Good day my good friend.

This is a long, geeky post that might make you question my sanity. I personally had a lot of fun researching and writing it, but come the end you may start to wonder where my head is at. You have been warned.

Mobility Camp is back, and the number one transport unconference is heading to York on Friday 20th September. Book your tickets now! 🎫

I have co-authored a book on Mobility-as-a-Service, which is a comprehensive guide on this important new transport service. It is available from the Institution of Engineering and Technology and now Amazon.  📕

🦶 Football Mad

Those of you who know me reasonably well know that I am a sucker for sport. Especially for what is probably my first true love: football. A result of this is that, while others have a bucket list, I have a sporting bucket list. Namely a list of sporting events I want to go and see before I kick the bucket.

So, as a bit of fun, I thought I would research how easy it would be to travel to each one of my sporting bucket list events using low carbon transport. To do this, I set myself a couple of rules:

1. No driving at all. Its all public transport, walking, and cycle hire if necessary.
2. No flying. If I need to cross a sea or ocean, its by boat.

I also assumed travel from the centre of my home town, Flitwick in Bedfordshire.

What I soon realised is that my ability to get to these events broadly split into 3 groups. Namely easy, somewhat tricky, and borderline impossible. So what is my sporting bucket list, and how easy is low carbon travel to each? Lets find out.

Easy

Watch the first day of an Ashes Test Match, Lord’s Cricket Ground (Cricket)

I’ve seen the prices for this, and they are not cheap in the slightest. Plus members of the Marylebone Cricket Club get priority for tickets. So this is all on the assumption I can actually get a ticket.

Simple one to start. Take Thameslink from Flitwick to West Hampstead Thameslink. Then walk down the road to West Hampstead Underground station and take the Jubilee Line south to St John’s Wood, and walk to Lords from there. An alternative is to stay on Thameslink to St Pancras International, and take a Circle, Hammersmith and City, or Metropolitan Line train from Kings Cross St Pancras to Baker Street. Then walk to Lords from there.

Watch Manchester United in an FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium (Football)

I missed my chance on this one last year, mainly because I though City would thrash us. Shows what I know.

Another easy one this. Take Thameslink to St Pancras International. There, change onto a Metropolitan Line train at Kings Cross St Pancras to Wembley Park and walk to Wembley from there. An alternative is to get off at West Hampstead Thameslink, walk to West Hampstead Underground Station, and take a northbound Jubilee Line train to Wembley Park.

Watch a singles final on Centre Court at Wimbledon (Tennis)

Women’s or men’s final. I don’t mind. I would love to see Centre Court just once.

The best option here seems to be to take Thameslink as far south as London Blackfriars, and then change onto another Thameslink service via the Wimbledon and Sutton loop to Wimbledon. I could also take a westbound District Line train from the same station to Wimbledon, but that would likely take longer. Regardless, its a walk to the All England Club from Wimbledon station.

Watch the Grand National, Aintree (Horse Racing)

I must admit to being slightly torn on this one. Horse racing really does not sit well with my loving of animals. But from good friends who have been to Aintree they speak of it being an atmosphere like no other sporting event. I would love to experience that.

I though that getting to Aintree would be tricky. But this one is surprisingly easy, though it will be a long trip. My best option seems to be to take a Thameslink train to St Pancras International, then walk to Euston station. Then, take an Avanti West Coast train to Liverpool Lime Street.

From there, I can either walk to Liverpool Central or take a Merseyrail Circle Line train the single stop to the same station from Lime Street, and then get a train heading towards Ormskirk that stops at Aintree station, which is a short walk from the racecourse.

Somewhat tricky

Watch the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, Silverstone (Racing)

I know from personal experience that getting to Silverstone by public transport is hard, as in 2008 I travelled there to watch the British Grand Prix Qualifying. But what are the chances on race day?

