The life-changing 11 hour train journey

Yesterday, I was two hours into a seven hour train journey to Scotland when everything came to a sudden stop.

As we pulled into York station one of the train staff made the announcement that the line had been closed ‘due to a person being hit by a train’ a little further up the track.

A common gripe amongst us Brits - aside from the weather, of course - is the poor state of our railway system and how trains are so often prone to cancellations and delays. But I never, ever bitch and moan when the reason for the delay is that a person has chosen to take their life.

I’ve lost a friend to suicide and a few years ago another, very dear friend came dangerously close to taking their life - so close in fact, that they messaged me from a station platform to tell me what they were thinking of doing.

Thankfully, we managed to get that friend the help and support they needed to get through that darkest of periods, but I’ll never forget the terror I felt in that moment, and the overwhelming sorrow that they should have reached that point.

So when the announcement came on the train yesterday all I could think of was the poor person who’d reached that point in their own life.

Thankfully, everyone else on the train - or in my carriage at least- took the unexpected delay in good grace too, even when we were still at York station two hours later.

I was sitting in the carriage next to the onboard cafe/bar and there happened to be a hen party in the seats right by me, who were heading up to Edinburgh for a weekend of celebrations.

Determined not to be thwarted by the delay, and realising they were going to be late for their evening plans, they began getting ready on the train.

The mother of the bride-to-be, who was sitting a couple of seats in front of me, took out her straighteners and set up an impromptu hair salon at her table - and another woman set up an eyelash bar at her seat for everyone in their group.

Once their hair and make-up was done, and we were still in situ, the hens started playing drinking games and knocking back the shots.

It was all very entertaining, especially when people from the carriages in front of ours made their way down to the cafe bar for refreshments and unwittingly walked straight into the mayhem.

My favourite moment was when the hen party were in the middle of a very loud multiple choice quiz about the bride-to- be and a poor guy walked right into the middle of a question about her sexual preferences! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy blush so red!

After about three hours of waiting, and a real fear that the train might be taken out of service, we received the welcome news that we would be on the move again, but via a slower coastal route. Cue a round of celebratory shots for the hen party!

They eventually made it to Edinburgh, and the carriage considerably quietened, leaving only me and a handful of others continuing on up the north east coast of Scotland to Aberdeen.

And when I say coast, I mean it literally. The view from my window was breathtaking and I remained glued to it for the remaining hours of my journey.

a four-legged fellow passenger enjoying the view

Forests gave way to velvety green clifftops, dotted with the old stone ruins of churches and farmhouses, and every so often the cliff edge would gape open and I’d peer down into a craggy bay, and onto white-tipped waves frothing and crashing on the rocks.

And beyond it all, the wrinkled sheet of the sea, reflecting the colours of the sky above, a palette of dark blues and greys.

I racked my brains trying to think of the perfect music to play as I drank in the scene, and remembered the Celtic tunes of Clannad and searched them up on my Spotify.

The combination of the music and scenery was so beautiful and breath-taking it made my eyes fill with tears.

I thought of the stranger who’d so tragically taken their life earlier that day, and how for a brief moment our paths had intersected.

My tears spilled onto my face as I prayed they were now at peace, and I resolved there and then to never take the blessings in my life and the beauty of the world for granted. 

I finally arrived in Aberdeen four hours later than planned, having spent a grand total of eleven hours on the train, feeling nothing but gratitude.

Wishing you all a week of opportunities to appreciate life’s blessings and the world’s beauty.

With love,

Siobhan