To the Sea by Train
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
Published on 14. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-80522-157-9 (ISBN)
Description
THE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
'Vividly conjures a lost age' FINANCIAL TIMES
'Hugely entertaining' EVENING STANDARD
'A feast of anecdotage' SUNDAY TIMES
Throughout the twentieth century, the seaside service posters of Britain's railways promised fresh air and frivolity to millions of urban dwellers with the phrase: 'To the sea by train'. A staple of modern British life, the seaside getaway was intertwined with the train, in whose compartments holidaymakers were shunted from smog-choked cities to sandy coves.
With his signature wit and anecdotal style, Andrew Martin captures an era defined by its railways: from the development of Brighton and Scarborough into pleasure resorts, and the introduction of bank holidays and two-day weekends, to the advent of cheap flights and the British coast's subsequent decline. Humorous and evocative, To the Sea by Train takes a charming tour through Britain's most beloved pastime.
'A standalone classic' COUNTRY LIFE
'Infectious' SPECTATOR
'Vividly conjures a lost age' FINANCIAL TIMES
'Hugely entertaining' EVENING STANDARD
'A feast of anecdotage' SUNDAY TIMES
Throughout the twentieth century, the seaside service posters of Britain's railways promised fresh air and frivolity to millions of urban dwellers with the phrase: 'To the sea by train'. A staple of modern British life, the seaside getaway was intertwined with the train, in whose compartments holidaymakers were shunted from smog-choked cities to sandy coves.
With his signature wit and anecdotal style, Andrew Martin captures an era defined by its railways: from the development of Brighton and Scarborough into pleasure resorts, and the introduction of bank holidays and two-day weekends, to the advent of cheap flights and the British coast's subsequent decline. Humorous and evocative, To the Sea by Train takes a charming tour through Britain's most beloved pastime.
'A standalone classic' COUNTRY LIFE
'Infectious' SPECTATOR
Reviews / Votes
Evocatively describes the long-bygone age of travelling by train to seaside resorts. You can almost smell the sea' * Observer * Vividly conjures a lost age * Financial Times * Charming and unashamedly trainspotterish ... infectiously enthusiastic * Spectator * Martin's whimsical little book, a feast of anecdotage, represents a memorial to the past that was not always an idyll * Sunday Times * Beautifully and amusingly written and prodigiously well-informed, * Evening Standard * Martin... has a nudgingly humorous style, occasionally breaking out into the outright comedic, and a novelist's ear for dialogue. Facts are lightly applied, the quirkier the better. [His] account of travelling through Euston and Birmingham New Street and on to the Cambrian Coast Line to Pwllheli is a standalone classic of observational comedy - I couldn't stop laughing. * Country Life * Fascinating... There's a pleasant undercurrent of nostalgia in this clever book.... Martin has a journalistic eye * The Oldie * Praise for Andrew Martin:'Andrew Martin is the railway wizard * Telegraph * Andrew Martin has cornered the train market. He is the Bard of the Buffer, the Balladeer of the Blue Train, the Laureate of Lost Property ... the best sort of travel-writer: inquisitive, knowledgeable, lively, congenial * Mail on Sunday * Martin is entertaining company, alive to the history of his route ... Leaves you with renewed confidence that trains can still be the most civilised way to travel * Financial Times *
More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
Colour plates
Dimensions
Height: 128 mm
Width: 198 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
264 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80522-157-9 (9781805221579)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2025
Profile Books Ltd
€13.49
Available for download
Person
Andrew Martin is a rail expert and author. His previous titles include Underground, Overground, Night Trains, Belles & Whistles, Steam Trains Today and Train Teasers. He is also the author of Seats of London, a field guide to Transport for London's iconic moquette patterns.