Spain holidays by train: Is it possible to explore the land of tapas by rail?
There's something I still find boyishly thrilling about the idea of getting on a train in London and getting off it six hours later in, say, the South of France, as I did a couple of years ago for a holiday. Its a strange world, isnt it, wheregetting on an old-fashioned train is actually more exciting than takingoff in a modern aircraft?
High-speed: The Ave network criss-crosses Spain
There are lots of reasons why travelling by train is on the increase nowadays. Its more romantic, its more environmentally friendly, it ought to be cheaper (although in this country thats not always the case), it beats sitting in traffic jams, and it gives one a real sense of the distance travelled.
Sure, if you want to go from one place with TV, mini-bar and air-conditioning to another place with TV, mini-bar and air-conditioning in the fastest possible time without encountering anything interesting on the way, then the plane is probablybest. But if you want an experience, to meet people, and to investigatenot only your destination but points of interest on the way, it has to be the train.
But just how realistic is it to travel long distances by train these days? Is it cheaper? Are connections easy? What about luggage? I thought Id test it out by goingto Spain, a country investing billions of pounds on a new high-speed network. And would this method of travel interest those Britons who currently fly to their holiday apartments on the Costas?
Stunning gardens: The Royal Palace in Madrid
After a few hours shouting! at my c omputer and trying to work out the different timetables and pricing systems of European rail companies, I gave up and instead booked my entire trip through Great Rail Journeys.
Run by former British Rail employees,the firm also provides you with a guide to escort you at crucial moments - especially handy when platform announcements are made in a language you might not be familiar with.
My journey started at St Pancras and the Eurostar journey to Paris was, as ever, a dream. In the French capital, however, there is the problem of changing stations - for trainsto Spain you have to leave Gare du Nord and travel to Gare dAusterlitzon the other side of the city.
Impressive: Nigel admires the view of Ronda's aqueduct
This was one of the times I was glad of assistance from my Great Rail Journeys guide, who helped make the switch as painless as possible. However, not even the guide could solve the next problem: waiting an hour for my train at a station where there is a near total lack of seating. And all this while carrying your own bags.
Luggage is where the train experiencecompares badly with flying. Theres no moment when you can breathe a sigh of relief as your cases are checked in, leaving you free to wander off with just a shoulder bag.
When travelling by train, you are stuck with them - stuffing them into inadequate shelving or hoisting them on to overhead racks, and then heaving them off again.
At Gare dAusterlitz I boarded the wonderful Francisco de Goya overnight train to Madrid, and this was where the adventure really began. A proper dining car for supper and breakfast the next morning, my own cabin with a shower (I was travellingGran class - the most luxurious), and the scenery of France and then Spain shooting past my window.
The cabins interior was beautifully designed in a sort of retro Sixties pink plastic cladding, but the designer did! seem to have forgotten to include anywhere to put luggage. Nevertheless, it was a treat to find, on returning to the cabin after supper, that the beds had been made with fresh, clean sheets.
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During the night we must have crossedthe Pyrenees because for an hour or two I vaguely remember clonking uphill, before rattling downhill with the brakes on. But sleep was stillpossible, much more so than even on an overnight flight in Business Class.
Park life: The lake and monument to former Spanish king Alfonso XII at Madrid's Parque del Retiro
On arrival in Madrid, I felt so refreshed that I was able to go immediately on a four-hour sightseeing walk, ending at the Palacio Real with its endless rooms of rich furnishings and ceilings painted by Tiepolo.
And that night, I still had the energy to check out the tapas bars of the Plaza de Santa Ana and enjoy amojito on The Penthouses roof terrace, with its panoramic views over the city.
The next day I decided to look aroundMadrids parks. I didnt go to the Prado or any of the other fabulous art galleries because I knew Id get sucked in for the whole day. Madridis a place in which one could spend a week doing nothing but looking atart - I know, Ive done it.
Gastronomic delights: Mahon cheese with mebrillo
This time, with the sun shining, I wanted to take in the botanical gardens and the Parque del Retiro.
There are trees everywhere in Madrid,more even than London. It was Easter and the Judas trees, or arboles deamor, were blooming with a luscious lilac colour.
For the next stage of my journey, I headed to Atocha station, which has a grand atrium full of tropical plants and tall banana trees - a jungle in the best possible sense. There was a freshness to the air, which raised the spirits in a way no airport waiting lounge can.
Refreshing: Trees and light in Atocha Train Station, Madrid
The high-speed train from Madrid to Ronda stops at Antequera to change from the international to the national gauge. How they achieved this without lifting the carriage and changing the bogies underneath, I dont know. Still, an English rail buff in obligatory anorak - the first of his kind I met on this trip - told me excitedly that in Belarus, thats exactly what they do.
On we chugged to Ronda, but at far slower speeds than we had been travelling before. Ronda, in south-west Spain, is a town with a famous view. An aqueduct, the Puente Nuevo, spans an enormous gorge.
Although the view from the bridge andfrom below it is impressive, theres more to Ronda than just a photo-opportunity. Ronda was part of Roman Spain, and then part of Moorish Spain, and so has a strange mix of cultures; tucked away in its winding streets are houses, churches and museums, some with beautifully laid-out Arabic gardens and courtyards.
Sweeping views: Ronda offers incredible views of the Andalucian countryside
It is also the home of the oldest bull-ring in Spain - you ca! n walk a mong the maze of backstage passages through which the bulls are herded. Next to this is Rondas famous riding school, where equestrians have developed their skills for 300 years.
The day I was there, some young riders were being put through their paces by a very exotic-looking riding teacher in a black bandana. One can see why Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles were so in love with the bravura of this town.
A light breeze ensured that walking around Ronda was not insufferably hot, and eating outside was pleasant even without shade. Another advantage of the slower journey south by train is the food.
All along the way I sampled Spanish dishes of the highest quality; seafood, paellas, artichokes and ham, andasparagus with eggs. Not for me that queasy feeling you get when you gostraight from airport fare to beach snacks. A few days in and I was becoming quite a gastronome grilled peppers, cheese with membrillo (a delicious quince jelly), and thick, dark hot chocolate with churros, or long dunking doughnuts.
Since, on the train, the journey itself becomes the experience, not the arriving, it is difficult to makea fair comparison between air and rail travel. There are downsides and advantages to both.
But I believe that despite, or perhaps because of, its many eccentricities, the train is a whole lot more fun. In fact, I can imagine becoming a train nut myself.
As we changed back to the high-speed track at Antequera on the return journey to Madrid, I met my second anorak of the trip and found myself listening with genuine interest while he told me that we were changing from 1.678 gauge to 1.40. Or was it the other way round? I cant remember.
Travel facts
Independent travellers can book tickets through Rail Europe (0844 848 4070, www.raileurope.co.uk). A return fare from London to Paris on Eurostar, overnight train to Madrid and onward travel to Ronda costs from 316pp.
Great Rail Journeys (0! 1904 734 154, www.greatrail.com)offers a 17-day Marrakech Express escorted tour from 2,995pp, available on a selection of dates between October 7, 2011, and October 13, 2012. It includes First Class rail travel (Standard Premier Class onEurostar); 14 nights hotel accommodation with breakfast; four lunches and four dinners; two nights on the Francisco de Goya sleeper service; sightseeing tours of Madrid, Ronda, Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Fez and Seville; excursions to the Atlas Mountains, Meknes and Volubilis; transfers and the services of a tour manager throughout. An 11-day tour returning by air from Marrakech is also available.
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