The challenge is that Silverstone itself is only served by public transport on race day via a dedicated bus transfer from one of four stations:

• Milton Keynes Central – Requires me to take a Thameslink train to St Pancras International, walk to Euston station, then take either an Avanti West Coast or London Northwestern service to Milton Keynes Central
• Wolverton and Northampton – The same way to get to London, then get a London Northwestern service to either station
• Banbury – Bit of a wildcard this, but its the same route into London before taking a Circle, Hammersmith and City, or Metropolitan Line to Baker Street. From where I walk to London Marylebone and take a Chiltern Railways service to Banbury.

There is a bus, the 87, that runs from Northampton directly to Silverstone village – about a 15 minute walk to the circuit. But it does not run on Sunday’s, which is a shame as that is race day.

Watch Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League Final (Football)

This is heavily dependant upon United actually being Champions League contenders anytime soon. Bear that in mind.

How easy this trip is depends on where the final is being held. The most popular venue for the Champions League Final is Wembley Stadium (which has hosted the final 8 times), which as we have already shown is quite easy. But looking ahead to confirmed venues where Manchester United stand a chance of potentially qualifying for (i.e. the 2026 and 2027 finals), its more tricky.

In 2026, the final will be held at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. To get there means me taking a Thameslink train to St Pancras International, and then getting on a Eurostar train to Brussels. From there, The Man in Seat 61 suggests an overnight train to Vienna, before connecting to a train to Budapest Keleti, which is a 20 minute walk from the stadium.

The 2027 venue has yet to be confirmed, but Milan’s Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (more commonly known as the San Siro Stadium) has been put on hold. This is a slightly easier journey, with the same trip to London before taking a Eurostar to Paris Gare Du Nord. From there, I would have to take the RER Line D to Gare Du Lyon, from where a daily direct train to Milan Porta Garibaldi runs. From that station, I would need to take Milan Metro Line 5 from Giribaldi FS to San Siro Ippodromo station, which is a 5 minute walk to the stadium.

Both trips are likely to involve an overnight stay before and after the final, with the trip and from Budapest also including an overnight train journey.

Watch El Clásico (Football)

Travelling to watch Real Madrid against Barcelona can best be described as “Barcelona quite easy, Madrid harder.”

Let’s start with quite easy – getting to the Camp Nou in Barcelona. So, Thameslink to St Pancras International, and then Eurostar to Paris Gare Du Nord. Then transfer from Gare Du Nord to Gare Du Lyon on RER Line D. Then travel by direct train to Barcelona Sants station. From there, take Barcelona Metro Line 3 to Palau Reial, and walk to the Camp Nou. Could all be done in a day theoretically, but likely to involve an overnight stay in practice.

Getting to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid is a bit more tricky. The easiest route is the same route to Barcelona, before taking the high speed train from Barcelona Sants to Madrid Atocha. From there, its bus 14 from Atocha to Sagrados Carazones, then a 5 minute walk to the stadium from there.

An alternative does exist, which means taking a Thameslink service to London Bridge, before changing onto a westbound Jubilee Line train to London Waterloo – or I could walk to Waterloo from Blackfriars. From there, take a train to Portsmouth Harbour, and get on a ferry to Santander in Northern Spain, which is a two day voyage leaving twice a week. From the ferry terminal, walk to the train station and take the train to Madrid Chamartin. After that, just jump on Metro Line 10 to the stadium. It’s certainly a leisurely route!

Watch the Daytona 500 (Racing)

I just want to experience the roar of a NASCAR race, just the once. So I figured best go for the most iconic NASCAR race of them all.

I’m putting this here because while this is a hard one to travel to, it’s much easier than I expected it to be. It will just take a long time to do, and the Atlantic crossing will be difficult to time well.

From Flitwick, take Thameslink as far as London Bridge before taking a westbound Jubilee Line train to London Waterloo – or walk from Blackfriars as I said before. From there, take the train to Southampton Central.

