When Greta Thunberg sailed across the Atlantic on board a zero-carbon yacht to demonstrate her commitment to cutting CO₂ emissions, she took the world by storm. Her actions helped to raise global awareness of the growing climate crisis and encouraged many to re-evaluate how they travel. ‘Flight shaming’ soon entered the lexicon and the ‘Greta effect’ well and truly took off.

There’s so much more to rail travel than simply minimising your impact on the environment. It represents time for you to unwind, get a sense of a country, read that book you’ve always wanted to or enjoy a glass of wine in the restaurant car while gazing out at an endless horizon. So as the slow travel movement gathers pace, here are our top 7 reasons you should consider the train and not a plane.