live and who we connect with. The aim was to uncover these stories and share them with as many people as possible.
What did you learn along the way?
We learned a lot about the enormous complexity of the rail network and were surprised by how old systems like semaphore signalling are still in operation and integrated alongside state of the art technology.
We also learned how passionate people are about their local station or railway line, and how fiercely they will support it.
What was your favourite stop in Scotland?
We fell in love with the station at Corrour, on Rannoch Moor. The signal box there has now been converted into an Airbnb and the station house is a wonderful cafe, shop and restaurant.
The surrounding countryside is simply stunning – lochs and mountains as far as the eye can see.
What’s your favourite tale you heard along the way?
We loved hearing stories about communities rallying around their stations and lines.
After the almost guaranteed threat of closure, we were ecstatic to hear Breich station ( West Lothian) is now undergoing redevelopment.
Stations like the beautiful Wemyss Bay are defined by their “Friends” groups. They look after the stations and add so much life and character to them (as well as selling delicious tea and cakes in their cafes!).
How much work went into planning the journey?
We spent around eight months planning the project. This included launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the journey – we are forever thankful to our backers who made the trip possible. What inspired you to write the book?
We were approached by September Publishing while still travelling last year and were immediately excited about being able to share our experiences.
It’s given us the opportunity to go into more detail about some aspects of our journey, something we weren’t always able to do because of the immediacy of the Youtube videos.
Describe your book?
It’s an insight into our journey as well as a guide for other would-be adventurers.
What’s your top tip for travelling by rail?
Always build in time for a spontaneous stop in a random place. Some of the best moments happened when we decided to reroute or alight somewhere unexpected. Usually this was because of a tip-off from a fellow passenger or train staff – they always have the best knowledge and recommendations.
The Railway Adventures: Places, Trains, People and Places, September Publishing, £16.99