Travelling Man (Again)

Yesterday was another Devon run – I didn’t get to go down (Fnarr!) last week due to feeling ill, so it ended up being this week instead.

I was doing the trip with my direct boss, and he suggested that instead we went by train instead of driving. I’m not quite sure of the reasoning – except it meant we didn’t do stupid mileage – but all told it wasn’t an experience I wish to repeat.

The journey down was OK – as much as train journeys ever are – but it took just over four hours when the drive takes three. So leaving home at 5.45, train at 6.30, into the Devon office just after 10:30.  (Usually if I leave at 6 I’m in the office at 9 – 9.30)

To be fair, we got a bundle of stuff done, several meetings, and some very happy customers.

For whatever reasons, we stayed overnight at a local hotel (well, pub with rooms) and came back this morning.  And that journey was a pig.

We’d forgotten it was half-term, which meant the train back was absolutely packed. It had eight carriages, with three “First Class” carriages which were utterly empty. (No idea why – I assume that Devon -> London has a lot of First Class passengers usually) The other five carriages were all full, every seat with a ‘reserved’ ticket on it.

So instead I ended up standing all the way from Devon to Reading, where I finally got a seat for a whole 20 minutes.

The journey back to Milton Keynes took three and a half hours (which wasn’t too bad) and then another half-hour to get back to the office.

All told, it’s been a long journey. I feel like the time’s been a little bit wasted – particularly today – and could’ve been much better used if I had the long one-day trip instead of splicing it between two days in this way.

Still, it’s done, and I’m home now.