Trains
Travelling by train gives you the opportunity for relaxed, carefree travel as you can sit back while the train does all the hard work.
The UK's train network extends to most of the country's major towns and cities from the northern reaches of Scotland to the south coast of England. On the whole trains will connect you from city to city. You will then probably need to change to travel to the small areas in the region.
Trains in the UK used to all be run by one company called British Rail, but in the mid 1990s it was sold off in sections to 25 different companies. This means that at some of the major cities in the UK will have several different train companies utilising the station. To avoid confusion as to which operator to buy tickets from the best option is to get in touch with National Train Enquiries on 0845 484950.
As the UK's major capital London is one of the busiest rail areas and has nine separate train stations that will take you to all parts of the UK and beyond. To travel to the north of the country you are likely to travel from either King's Cross, Euston or Marylebone, while trains going south usually go from Charing Cross, London Bridge, Paddington, Victoria and Waterloo.
If you're planning on using the train to help you get further afield then Waterloo is the main station for the Eurostar, which will take you to Paris, Brussels and Lille as well as direct to Disneyland Paris. Trains from Victoria link you to Gatwick Airport, trains from Paddington take you to Heathrow Airport and trains from Liverpool Street connect with Stanstead Airport.
In terms of buying tickets there are a number of ways you can do this; over the phone with the train company, online with sites like thetrainline.com or from your local train station. It is always better to buy your ticket before you get on the train as you may be fined if you travel without one. The other advantage to buying your ticket in advance is that you may be able to get significant discounts on the standard price.