nourishing obscurity

For someone on one of the main routes or in London, travel is a daily occurrence and I recall that it was dead easy to take the train from King’s Cross to Manchester almost in the blink of an eye – there were many trains to choose from and all was hunky-dory.

I don’t know that the situation has changed in Britain or whether it’s just me [I had two cars at my disposal before I left for o/s] but it is a damned sight more difficult now.  Take an email I received, which meant that this Russian lady and I are meant to meet up this week.  In typical Russian fashion, she made contact two days after she arrived for a one week stay with a group tour.  There are particular reasons I need to make this meeting because it involves favours I need to return.

However, with no car and no credit card, it ain’t all that easy.  For a start, I don’t live near civilization.

I’m in a small village in the Liverpool-Manchester-Chester triangle and each of those in itself takes some getting to.  From here, the bus goes once a day – once there, once back.  There is a train some kilometres away and I could bicycle there to the station, no problem but apparently it only goes to one of those towns – the one I don’t want.  Hmmmmm.  I could bicycle to one of those cities via motorway if I gave myself five hours – that’s possible too, if I an avoid the traffic and police.

Then there are fares.  I found out that to go from here, even if all the connections can be resolved and in Britain, [that is not a given], it would be about £260 return with all connections.  If she’d given me another week to reserve, it could have been done by bus and train for around £50 tops. I’ve just gone into it.

It all comes down to giving them time so you can get a good reserved seat price.  Of course, you all know the situation about reserving seats but how to explain that to a Russian?  She simply could not conceptualize the thing.

On top of that, I am relatively impecunious at this time and since 2008, reserves have now all but been depleted.  So, for a Russian or a Londoner or for someone fully employed and within range of a main route, it is a doddle and this post must sound like bleating.  For someone in the position I’m in, in a small village off the beaten track and with no contacts except electronically [fellow bloggers and far-flung friends] plus two or three friends dotted across the country and family in Yorkshire [whom I haven't visited since I've been back], it’s a different matter.

I’m going to check out times and prices tomorrow at the train station [if it's open - no guarantee] and at the bus station [always open] and if it can be done, then we get to the next stage – she’s free on two evenings only, later in the week.  Fine – say I manage to get there and meet up, then about 23:00, what?  She goes back to her hotel and I look for transport down south.  Except for the National Express, I can’t think of any other way.

There’s another factor too – priorities.  I owe a visit to south of Guildford, also to Portsmouth, not to mention Bristol and North Lancs and none of these people can understand what they see as my reticence to travel – they think I prioritize them, themsleves in a low position but it is just not so.  I assure you it’s not reticence on my part and if I were in a car, I would have already been there many times over – I used to do it all the time pre-96.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that the UK is not easy to get around without a car, time, reservation, credit cards or lots of money for taxis and hotels [in  a city].  It’s probably why, apart from my three changes of address, I’ve only once left here to travel and that was to meet Andrew at the Tory Conference and that was only possible because it was in Manchester.

It’s truly bizarre.  I’m in a beautiful flat, with a lovely aspect outside the window [snow this morning, by the way], with enough food and drink, central heating [which is all paid up too], a not inexpensive laptop and broadband and connection with the outside world.

Yet I can’t travel anywhere without moving mountains.

Filed under: Leisure, travel & sport