In Southampton you can either walk or take the Quayconnect bus to the Cruise Terminals. From there, it’s boarding the only transatlantic ocean liner service still running. Namely Cunard’s Queen Mary II that sails a few times a year. The crossing to New York takes 8 days.

Then, it’s a case to getting to Daytona. I figure that the most direct route is to get to Penn Station and take an Amtrak from there. Apparently, Cunard dock in Brooklyn, so to get to Penn Station means taking the bus B61 from Pioneer Street to Livingston Street, and change onto the subway at Jay Street-Metrotech. Then take Line A to Penn Station.

From Penn Station, two Amtrak services run towards Florida, and I would need to take either the Silver Star or Silver Meteor to DeLand station in Florida, both taking over a day to get there. There, you pick up the Amtrak Thruway connection to Daytona Beach – which apparently is a taxi and not a bus.

At Daytona Beach, I am assuming the drop off point is near the beach, so this would mean taking the number 60 bus from around the Transfer Plaza to the stop outside Daytona International Speedway. In all, this trip will probably take the better part of 10 days.

Watch a Men’s World Cup Final (Football)

Probably the most famous sporting occasion outside of the Olympics. And I have already done the Olympics when it came to London.

I’m putting this here as the next two World Cup Finals are a mix of easy and hard. So let’s get going.

The next World Cup final in 2026 will take place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. So my trip as far as New York on the trip to Daytona is the same. The transfer to the stadium is not too difficult.

I think the easiest route will be to take the B61 bus from Pioneer Street to Livingston Street. There, transfer onto the New York Subway at Jay Street-Metrotech, taking Line A to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Then, its bus 161 to Washington Avenue, walking half an hour to the stadium. That trip is around 9 days.

The 2030 World Cup will be held across 6 countries, but the final will be at one of three stadiums. Two of them I have already identified travel itineraries for. Namely the Camp Nou in Barcelona, and the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.

The third, meanwhile, has not been built yet: the Hassan II Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco. So the last leg I do not know how to do yet. But believe it or not, it is somewhat easy to get to Casablanca without flying, though it will take at least two days to do it.

First, you need to get to Madrid by train on the route I set out previously. From there, you get an intercity train from Madrid Atocha station to Algeciras. From there, I would need to stay overnight and then take a ferry from the ferry terminal to Tangier. From the port, I would need to take bus LI3 into Tangier town. Then, its a two hour train journey to Casablanca.

Essentially impossible

Unless I learn how to sail, I luck out with a cargo ship, Vladimir Putin decides to stop being an idiot in Ukraine, and someone bridges the Darien Gap, it will take quite something to do these trips. Even then, both of them will take the best part of a month.

Watch the Boxing Day Test Match, Melbourne Cricket Ground (Cricket)

I would love for this to be an Ashes Test Match. But to be honest, going to the MCG to see any test match will be an amazing experience.

Right now, the only option realistically available is to take a cargo ship to the Port of Melbourne. In the UK, this will likely be from one of two ports. Southampton I have covered before on the transatlantic trips. The other is Felixstowe – the UK’s busiest container port.

Getting to Felixstowe means taking Thameslink as far as Farringdon, before changing onto a Circle, Hammersmith and City, Metropolitan, or Elizabeth Line service to Liverpool Street. From there, Greater Anglia take me as far as Ipswich. From there, its either take the Felixstowe Branch Line to Felixstowe then a walk to the port of about 45 minutes. But I think instead the 77 bus called the “Felixstowe Flyers” will take me from the Old Cattle Market in Ipswich to Tacon Road in Felixstowe in a shorter time, with the port being a 20 minute walk from there.

Assuming I could get passage on a container ship, I think the sailing time will be about two weeks assuming no stops and going via the Suez Canal. But chances are I would have to sail to China first and then get another ship to Melbourne from there, so that will add time.

Arriving at Port Melbourne, the MCG is quite easy to access. I think the best option is to take bus 234 from Page Avenue to Market Street / Finders Street. From there, take tram line 70 to MCG / John Cain Arena.

