I've developed something of an affinity with train travel. It really is the only way to travel; more relaxing than a car or a motorcycle; doesn't demand perpetual physical exertion like cycling; is infinitesimally less terrifying than flying; and doesn't elicit constant nausea a la sailing.
The only way to travel.
In fact, I have been known to use trains just for the sake of the journey - rather than the actual destination. And this first report is a case in point.
The railway. It traverses all that's rustic; only breaching town or city limits when it absolutely must.
Out of the window on this particular trip, the hills of Hampshire undulated with a therapeutic quality; cattle grazed; deer bounded to the secretion of thickets rustling in the autumn breeze; the seasonal rain beat out a steady tattoo on the window pane.
My vessel today, a Class 159 South Western turbo, was empty save a for sedate contingent of the weekend warrior set, snoring softly as they were effortlessly chauffeured from the big smoke after a weekend of being totally appalling individuals.
I, on the other hand, was in remarkably fine fettle after a Saturday evening which largely comprised X Factor viewing and masturbation - so I took a seat and settled in for the ride.
One can partake of a diverse range of pastimes whilst on the train...
You can read:
You can write:
You can get drunk:
And if you have any nous about you, come the cessation of the trip, you should be met by a large body of water - or the sea, if you will...
In which case, hasten to the first venue which looks ripe for a spot of lunch; order a plate of maritime-based fare; preferably having been freshly plucked from the murky depths of the English channel, and feast with wild abandon. The day, after all, has been a roaring success...
Then perhaps a walk along the beach, the scrunch of shale underfoot, the chatter of sea gulls and the fizz of the tide...
Life indeed has the potential to be sweet...