Question of the week: Whether it's heading out of London for a day trip, setting off for a weekend elsewhere in the UK, or travelling further afield, do you have any particular favourite points of departure? "I'm from a bit of the world that, strangely, doesn't really 'do' train travel. Utah, where the transcontinental railroad was completed, isn't known for ease of rail travel...
So, when I moved to Britain, I discovered that I love taking trains. If Alice hadn't just written about St. Pancras, I would have. That said, I also love Marylebone Station, as it has managed to maintain some of the old-fashioned magic that I like to associate with riding the rails. As you come up to it from the outside, you can see the replaced glass awning that links the station to the Landmark Hotel. All stations used to have beautiful hotel attached to them, so you could rest before or after your journey, and the Landmark is a beautiful reminder of the tradition. But even the tube station still bears witness to its connection to trains - its original name was Great Central, in honour of the train company that originally ran from the station.
Inside the station you can still see care and attention that the Victorian craftsmen put into designing and building it. It has most of the standard little shops, flowers, cards, WH Smith's, and a variety of food - including a really good cheese shop.
Where can you go from this little piece of heaven? All the way to Birmingham, and beyond - and tickets tend to be cheaper than if you leave from other stations (but the trains stop more frequently as well...). You can also get to places that aren't served by other stations, like Warwick (and its famous castle) and Stratford-upon-Avon (of Shakespeare fame).
Also, the station has been used in many films and TV shows, mostly to represent other, bigger stations like Paddington and Waterloo. My favourite film fact about it is that it appeared in the Beatles' film 'A Hard Day's Night'. For me, that's hard to beat."- Kris
* Photo by redvers, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.
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