:: bookings

Last night I got busy with planning the great expedition of Sept-Oct 2004: Edinburgh to Paris to Bordeaux to Biarritz to San Sebastian to Bilbao and back again, via London. The plan is for me to fly from Edinburgh to Paris, where we stay for a few days. Then we get the train to Bordeaux. We collect a hire car there, and after exploring the area for a few days, drive to Biarritz. Then we move on to San Sebastian at some point, and make it our base for explorations & expeditions. Then back to Bordeaux, train back to Paris and ...

This is where it gets slightly tricky. The plan after that is to go to London/Oxford for a few days. So I thought, ok, I'll book Pinky a return on the train; I'll get a single flight from Edinburgh-Paris and get the train back to Edinburgh from London. Or whatever.

It turns out that while flying Edinburgh-Paris-London-Edinburgh (with a stay in London) will cost £266.20 (including taxes), flying one-way from Edinburgh to Paris will be £476.20 (including taxes). Yes, that's £201 just to avoid flying from Paris to London to Edinburgh. This sort of thing drives me into a Colonel Blimp-like frenzy of harrumphing: "Stuff and nonsense! How dare they!" etc. I remember something similar for train fares.

Which brings me to the next thing: I can't book any train tickets. Not the ScotRail sleeper, not GNER, not Eurostar, nothing. It's too soon. I'm being too impatient. Hold your horses, they cry, it's only July! September is months away yet.

So I haven't booked anything yet.

Tonight I might have a go at booking my flight to NZ next year.