UK's Railway Isolation Unveiled: Map Highlights Distant Towns from Nearest Train Stations, With Some Enduring Two-Hour Journeys to Reach Platforms
Out of Sight, Off the Rails: Britain's Most Isolated Towns for Train Travel
Traveling to some of Britain's most charming towns can be a pain in the butt if you ain't got a car. These picture-perfect locations, from seaside resorts to quaint market towns, are often the worst-connected by rail, leaving commuters stranded like fish out of water.
MailOnline takes a look at the UK's overlooked railway deserts, where a train ticket might as well be a one-way ticket to nowhere.
Abandoned to Obscurity
When it comes to rail isolation, none compares to Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute, which is 87 miles or over two hours' drive from the nearest station at Oban. This remote Scottish beauty has never been connected to the country's main rail network, even before the infamous Beeching cuts of the 1960s. All it had was a station on a light railway network to Machrihanish between 1906 and 1934, but that's as far as it goes.
And don't forget, it's not just the lack of trains that makes this town a pain in the arse to get to, but the crazy-long drive to reach the nearest station. Think about that, pissing away your day on the road instead of enjoying a pint at the local pub!
Campbeltown made headlines this week for being the cheapest seaside town in the UK, with an average house price of a measly £103,000. But if you ask us, who the hell wants to live in a place like that? No trains, no nightlife, just endless miles of nothingness.
England's Lost Souls
In England, the town furthest from a train station is Bude in Cornwall, which is 29 miles from the tiny, out-of-the-way Okehampton. It's as if someone deliberately stuck it in the middle of nowhere just to piss off visitors.
Moving along, Hay-on-Wye in Powys, Wales, is 21 miles from the nearest station at Hereford. Meanwhile, over in Scotland, Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire is 35 miles from the nearest stop at Inverurie, and nearby Peterhead is 31 miles away from the same station. Talk about being left out in the cold.
The Deserted Stations
Even towns with stations can find themselves stranded by infrequent services or isolated routes that are often deserted. Denton, near Manchester, is the UK's least-used railway station, with just two trains each week, on Saturdays no less.
The winding nature of some rural routes in Scotland and Wales means towns in areas connected by rail are still much quicker to travel between by car. It's like the rail system is trying to tell you something – stay the hell away from our remote towns!
Where to Go When Going Nowhere
Here's a rundown of some of the UK's railway deserts:
Furthest towns from stations
- Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute (87 miles from Oban)
- Bude, Cornwall (29 miles from Okehampton)
- Hay-on-Wye, Powys (21 miles from Hereford)
- Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire (35 miles from Inverurie)
- Many more isolated locations scattered around the UK
Least-used stations
- Denton, Greater Manchester (54 entries/exits per year)
- Shippea Hill, Cambridgeshire (70 entries/exits per year)
- Ince & Elton, Cheshire (86 entries/exits per year)
- Polesworth, Warwickshire (118 entries/exits per year)
- More stations with limited use can be found across the UK
Cling to Hope, But Watch Out for Sharks
While some expect rail services in remote areas to be sparse, there are pockets of hope hiding in sight. Technological advancements, such as satellite internet projects, promise to improve connectivity in these areas, potentially making rail travel more accessible. Keep your fingers crossed, but don't get your hopes too high – you might just end up with a sting in your tail.
- The lack of connectivity in Campbeltown, Scotland, extends beyond railways, as the town's average house price of £103,000 might make some potential buyers question its lifestyle appeal, given its isolation and long drives to the nearest station.
- England's Bude in Cornwall, 29 miles from the tiny, remote Okehampton, and Wales' Hay-on-Wye in Powys, 21 miles from the nearest station at Hereford, share a similar fate, seemingly stuck in the middle of nowhere with limited transportation options.
- In contrast to the often sparse rail services in remote areas, some technological advancements offer glimmers of hope for improved connectivity, such as satellite internet projects, which could make rail travel more accessible in these isolated locations, giving commuters a reason to stay hopeful despite the potential pitfalls.
