Even train delays and waits for buses felt worth it for the space to think and environmental benefits. Our public transport is full of untapped potential
The water was clear enough to notice the sun’s rays touch the seabed. Seconds later, the scene was repeated in light piercing the canopy of a beech tree, spotlighting patches of dry earth below. I stared through the salt-smeared window of the train as it raced north on Devon’s famous Riviera line. In the carriage my skin felt weathered and dry. I hadn’t washed my hair for days. Anyone might think I had been to a festival; but having spent the best part of the week on a boat doing research for a project, I felt like the sea, and preferred it. One arm was stretched across my 65-litre rucksack as I faced the window, its bulky weight my temporary home, my office, my explanation.
When I challenged myself to travel by low-carbon routes during the writing of my book on species in Britain affected by climate change, I experienced the best and worst of our lethargic – yet still often charming – transit network. When public transport works, it really works. As a woman in my 20s, travelling long-distance, especially solo by train and bike, is empowering. Personal space, silence and time are street sweepers on the brain. A stillness descends in the wake of a slower pace, and you’ve forgotten how much you needed it. Yes, you tire, but it’s a tiredness that tells me I’ve gone and done something. I’m not in traffic. I don’t need help with my bag. No, I am not lonely. Nothing is wrong.
Sophie Pavelle is the author of Forget me Not: Finding the forgotten species of climate-change Britain
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