An alternative that is currently not possible is to take the Trans-Siberian Railway. Due the ‘Special Military Operation’ Russia is off limits for the foreseeable future, and the more southerly routes either have no public transport or are through active warzones like Syria and Myanmar. Besides, assuming I got as far as Beijing, the furthest I could get with local public transport in the Far East is probably Singapore via Vietnam and Thailand, as there are no direct ferries between Australia and Asian countries. So it would be a cargo ship from there anyway.

Watch the Superclásico at La Bombonera, Buenos Aires (Football)

The rivalry between Argentina’s biggest sides – River Plate and Boca Juniors – is like no other in the world of football. I want to experience it for myself first hand at Boca’s legendary La Bombonera stadium – translated as “The Chocolate Box.” But getting to Buenos Aires will be very hard.

The only choice really is via cargo ship. So its to either Felixstowe or Southampton as said before in the hope of catching a direct ship to Buenos Aires. But in all likelihood I will have to take a ship to a major US port first – likely either New York or Savannah, Georgia – and change onto another ship there.

Once at the port in Buenos Aires, I think the best option is to walk to Avenida Paseo Colón 911 and take bus 129-14 to 791 Brown Alte. Avenue, where I change onto bus 25A to Brandsen. Then its a 5 minute walk to La Bombonera.

When I looked at overland routes across the America’s starting in New York, I think I could get as far as Mexico City through a mix of trains and coaches. But then getting through the Chiabas region of Mexico seems impossible by all of the routes that I have tried. Assuming I could overcome this and get as far as Guatamala City in Guatamala, Andes Transit seems to think I could get to Panama City in Panama by coach.

From there, crossing the Darien Gap is impossible. The ferries that used to run between Colon in Panama and Cartagena in Columbia no longer do so, and no roads or railways go through the gap.

Assuming ferries did run to Cartagena port in Columbia (or I could charter a ship), its then a case of getting all of the way to Buenos Aires from there. Andes Transit says that I can take a bus from there to Bogota, then a long distance coach from there to Santiago in Chile. From there, its a hop across the Andes by coach to Buenos Aires. Total travel time of about a week just on this section.

That…took far longer than I thought it would. As will most of the trips I think. What I have learned from this is that not flying and travelling the world is very challenging, though it looks like a load of fun. Plus I will have to learn to sail, won’t I?

👩‍🎓 From academia

The clever clogs at our universities have published the following excellent research. Where you are unable to access the research, email the author – they may give you a copy of the research paper for free.

Easy listening or driving distraction? The relationship between audiobook complexity level and driving performance on simple routes

TL:DR – Listening to audiobooks might be beneficial for driver concentration.

Decarbonising transport: Can we rely on fuel taxes?

TL:DR – People are more sensitive to tax changes than they are to oil price changes.

What limits improper bike-sharing parking most: Penalties or incentives? Findings from an online behavioral experiment

TL:DR – Both.

Effects of 1.5 °C global warming on pavement climatic factors and performance

TL:DR – Warmer world = more pavement cracking.

📺 On the (You)Tube

Do you want to geek out on every kind of bridge? Of course you do. So enjoy this video from Practical Engineering.

🖼 Graphic Design

How people get around (Source: Visual Capitalist)

Sometimes a simple graphic is very meaningful. The modal split of trips is a simple one. But this one shows that the hotspot for public transport on the world is Eastern Asia and Central and South America.

📚 Random Things

These links are meant to make you think about the things that affect our world in transport, and not just think about transport itself. I hope that you enjoy them.

• Most cities are rainier than their surroundings due to heat and smog (New Scientist)
• No solid scientific basis for degrowth (VoxEU)
• Will California flip the AI industry on its head? (The Verge)
• China’s Rare Earth Restrictions Shake Up Global Markets (Naked Capitalism)
• The amazing flowers growing in pavement cracks and why you shouldn’t pass them by (The Conversation)

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