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I've just had someone (not a member) say about his son "he's too young to travel by train" and I was - err - surprised.  I won't tell you the son's age (yet), but I wondered if the Dad might be considered to be a "helicopter parent".

This question is the age that YOU first travelled alone.   I will add another for "how old would your son have to be, today, for you to let him travel alone"

on a local service such as misery rail/tube - about 10

Long distance - about 12 but that was being put on and picked up

I think was about 10 or 11 went from Polegate to Eastbourne - however my Dad didn't actually know that :P

Buses - I reckon about 12 or 13.

Trains, I think it was 16. This wasn't because of any particular worry for my safety on the part of my folks, just that we didn't use the train that much!

11 years old on a 'local' train. Taunton to Bristol

I was 14 before I travelled alone by train but I was travelling alone on the bus at the age of three!

To be fair, everyone on the bus (between the village of Wookey and the nearby city of Wells in Somerset, where I attended kindergarten) knew me and even the driver lived 2 doors up from us, plus it would wait for someone to meet me at either end if there was any delay - but technically I was travelling alone.

On the local buses, I was about 12.  We didn't have a railway line near us so it wasn't until I was 16 that I travelled alone on a train.

I was probably 10 when I first travelled alone by train. Southampton Terminus (that dates me) to Slough via Reading. I'd done the journey many times before with my parents.

It was to bring my my brand new first bike a Herclules! I was put in charge of the guard, I can't remember what happened at Reading., but I obviously made it.

As for buses around 4 I would be put on the No. 1 at Bittererne by my mother and my grandfather would pick me up in Manor Road Woolston. I think the conducior was told to put me off there.

On buses I was probably about 9 or 10, travelling daily to School in Stourbridge (west Midlands). This involved a half mile walk at each end of the bus journey. On trains I guess I would about 14, as by then we had moved to Evesham and trains were a more important segment of the transport infrastructure there. My brother travelled daily from Evesham to school at Stourbridge for a while at the age of 12, which, of course involved a change at Worcester Shrub Hill.

After my first few solo (or with my younger brother) rail trips there was no stopping us. Bank Holiday trips Evesham to Ledbury just to ride on the bank holiday extras hauled by Castles or Manors was a regular. And I haven't grown up since!

10 on the train. Used to get a platform ticket at Newport (3d in old money) and trundle to Cardiff and back.  Long, long ago.  Mostly first generation DMUs in those days so you could sit behind the driver and watch what was going on.

Buses, younger than that, and trolleybuses when living in Cardiff.  What's a trolleybus, grandad?

They had special single decker (http://aec.fotopic.net/p40975307.html) ones which went under the low railway bridge to go to Pier Head - what was called "Down the Docks" in those days.   It's called "Cardiff Bay" now... 

About year 7 going from Truro to Redders! The days of a ^1.20 single and a ^2 return on the bus are long gone now!

I regularly used local train services from about 10 years old, not much different from taking the bus.
Longer journies probably a few years after that.

When I was 11. Only Nailsea and Backwell to Bath Spa, Where I met my Dad for a Rugby match (who happened to already be in Bath for reasons I cannot remember). I remember being put on the train by my Mum who insisted I travel First Class and then my Dad was waiting on the platform at the other end.

Best of all, I won a signed Rugby Ball that day which is still in my posession ;D

My major journey that I can remember were probably a solo Liskeard - London Paddington at about 13/14, a Virgin Voyager to Warrington Bank Quay or maybe Liskeard - Castle Cary changing at Plymouth, Taunton and Castle Cary for a Bus to Shepton Mallet, again when I was around 13/14.

I also remember a school trip to London when I was 15. Upon discovering that the accomodation we were provided with for 3 nights was worse than appalling. About 5 of us sneaked off to Waterloo and took a 159 to Exeter St Davids and then a HST back to Liskeard. That was probably one of the best journey's i've ever had ;D The worrying part was by the time were noticed by our absence, we were around Newton Abbot :o ::) ;D

I would have been about 12 or 13.  We were on a family holiday at Tenby.  I went to Pembroke Dock and back and a couple of days later got more adventurous and went to Milford Haven via Whitland, Class 37 hauled as I remember.  A couple of years later I took a solo trip from Stroud to Looe which caused much amusement in the ticket office and almost ended in disaster as I had misread the time for Exeter as Bristol Temple Meads.  There ensued a rather fraught phone call home and a wait of more than two hours for a connection to Bristol and eventually got home via Swindon about four hours later than planned.  I never made that mistake again! :P

my first solo ride was when i was 12  tiverton parkway to exmouth changing at st davids then a couple of months later tvp to truro

Many thanks for all the votes - and recollections - so far.    I'll summarise when the voting closes - just over a day to go,  Any SO types around?   If so, please add your votes - I would hate to end up with a midweek bias!

Buses - 12

Trains - about 16

Sorry, grahame, but my vote is probably going to skew your results slightly.  ::)

Racking my brains, I can't remember travelling on my own on a train until I was an adult: not through any concerns over my welfare, but simply because, where we lived, the train just wasn't an option.

Travelling alone on buses, just for comparison - probably from 12 or 13.

Hope this helps!

CfN  :P

My late lamented mother used to tell a story that when I was three and we were living in Cardiff, we went to stay in Haverfordwest where my father was working on a temporary summer job.   We were staying in a local hotel.

One morning I disappeared.  I could not be found and the police were called.  Eventually, I was tracked down on the eastbound platform of the station.  I was reported as saying that I was waiting for the Cardiff train to go home because I didn't like it in Haverfordwest.  Precocious, moi?

35  ;D

I was so worried too, a lone female who was positive i was going to get mugged or worse.  :-*

i didn't really start traveling on trains until i was about 16 and that was without any parent or guardian with me.

I may have as well been an orphan.

Train journey alone 9 years old

Coach journey to Manchester Piccadilly Bus Station 10 years old, arriving at about 11pm. (This was in 1985, I was very frightened waiting to be picked up

Plane to Majorca 9 years old

My mother always tried to palm me off on some poor passenger that she thought was decent looking. And always told the coach driver/ flight attendant or ticket collector (no TMs in those days)
********************

I still can't drive!