Sustainable romance

Let’s face it, Valentine’s Day can be pretty unsustainable. Plastic wrapped unseasonal roses, chocolates with more packaging than taste, underwear that nobody in their right mind would wear more than once…

The list is endless.

So this Valentine’s Day why not do things a bit differently. Why not choose to save the planet with the one you love.

A train journey ride made for two

It’s time to grab your matching super-suits, pack your favourite picnic and jump on a train to somewhere romantic.

Okay so choosing the train instead of the car might not make you feel like you’re making a difference but if enough of us do exactly that as often as we can manage, we’ll cut our carbon emissions and help make our streets more friendly for people choosing to use active transport like walking or cycling.

Also, train travel can be super romantic.

Think about it. Two people on a lonely platform, the train arrives, you snuggle up together to enjoy the scenery (and a sneaky tin-gin), you emerge at a pretty/intriguing/entertaining location. And explore together. who knows what might happen next?

But where to go on this train adventure to Romance Land?

That might be the tricky bit but luckily we here at Fi Darby Freelance have already donned our Cupid outfits (wings and all) and we’ve come up with five suggestions of romantic locations you can visit by train this Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s adventures by train

1. Run up that hill to Wuthering Heights

Okay so uphill running can get a bit sweaty for romance but a 1.6 km walk from atmospheric Haworth Station on the Keighley and Worth Valley Steam Railway will get you to the trig point at Penistone Hill. Not only will you be walking in Bronte country, you’ll have travelled on the railway that was the location of the original Railway Children film.

Check out our tips for planning a walking route from a train station.

Station: Keighley Station (swap platforms for the steam railway)

Don’t say: ‘Let me in your window!’

Do say: ‘Whatever our souls are made of, yours and mine are the same.’

2. Swoon over ice cream in beautiful Bath

Some people might shiver at the idea of ice cream in February but when the gelato bar is called ‘Swoon‘ and is set in the middle of one of the UK’s most romantic cities, we think you’ll be onto a passionate winner. Only a trip to Sicily itself could be more amorous than pistachios from the slopes of Mount Etna.

Station: Bath Spa Station

Don’t say: ‘Can I lick yours?’

Do say: ‘Amore mio!’

3. Spend a night in a lonely waterside hostel

Okay so at £400 for the night, you might need to share this Valentine’s night (but not your bunk bed) with friends but there’s surely not much that’s more romantic than a lochside hostel, just big enough for 20, that you can only arrive to by train (or a long walk) on the wonderfully adventurous West Highland Line.

Loch Ossian Hostel is a Hostelling Scotland Hostel and gets booked up early. We were surprised to find that, at the time of writing, Valentine’s night was available for a group booking.

Station: Corrour Station

Don’t say: ‘I forgot the whisky.’

Do say: ‘Fancy a moonlight stroll?’

4. Snuggle down to Cornwall on the Night Riviera Sleeper

We’re back to bunk beds again here but we reckon that going to sleep as you pull away from London and waking up in beautiful Cornwall is as romantic a train adventure as anyone can conjure up. On your arrival in Penzance you’ll be near enough to the beach to smell it and from there it’s a short stroll around the bay to a  romantic causeway crossing to your very own Valentine’s Island AKA St Michael’s Mount.

Station: Penzance Station

Don’t say: ‘Mouse Hole.’

Do say: ‘Fancy breakfast at Sullivan’s Diner?’

5. Hunt for snowdrops at Chirk Castle

It’s a short but steep walk from Chirk Station to wonderful Chirk Castle where you’ll not only discover a super-romantic set of gates for that perfect Valentine Insta-moment, you’ll also be able to tour the gardens and find hundreds of beautiful spring snowdrops.

Station: Chirk Station

Don’t say: ‘Can I put you in the stocks?’

Do say: ‘Rwy’n dy garu di.’