Views on 13 year old granddaughter travelling on train alone from Yorkshire to Cornwall !!!e

Here is a mathematical question for you. Please answer in CAPITAL LETTERS and say the answer out loud.

Is ninety nine point nine nine nine equal to one hundred?

Will do Daisy.

Thank you.

Let us know how it goes Serendipity.

Thank you for all replies, appreciate them all. I know we live in a totally different world now, well.... do we! Or is it that the frightening cases are streamed into our homes daily ! I have never had to travel anywhere on my own as a child so I have nothing to compare it with and i guess its just me ..... but still it makes me fearful !!!!!

Thank you so much for taking the time to send me replies, puts my mind in a different place.....

X

Mine used to go to school on a bus and train aged 12. A lot do but the main problem for this young one is that she will be alone rather than surrounded by others of her own age. I don’t know what state the trains are in there but here we do get instances of youths stealing phones from young people, especially on certain lines and in certain areas. That would worry me.

I wouldn't be happy about it. However, I'd insist on her having a booking on first class where the steward (if that's the right word) responsible for the carriage would keep an eye on her. I've always found them helpful, especially when getting on and off the train.

Around 1950, a close friend, aged 6, was put on a train in London, in the care of the guard and was met at Exeter by her grandmother.

At the ages of 8 & 10. living in Hong Kong, my sister and I had a journey to school that involved a bus, a ferry and a tram. We didn't like the route our parents had chosen so decided to catch a different bus to a different ferry and then walked a distance to catch another bus. It was months before we told our parents. We were found out when our mother decided to meet us off the ferry one day and we never appeared because we had stopped getting that ferry.

I asked the same question re my 13 year old grandson about a year ago.
He was fine. He is a confident young lad, but at that time, had not done any train journeys on his own.
The thing is, they have to start somewhere. Parents need to prepare their children for independent life, step by step, not wait till a major event comes up. Today they have phones and trackers, so it is a lot safer.
What a brilliant idea to take a full length and portrait photo before they set off!

I think I'd have to draw up a "what if" plan and go through it with her.
Then I'd probably allow it, if she passed all the tests.

Saying that, my daughter used to end up in all sorts of places, and phone my mum to bail her out or pick her up, so that I wouldn't know.

Her safety on the train wouldn't bother me too much presumably she goes out and about on her own anyway The reliability of trains would and having to change train or route If she had a phone to contact guardian and had booked assistance Id be less concerned

I'm on the fence on this.
It's a long journey, but I don't think 'what ifs' help at all.
I don't think I'd trust my boy, but that's because he looks older and can be silly. (Obviously doesn't take after me!)

My family would not allow my grandchild to do such a journey alone boy or girl thank god.

A young relative of mine who is this age recently did this journey - beginning in Scotland and right to the end of the line at Penzance.
Of course kids are all different, but she was absolutely fine!

I’d be unhappy about it. What if she is sick? Or has her period? Either would be miserable even if she had a companion, but perhaps more upsetting if she’s alone.

Lots to think about here.

If she's travelling alone for that length of time, presumably with some luggage, she's going to need to leave that and her seat to use the toilet at some point.
On one journey I did alone I booked first class, which was a good decision as it was much quieter.
I was able to ask a young couple to watch my case (and keep my seat!) when I needed the toilet.

When I've taken my minded children to London by train for the day I've always taken a full-length and a portrait photo of them that morning on my phone.
If the worst happened and they got lost I would have that information immediately available to show the Police.

I did the same for my granddaughter when we were in London recently with her family.

Who in the panic of a lost child could honestly give a good and accurate description of them?

Serendipity22 I hope your daughter and granddaughter can reach an agreement you are all comfortable with.

I think those giving horror stories are not being at all helpful
My friend was travelling all over London alone from the age of 11 Boredom is what ll be the killer
If there are problems on any lines she will follow the rest of the travellers She will most likely talk to a mum or gran type lady along the way
I hope you ll feel a bit more comfortable Serendippity
When is this journey taking place ?

It would be a No from me too

I think it's a lot safer now than it used to be because we have mobile phones. I wouldn't have a problem in letting a 13 year old make that sort of journey provided they had been given responsibility in their earlier life. tbh I think we we over protective.
The world isn't more dangerous we just know more and children deserve to be helped to become independent.

I would definitely say no too young and vulnerable and being alone would make a prime target. There are too many head cases on drugs and drunk on public transport these days and it seems to be getting worse.

When I was 13 (1964) I went from my home city, to a small village near Ghent (Belguim). 4 trains and a ferry crossing each way. And I couldn't speak the language. ?

Was it safer then. I doubt it, the dangers were no different back then.

A couple of years ago I travelled the usual 1 hour trip from London to home. Due to an ‘accident on the line’ I got halfway, had to wait for hours in the freezing cold to get another train home which took me most of the day.

Recently MzOops came out of London to go to Cornwall, the train stopped at Slough, they had to wait for a bus to another station, then got on another train which stopped just over the border of Cornwall and all the passengers had to get off as the train wasn’t going any further! she was then put into a taxi home, alone. I was tracking her and she spoke to me whilst she was alone in the taxi.

Whilst these aren’t everyday occurrences how would a 13 yr old child cope?

I wonder whether the child’s parents have travelled by train lately? It’s not like The Railway Children. Nobody to ask, nobody to help and the likelihood of drunks and weirdos.
At 13 she’s too young to cope with problems or to defend herself.

If my daughter it would be a no from me too.
My granddaughter I would keep my mouth firmly shut.

What 13 is she? just 13 a few months ago or nearly 14? That makes a difference.

At 12 and 14 I put my two on a train from Reading to Glasgow.

Standard class, seats reserved. Unfortunately at a previous station someone had put an old very frail lady in one of the seats I had reserved. I spoke to a guard, who said 'Just tell her to move' I didn't, but still fume at the moral blackmail exercised by the person who took her to the train and helped her settle. She went all the way to Glasgow, where someone came on board to meet her.

My two simply sat beside each other rather than opposite and swapped the window seat between them.

The journey required no changing and was trouble free. It was before mobile phones. However it was long and slow and when they returned, they said that if they had to do that journey again, they would choose to go to Paddington, tube to Euston and get a fast train from there.