As you know, we went to Berwick Upon Tweed for our family holiday this year. We don't drive so the best way for us to travel is by train. With a choice of 2 operators on the East coast line, one stands out as being the best for our family. Cross Country.
A few days before we left, I messaged them on Facebook to ask which type of train we would be getting that day. I explained my son Liam is train crazy and wanted to know which class it was and they got back to me within minutes and told me. That really made my son's day!
We got the train from Cumbernauld to Motherwell, with Scotrail, then from Motherwell to Berwick with Cross Country. The fare was very cheap for 2 adults and 1 child, Sophie went free as she is under 5, priced at £90 and of course I reserved our seats, I always do. The tickets were booked 2 months in advance. I was lucky enough to get us seats together at a table. It means that Liam and I can face the way we are travelling (we both suffer with travel sickness). The other great thing is the coach we were on was nice and cool so it was comfortable for everyone.
The Train manager was happy and friendly on our journey down. He had a smile for everyone and when making announcements he was upbeat. So many times I have been on train journeys and the person making announcements have sounded as if they don't want to be there so it was refreshing to have someone pleasant and welcoming.
Our service ran on time. I had downloaded the app before we left so I could keep tabs on what platform and if there would be any delays. The app is free to download on the app store and android.
All too quickly our holiday was over and it was time to head back to the train station. I checked the app to see which platform we would be leaving from and noticed that the 12:22 was on time and the noted as cancelled. With 2 children we did worry that we would be stranded with nowhere to stay if the services were to be cancelled all day. When I got to the platform, the Cross Country staff were only too happy to help. Turns out the overhead wires had been damaged and trains between Newcastle and Edinburgh had been cancelled but they had sourced a diesel train which was sitting at our platform and luckily for us was going via our destination. They had put extra carriages on too but it meant that our seat reservations were void. That was fine though as we managed to get seats together, again facing the way we were travelling, in a nice air conditioned coach.
The train set off on time and once again the train manager was friendly. He apologised for the previous delays (before we had got there) even though it was beyond their control and was actually a Network rail issue. They also had a refreshments service on both journeys with a good range of food and drinks. We never used them as we had our own food with us but the prices were reasonable from what I could see from the price list.
Would I recommend Cross Country? Yes, I really would. Great prices and great service. The perfect start to your holiday!
This post first appeared on Angela - Mother, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Anxiety S, please read the originial post: here
