Bucket list journeys

[A S Leib]

The start of a new year seems as good of a time as any to ask what your bucket list journeys are. It can be anything, as long as it's related to public transport, including destinations (exhibits, museums etc.) or types of journeys rather than routes or cities.

 

[StephenHunter]

The VSOE, obviously.

Also, the sleeper to Kyiv.

 

[Iskra]

I’m lucky enough to have done most of the epic rail journeys that I ever wanted to.

I suppose a couple that remain are the Bernina Express and Belgrade-Bar, both of which are achievable. More speculatively I would like to do the Trans-Siberian or Trans-Mongolian, but the political climate would need to alter before I feel comfortable returning to Russia.

 

[xotGD]

Ashington

 

[sh24]

London-Tehran (though the propensity for kidnapping by the Islamic state makes me rather nervous about that journey)
More of Central Asia
Abidjan-Ouagadougou (though security makes that tricky)
The Tazara

 

[12LDA28C]

The Rocky Mountaineer in Canada, in Winter.

 

[mikeg]

Belgrade to Bar during summer. Have come so close to doing this and then Covid happened. Have since visited Serbia, Belgrade in fact, but only during the winter. As a result only the overnight service was running.

Maybe one day I can take the train from Vilnius to Minsk if it ever runs again? I did nearly do this but was unsure about the Belarus visa on arrival policy and whether it'd apply so didn't risk it, this was only a few weeks after the invasion of Ukraine, so may have been extra risky. Hence me not doing it, but did seriously consider it. It actually had only recently started operating after a covid suspension, only to get suspended because of sanctions. Probably my biggest 'missed opportunity', hence an honorary bucket list member should it get reinstated.

 

[Stuwhu]

Reddish South to Stalybridge

 

[steamybrian]

Newcastle to Ashington
Castleford to York
Bicester to Milton Keynes (assuming it opens in 2025)

 

[signed]

- The Canadian in winter
- One of the Amtrak coast-to-coast trips
- Both Bernina Express (did it in Summer and was absolutely magnificient) and Brenner Pas in winter

 

[mikeg]

To be honest I'd also forgotten about the UK journeys I want to do, notably the Far North Line. Oh that and depart Paddington. I've covered vast amounts of the GB rail network, including Great Western and used most London terminals but never actually departed Paddington yet. I feel this needs to finally be addressed as it's a pretty gaping gap.

 

[A S Leib]

Of very varying difficulties / likelihood to happen

• Thanet Parkway, Ashley Down, Portway Park and Ride and (once open) the rest of the Northumberland line and Winslow
• The other lines in the UK I haven't been on yet (mostly north of Crianlarich, in Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire, in south Wales and west of Plymouth)
• Visit Ireland / Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Scilly and Orkney and Shetland
• Visit the Kusttram, Snaefell, Snowdon Mountain, Harz and Jungfrau Railways
• Visit every EU / Schengen / de-facto Schengen country by rail (except those without railways)
• Go from coast to coast in Australia or Canada

 

[StephenHunter]

To be honest I'd also forgotten about the UK journeys I want to do, notably the Far North Line. Oh that and depart Paddington. I've covered vast amounts of the GB rail network, including Great Western and used most London terminals but never actually departed Paddington yet. I feel this needs to finally be addressed as it's a pretty gaping gap.

I want to do the Settle and Carlisle.

 

[30907]

The Pajares and bits of ex-FEVE in Northern Spain, plus Algeciras and the old route to Malaga are on my list, as are various lines in the (Italian) Appennines. Loads of UK and Swiss lines I'd like to revisit too, and much of Portugal.

 

[MrJeeves]

I've not touched any c2c service in my life, which is something I would like to tick off even if just to say I've ridden another TOC.

Other than that, I've been lucky enough to do both Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh and Leeds - Settle - Carlisle, which we're both absolutely stunning journeys. I was also surprised by the views on the Leeds - York service via Harrogate.

I'd like to do the Windermere branch line at some point, which I sadly had to can on a recent day of travel.

 

[Krokodil]

• Sicily train ferry (that's in this year's plans)
• Miniatur Wunderland (ditto)
• Mollibahn
• Narvik
• Photograph the Oban line avalanche signals
• Durango & Silverton (2026?)
• Vivarais Mallets
• UK to Istanbul (I did Bucharest this year, want to push further)
• Majorca heritage electrics
• Bernina Express
• Photograph SP 4449 running with a matching Daylight consist (I can dream, can't I?)
• Steam across Victoria Falls
• Pyongyang railway museum - can you imagine?
• Former USSR steam
• Around the world by rail and sea (I'd have to be retired, and Putin be six feet under to make this achievable)

 

[Harpo]

I've not touched any c2c service in my life, which is something I would like to tick off even if just to say I've ridden another TOC.

To make that more palatable tie it in with SS Waverleys annual September/October Thames cruises, especially the spectacular late evening arrivals to Tower pier through an opened Tower Bridge. Pick it up from Southend Pier Head and tick off the pier railway too.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Of very varying difficulties / likelihood to happen

• Visit every EU / Schengen / de-facto Schengen country by rail (except those without railways)

I'm missing Greece, Latvia and Lithuania from this set, and wanted to reach Istanbul (having got as far as Sofia before).
None of these is exactly easy at the moment, and I don't do sleepers so Istanbul is out.
Sofia-Thessaloniki is out too, with no trains across the border.
The recent train crash in Greece put me off domestic services.
The Baltics are getting better but still take a lot of time Warsaw-Vilnius-Riga-Tallinn.
I have unfinished business in Slovakia (crossed the country by rail but haven't "set foot" there yet) - had hoped to see the Tatras one day by rail.
I'd like to visit Mediterranean islands with railways (done Sicily), but the logistics for Corsica and Sardinia are too complex (ferries/flights).
Mallorca sounds too touristy, but the trip to Soller looks nice (at least on the Mallorca Files!).
I do have a 5-day Interrail ticket for 2025 but haven't decided where/when to go yet, probably DE/CZ.
Altogether I've done 25 EU/EFTA countries plus RS/UA.

 

[Gathursty]

Land/take off from Barra Airport.
Visit the microstates in the EU - Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein and Vatican City. Already been to Luxembourg.

 

[A S Leib]

Visit the microstates in the EU - Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein and Vatican City. Already been to Luxembourg

Being pedantic, Malta's the only country generally considered a microstate which is an EU member state, at less than a sixth of Luxembourg's area (but around five-sixths of its population).

 

[Oldgaloot]

I used to work in London and commuted on an annual season which gave me unlimited tube travel. I always intended to travel out to the terminus on each line. Who could resist Morden or Chingford? Me, although it wasn't planned that way. Given sufficient time and energy, I might still have a go.

The other London-centric thing I'd like to do is to travel as far up and down river as possible from the Festival Pier. I'm wondering if the Hampton Court to Barking route might be able to connect to others and thus extended?

 

[Leogilbert007]

The start of a new year seems as good of a time as any to ask what your bucket list journeys are. It can be anything, as long as it's related to public transport, including destinations (exhibits, museums etc.) or types of journeys rather than routes or cities.

Really want to do an ALR trip