Ticket to Ride: Around the World on 49 Unusual Train Journeys

I didn't read this book as it was a gift for a relative, but they seemed to enjoy it. Probably helps if you like trains.

Tom Chesshyre is one of my absolute favourite travel writers, and as we also share a passion for rail travel, I was sure that this book would be a sure fire winner. Sadly, that it not the case, and this is the first of his books that I have read over a period of a week, rather than tearing through from cover to cover.On reflection, some of the writing feels somewhat 'tired', and lacks his characteristic bounce. There are still sections of sparkling, sharply observed prose, but in between, the content can seem somewhat lacklustre, as though he's describing just another train journey.Most of Chesshyre's books are written in stand alone chapters, which often works to his advantage, and make them very readable. However, in this case, there are so few linkages between the chapters that it almost feels as though he's ticking down the list of '49 unusual train journeys' towards completion of his draft. Because he's written wonderfully well about rail travel before, there's also a sense that the subject matter is a little stale, and including a 'grab bag' chapter towards the end which contains a random selection of short railway stories seems a little sloppy.There are still flashes of sheer brilliance. The insurrection he unwittingly provokes on the Ghan across Australia and his account of a boozy weekend with an old college chum in Bordeaux stand out, and his opening and closing chapters (on trainspotting in Crewe and travelling the iconic West Coast railways of Scotland) show what he is capable of.I struggled with giving this a star rating. I have decided to give it 4 stars because it is still a great read compared to virtually any other travel author, and will also appeal to rail enthusiasts.I am looking forward to Tom returning to form with his next offering. Being a great fan of 'How Low Can You Go' (about the opeing up of new travel destinations in Europe due to the rise of the low cost air carriers), may I suggest that he consider a book on the 'opening up' of new tourist destinations in Asia as a result of the proliferation of low cost regional airlines such as AirAsia?

There are two types of people - those who love the adventure and romance of train travel and those who'd rather take the car. If you fall in the former group then you can't fail to enjoy this marvellous book.Tom Chesshyre takes us round the world on a number of trains - and not always the obvious ones (although he does a few of those too). He is an entertaining writer and his tales about the places he visits, the trains he travels in and the people he meets on them are all equally interesting and enjoyable. I particularly liked the chapters on Kosovo and Macedonia & Turkey and Iran. Towards the end he adds a chapter of highlights and anecdotes from previous train trips too - this chapter is rather bitty compared to the rest of the book, but it would be churlish to complain about too many trains in a volume such as this.By the end of his travels, Tom is closer to understanding the fascination of trains and the nature of the train sp... sorry, rail enthusiast. He's considerably closer to becoming one too - don't be too surprised if you spot him at the end of a platform with a thermos and a notebook one day.If you count watching that nice Mr Portillo tootle around clutching his trusty Bradshaw's as one of your guilty pleasures (and I do), then this one is most definitely for you.

Tom Chesshyre in a series of first rate travel books has developed a distinctive and engaging style, taking his readers along for the journey with insight, fine description, wit and and a nose for those out-of-the-way corners that most travellers never stumble on. His latest book, 'Ticket to Ride' has as its theme humanity's enduring love affair with trains and their resurgence, despite fast and cheap air travel, in this age of high speed and green awareness. He straddles the globe - across the US, Australia, Asia: in India and Sri Lanka and nearer to home in Scotland, on a heritage steam line and beyond the Channel Tunnel - and catches up with the ultimate train enthusiasts on Crewe Junction platform and on a train buffs excursion to Kosovo. In all he travels over 22,000 miles on his 49 journeys. It is never less than fun to be on board with him: as Chesshyre points out, rail travel is the great way to meet all sorts and conditions of people - and he knows how to draw the best out of them. This writer goes from strength to strength,

Another enjoyable book which is easy to dip into or get hooked on longer routes.