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Tom Chesshyre

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Slow Trains Around Spain: A 3,000-Mile Adventure on 52 Rides Hardcover – 8 April 2021

by Tom Chesshyre (Author)

4.5 349 ratings

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Between soaring mountains, across arid deserts, parched plains and valleys of fruit orchards and olive groves, down glittering coastlines and along viaducts towering above plunging ravines... there is no better way to see Spain than by train.

Tom Chesshyre hits the tracks to take in the country through carriage windows on a series of clattering rides beyond the popular image of "holiday Spain" (although he stops by in Benidorm and Torremolinos too). From hidden spots in Catalonia, through the plains of Aragon and across the north coast to Santiago de Compostela, Chesshyre continues his journey via Madrid, the wilds of Extremadura, dusty mining towns, the cathedrals and palaces of Valencia and Granada, and finally to Seville, Andalusia's beguiling (and hot) capital.

Encounters? Plenty. Mishaps? A lot. Happy Spanish days? All the way.

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Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Summersdale
Publication date

8 April 2021
Dimensions

22.2 x 3.2 x 15 cm
ISBN-10

1787833011
ISBN-13

978-1787833012
See all details

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Product description

Review

If you ever need convincing that it's better to take the train than to fly, this is the book that makes a persuasive case. Follow Tom Chesshyre as he meanders through rural Spain on local and regional train services, stopping off here and there in small communities that are normally by-passed by tourists. A fine read, and a book that will be valued as much by armchair travellers as by those actually planning on visiting Spain. ― Nicky Gardner, hidden europe

A book for our time... It's a lovely read, take it with you on a long, slow train journey; you'll be entertained and inspired. ― Richard Hammond, Green Traveller

By turns humorous and sharply insightful, he affectionately paints a vivid portrait of a deeply divided and contrasting country, bringing to life its characters and landscapes like few other travel writers can. Always curious, witty and intelligent, his writing style and subject matter are deeply rewarding - even cathartic - especially at times when we can't travel ourselves. This is armchair travel at its satisfying best. ― Francisca Kellett, travel writer

In the spirit of Laurie Lee in As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning and in the manner of Philip Larkin chronicling his slow southward journey in The Whitsun Weddings, Chesshyre takes us on a wondrously hypnotic meander across Spain. His attention to detail and unwillingness to be rushed, either as passenger or author, make this a highly relaxing and subtly addictive read. ― Glen Mutel, National Geographic Traveller

Review

“In the spirit of Laurie Lee in As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning and in the manner of Philip Larkin chronicling his slow southward journey in The Whitsun Weddings, Chesshyre takes us on a wondrously hypnotic meander across Spain. His attention to detail and unwillingness to be rushed, either as passenger or author, make this a highly relaxing and subtly addictive read.” - Glen Mutel, National Geographic Traveller

"If you ever need convincing that it's better to take the train than to fly, this is the book that makes a persuasive case. Follow Tom Chesshyre as he meanders through rural Spain on local and regional train services, stopping off here and there in small communities that are normally by-passed by tourists. A fine read, and a book that will be valued as much by armchair travellers as by those actually planning on visiting Spain." - Nicky Gardner, hidden europe

“A book for our time… It’s a lovely read, take it with you on a long, slow train journey; you’ll be entertained and inspired.” - Richard Hammond, Green Traveller

“By turns humorous and sharply insightful, he affectionately paints a vivid portrait of a deeply divided and contrasting country, bringing to life its characters and landscapes like few other travel writers can. Always curious, witty and intelligent, his writing style and subject matter are deeply rewarding – even cathartic – especially at times when we can't travel ourselves. This is armchair travel at its satisfying best.” - Francisca Kellett, travel writer

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Summersdale (8 April 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1787833011
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1787833012
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 22.2 x 3.2 x 15 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 248,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 688 in Railway Transport
- 2,725 in Travel Writing (Books)
- 37,684 in Home & Garden (Books)

Customer reviews:
4.5 349 ratings

About the author

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Tom Chesshyre

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Tom Chesshyre is the author of eleven travel books. His latest is Lost in the Lakes: Notes from a 379-mile Hike Around the Lake District. He lives in London.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

349 global ratings

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Daniel Cross

Excellent travelogue for those that are locomotively minded

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 January 2024

Verified Purchase

Bought as a gift and the recipient said I t was excellent

2 people found this helpful

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C. Smith

Excellent

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 December 2023

Verified Purchase

A great book

2 people found this helpful

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nigpick

More than guidebook

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 January 2024

Verified Purchase

A good yarn about slow train travel through Spain.
Enjoy.

