Usually when I tell my friends I'm heading back to London for a few days the typical response is: "What time's your train, mate?" And without fail, my response to that question is always met with the same baffled reaction; some version of: "Why on earth would you get the coach?"
While many will prefer the train, I've never felt settled on long-distance trains. Maybe it's because of the clickety-clack noise of when wheel meets steal, maybe it's because there's often far more people on a train than on the coach, which makes it difficult to relax.
Whatever the reason, whenever I'm travelling back from Nottingham to Golders Green, London, (my family home) I much prefer to travel from Broadmarsh Coach Station. At around £20 for a return ticket, which is much cheaper than a National Rail ticket I might add, it's a no-brainer.
The journey back takes me about two-and-a-half hours - about an hour longer than a train would take - but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
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Obviously, the train has many benefits but I find the coach to be far more peaceful than any journey I've taken on a train and it gives me a chance to do something I've never been able to accomplish on the railway - get some uninterrupted sleep. It's as if there's an unspoken, unwritten rule about having to be as quiet as possible when you're coaching your way down to London. That suits me down to the ground.
An opportunity to recharge my batteries so I'm ready for whatever I've got planned when I get back to London is invaluable. I'd also argue, and maybe I'm on my own here, that the National Express coaches are far comfier than trains too.
More often than not you'll have an aisle to yourself and a chance to properly stretch your legs. That's not something you can ever guarantee on the train as some of the time you may even have stand up while you wait patiently to arrive at your destination.
The peace and tranquillity of a coach is also an optimum chance to get stuck into a book and a TV show without the chance of being interrupted by the noise of chatter nearby. I even took a coach from Nottingham to Newcastle a few weeks ago and I have never slept better (though being a touch hungover may have had something to do with that).
Yes, a train will get you places faster. But if you're looking for the most relaxing mode of long-distance transport to some city or town in the UK, give the National Express a go, you won't be disappointed.
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