This summer I would have liked to make more day trips by rail. Unfortunately some of the Saturday rail strike days have coincided with good weather with the following day (Sunday) not so good so I tend to postpone my plans until another time - sunbathing in light rain or drizzle is not that enjoyable. The weather in the south today is not brilliant so I would not be making plans to go to the coast today even if the trains were running.

Too far from the railhead terminus, so car has mostly been my first choice for local journeys.
Train for some longer ones.

Unfortunately one of our party was going to return home from a cruise by train, but with the dispute planned, what was a direct trip would now involve 4 changes, with quadruple the travel time.

Cheap advanced tickets aside, I just check strike days in advance and adapt accordingly, a bit like I do with the weather.

I'm pretty fortunate that Taplow is on the Elizabeth line which after years of sparse FGW^▸ (First Great Western)/GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services (and none at all on Sundays) now enjoys a frequent, regular 7 day service and hasn't been affected by the ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about)/RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) action.......although the recent daily infrastructure failures haven't helped.

That said, I have tried to adjust plans to avoid travelling on strike days but that hasn't been too difficult on the 2 or 3 days I'm now office based - it's the ability of people to adjust in this way/WFH^▸ (Working From Home) that in large part has made the industrial action so ineffective and probably influenced the Unions to try weekends instead.

It has affected a few trips to sporting events but none that I haven't been able to overcome, although to my great regret I will be missing Rosslyn Park v Plymouth Albion on Saturday thanks to Micks W & L.

I do keep a wary eye on dates when it comes to my occasional trips to Plymouth and have driven a few times when previously I'd have taken the train.

I've voted for travelling by rail less. I've been quite lucky - where I've committed money to accommodation it's been refundable (normally slightly more expensive than base prices) and I've not had to cancel. I've also had the coach in mind as a backup, but not needed it.

A friend of mine has a canny knack of suggesting meeting up on strike days before they're announced, one of which I circumvented by getting 3 buses each-way when it would have been a direct train, but I wouldn't do that out of choice due to comfort/time wasted. I usually enjoy travelling by bus, but not for extended periods of time.

I've got non-refundable accommodation booked for 1 night in October (it was a bargain I couldn't resist) and have already researched alternatives in case the worst happens and my luck totally runs out.

Until this dispute is resolved I wont be committing funds to accommodation for medium/long distance trips, where I can't get my money back or cancel at short notice.

On Saturday I took an unexpected drive into Bath.  Normally I would have avoided "strike day" and normally for Bath I would have taken the bus - but there's an abnormally complex story in that; giving a lift and taking the opportunity to have a town meeting on the way.

Full - Full - Full the three car parks on the automated signs and my rider hopped out on Dorchester Street.  I tried Manvers Street Car Park - what an ugly shunting mess with around a dozen other cars and gave up - really no chance and as there was no need (for me) to really be in Bath, headed out. Chanced upon a single "1 hour" space in Widcombe an walked in, over the railway bridge to the teaming square and bus station with the eateries in lovely weather and the crowds.

What a contrast the station:

I’m simply not booking anywhere near as much rail travel. Mileage on my car has gone up by around double this last 12 months. I’ve also used national express when suitable. I’d never used them until 2022.
When I have traveled by train it’s been an unpleasant experience. Cancellations, overcrowding.
Over 75% of my journeys have qualified for delay repay. Over 50% of those delay repays have been 100%.