2 people found this helpful

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Alil

A nice, pleasant read full of interesting facts.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 September 2022

Verified Purchase

This is one of those books that draw you into the world of the author and transports you to mainland Spain. The book is really easy to read and there are plenty of excellent descriptions by the author that allow you to visualise his journeys. This is not only a book for railway fanatics, far from it. There is plenty of historical facts about Spain, most of which I had no idea. There are also lots of tips if you are planning a similar journey. It has inspired me and now I’m planning on slow training around Spain in 2023. A recommended read.

7 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Inspirational. A real page-turner, the author keeps you interested from one paragraph to the next.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 October 2022

Verified Purchase

Having walked various pilgrimages around Spain, this book inspires an alternative way to explore alternative parts without the long distance hikes. The only thing I would change (not available when Tom wrote this book), would be to take the TGV to Pau and then train & bus under the Pyrenees to the glorious estacion Canfranc, and then on by train to Jaca and Huesca. I wonder if by now the author has visited Canfranc?

4 people found this helpful

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tpryan

Slow Horsepower

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 February 2024

Verified Purchase

He gets to some interesting parts of Spain and I've done a number of the journeys. But mostly it's about Tom and what he ate and drank. Enjoyable enough bit don't expect too much insight into Spain.

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Henry Layard

A Very Fine Travel Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 May 2021

Verified Purchase

Another fine travel book from Tom Chesshyre. He conveys brilliantly both the sensual pleasure of passing amongst the semi-exotic mountains, rivers, fruits and flowers, alongside the fun of running into interesting and amusing people. Where else, except in Chesshyre’s pages, does one take part in a pro-immigration demo; run into an Australian brigadier in a launderette; and go aboard a hush-hush warship. This reader feels he travels beside him watching the unfolding scene and encountering his gallery of characters. I have long been full of admiration for his descriptive ability and his way of bringing long conversations to life. Slow Trains Around Spain is as captivating as Chesshyre’s previous travel books. Like fine wine, he gets better with the passing time.

13 people found this helpful

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WGCReviewer

Slow trains at a slow pace

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 July 2022

Verified Purchase

This is an interesting account of the author's journey around Spain using slow trains (whenever possible) and the occasional fast train or bus when necessary. The book is slightly odd in that it has the review quotes for this book and other books by the same author at the start so there is a fair amount of pre-amble to step through to get to the actual start. There is a worthwhile note however that this journey was carried out in the summer before Covid-19 so some things may have changed since then. The book starts in London, and as is the style through out the book, the author, briefly mentions a couple of passengers encountered there, both of which seem fairly negative experiences. Whilst I have occasionally experienced these sorts of things travelling in London, I would not think that they are that common and it almost seems that these are hear to contrast later encounters. The basic maps at the start of each chapter are useful. I like the fact that the author talks about trains travel as a more environmentally friendly way of travel. The main focus of this book is that the author chooses to travel on slow trains rather than high speed trains and as one consequence visits places that might otherwise have been missed and gets a very different travelling experience. I found it interesting to hear the type of accommodation stayed in and experiences with ticket collectors, food etc but mainly it was accounts of places visited that I found most interesting and there are several which I would now like to visit myself. The author meets some interesting people along the way but the encounters tend to be brief and there is little depth to these encounters. The author's interest in literature, art and trains comes across very strongly as he visits literary locations (related to Don Quixote, Hemingway, Laurie Lee etc) exhibitions by Dali, Picasso and Goya, and too many rail related exhibits to remember. There are mentions of separatist movements in Spain, but no real conclusions and I did no really learn much about that subject. All in all the book ambles along pretty much like the authors train journey. There are no great dramas or insights, not much in the way of humorous incidents or observations, but still an interesting account of an interesting journey that made me keen to visit some of these places.

23 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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gerbe

Night train to the Sun

Reviewed in the United States on 20 July 2023

Verified Purchase

Took me back to my first train adventure as a seventeen year old in 1982 and travelling fom Port bou to Barcelona and beyond.captured the sights and smells so vividly.

avidreader

Inspiring

Reviewed in Germany on 7 November 2023

Verified Purchase

Very inspiring read. We will not be travelling this way with very shorts stays each place, but the book is very good for tips and inspiration for rail routes.

Alexander Cameron

A Great Read

Reviewed in Spain on 21 April 2022

Verified Purchase

This is a lovely book. I have been living in Seville for fifteen years, and found the book fascinating. A modern Bradshaws guide. Drawings are clear and the text is informative and conversational - it's as if we are sitting in the carriage next to the author. If you are planning to use it to explore Spain, or maybe just want a good read, it's absorbing and well worth a look.

One person found this helpful

David Janssen

Reis mee vanuit je luie stoel

Reviewed in the Netherlands on 21 August 2021

Verified Purchase

Mooi reisverslag! Het heeft me zeker aan het denken gezet om zelf zo’n treinreis te maken. En dan elke dag weer kijken waar de trein je nu weer brengt…

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