Experiencing the UK train system

Today had been planned long ago. We were travelling from the Lake District down to West Sussex near Surrey to catch up with our good friends Helen & John who live there. There were several travel options - car, flights, and train - and as Carolina loves trains this was the mode of transport we decided to use. So the train bookings were made long ago between Manchester and Haslemere.
The day started with heavy rain for the 90 mins drive back to Manchester to return our rental car. We then boarded the train and all looked good for an uneventful trip down to Surrey. However the UK train system had other plans for us….
Having arrived at Manchester Piccadilly station we found out that the train drivers had decided to go on strike and we could not go beyond Banbury. Instead the train company was in the midst of organising bus services to get passengers further south.
To cut a long story short, 10 hours after leaving the Lake District, and 5 train and bus connections later, we finally rolled into Haslemere to be met by our friend Helen for the short drive to their house. A bit of a marathon day.
Helen and John now live and work in the UK where they own a menswear store. They had arranged a roast chicken dinner at home for us which was a nice ending to what had been a long day.Read more