From London ☎️ to Edinburgh 🏴
There's something undeniably romantic about train travel.
The gentle rhythm of the tracks, the shifting landscapes rolling past your window, the brief intimacy of sharing a carriage with strangers whose paths you'll never cross again.
I've always loved catching the train, though I'll admit — sometimes it can be a bit of a bore.
After sampling the various services running between London and Edinburgh, I've reached a firm conclusion: LNER is in a league of its own. Premium, dependable and comfortably appointed.
My least favourite? Lumo. I won't get into it further — but I wouldn't wish the experience on you. So if in doubt, LNER. Consider that your public service announcement.
The WiFi situation on board, however, leaves a great deal to be desired. With roughly four hours and thirty minutes between King's Cross and Waverley, I find myself with an abundance of time to ponder.
And what have I been pondering, you ask? Oh, the usual — the meaning of life, an existential quarter-life crisis, whether I left the oven on. You know how it goes.
That said, I genuinely don't mind a train journey, particularly when accompanied by the following:
A Good Book
I'm currently in a severe reading drought. If you have any recommendations, please drop me an email at ashleyomar@proton.me — I'm not terribly fussy. My go-to tends toward non-fiction. Right now I'm working through Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialised World by David Epstein. Please don't expect a formal book report, but I will lovingly discuss it with you in person over a glass of something nice.
The book in Question, I’d say it’s definitely worth a read.
A Travel Companion
I say this a little tongue in cheek, as someone who actually likes to get work done on long journeys. There's a particular luxury in a lengthy train ride that short-haul flights simply can't replicate. The space to reply to those niggling emails. The quiet to write about what's on your mind. Or — better still — the freedom to chat up an intriguing stranger sitting across from you. To pick their brains about life, their woes, their fantasies. And if it's done in style? Well, what say you to a Eurostar from London to Paris? It's been a while since je parlais Français, mais pour vous, tout est possible.
Me pictured diccing into a delicious slice of pizza
A Good Playlist
I've done away with the AI-generated algorithms that Spotify churns out and thrown it right back to the iPod Classic days.
These days, I spend my time wandering through CD and vinyl shops, intrigued by the delightful colours that leap out at me from the racks.
There's something deeply satisfying about curating your own listening experience rather than surrendering to a artificial generated playlist.
Here are three tracks that stood out to me on this particular journey:
Poor Thang — J. Cole (the entire album is exceptionally good and absolutely worth a listen)
So that's Edinburgh calling. Until next time — whether from a train carriage, a hotel balcony or somewhere entirely unexpected.
Ashley x