Author: Martin, Andrew

United Kingdom, Great Britain

Published on 31 July 2025 by Profile Books Ltd in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 304 pages, Colour plates
144 x 224 x 33 | 422g

‘A feast of anecdotage’ Sunday Times ‘Andrew Martin is a railway wizard’ TelegraphThroughout the twentieth century, the seaside service posters of Britain’s railways promised fresh air and frivolity to millions of urban dwellers with the phrase: ‘To the sea by train’. A staple of modern British life, the seaside getaway was intertwined with the train, in whose compartments holidaymakers were shunted from smog-choked cities to sandy coves.

With his signature wit and anecdotal style, Andrew Martin captures an era defined by its railways: from the development of Brighton and Scarborough into pleasure resorts, and the introduction of bank holidays and two-day weekends, to the advent of cheap flights and the British coast’s subsequent decline. Humorous and evocative, To the Sea by Train takes a charming tour through Britain’s most beloved pastime.