I travelled 2,160 miles from London to Lanzarote without flying

Not many tourists choose four trains and a 28-hour ferry to get their Lanzarote winter sun fix - Meinzahn

“I would rather spend all day on a train than go to an airport,” declared the woman next to me in the carriage. We had both just disembarked the same Eurostar service at Paris Gare du Nord and been swept onto an RER train heading to Gare de Lyon. But we had very different final destinations in mind. She was going to a fancy-dress party on the outskirts of Paris. I was travelling by train and ferry all the way to Lanzarote for a few days of winter sun.

The roughly 1.7 million Britons who visit Lanzarote each year might not consider four trains and a 28-hour ferry the most logical way to arrive. After all, a flight will get you there in just over four hours. My 2,160-mile journey took six days (including more than 45 hours of travel), crossed two countries and stopped at three cities en route. Hardly the most direct option. So why bother?

Flying is a means to an end, and increasingly I find myself wishing to avoid airport stress, cramped conditions and delays. Train travel, in particular, feels like a more relaxed and spacious affair, adding a sense of adventure to a journey that could be distilled into a quick flight. Like many others, I’ve been inspired by the TV show Race Across the World, which challenges contestants to reach checkpoints without flying and reframes the journey itself as the destination.

Besides that, overland travel is a greener option. Flight-free holiday company Byway, the trip provider, estimated that my journey, despite taking 10 times longer, produced 76 per cent less carbon emissions than flying the same route. Launched late last year, the trip is designed as an 18-day return journey, including six days in Lanzarote’s capital city, Arrecife. But is it worth taking multiple trains and a ferry to get there (and back)?

London to Nîmes

I started on the 09.31 Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord. The day before, Storm Goretti had wreaked havoc on rail travel, with delays and cancellations impacting services. Luckily, I dodged the chaos and made it across Paris to Gare de Lyon without a hitch, boarding a southbound double-decker TGV InOui.

Taking the train allows for a stop-off in historic Nîmes, the ‘French Rome’ - iStockphoto

Three hours later I alighted at Nîmes, a city nicknamed the “French Rome” thanks to its well-preserved ancient ruins. After a quick turnaround at a hotel so close to the station I could watch the trains from my window, I was soon immersed in Roman relics such as the Maison Carrée temple and the Arènes de Nîmes amphitheatre, and then enjoyed a glass or two of local wine along with specialities like Brandade de Morue (creamy salt cod).

Nîmes to Madrid

The next morning, I caught the 09.01 to Madrid (via Perpignan, Barcelona and Zaragoza). As the longest single train journey of the trip, I would reach Spain’s capital in around seven hours. I came armed with snacks, a book, music and podcasts – essential train fodder.

This stretch offered some of the best scenery. As we passed Sète, rounding the Gulf of Lion, an endless sparkling ocean stretched into the cerulean sky. Approaching Perpignan, the dark outline of the Pyrenees crept into view. Soon we were close enough to marvel at the snow-capped peaks.

The French city of Sète is a highlight on the Nîmes-Madrid leg of the journey - Brook Gardener/Alamy

In Madrid, the scent of chestnuts and melted chocolate drifted through the streets. I checked into my hotel, a smart boutique perfectly situated to reach the central sights. Madrid’s Royal Palace and main squares, Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor, were mere minutes away on foot, and a longer pause in the journey was welcome. Here for two nights, I had time to explore.

The following day I squeezed in a food tour, which manifested as a restaurant crawl around the Plaza Mayor and plenty of battered calamari drizzled in lemon juice and aioli. Undoubtedly, given the time of year, there were fewer tourists, but the square was still full of life.

Later, I headed to the historic Chocolatería San Ginés for churros. Founded in 1894, the tiled café serves up churros 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Afterwards, a trip to Satán cocktail bar led underground to low lights and heady drinks beneath the crimson glow of cascading crystal chandeliers.

Writer Rebecca (right) tucks into churros at Madrid institution Chocolatería San Ginés

Madrid to Lanzarote

Arriving at Cádiz, the following afternoon, was like being transported to another world. I had caught the 10.05 and departed Madrid in an eerie mist. But after a few hours of winding south through sherry country, past pristine white buildings and low, ordered rows of vines, I was faced with towering palm trees and a fresh sea breeze.

For the final leg, I boarded a Naviera Armas ferry at Cádiz, for a once-a-week crossing scheduled to take around 28 hours. My booking included a private cabin with a window at the front of the boat. For those without this luxury, there were other ways to while away the idle, Wi-Fi-less hours: at the bar, in the restaurant or camped out at tables on the upper deck.

It soon became tedious. As the boat pitched across the choppy waters, I felt nauseous and concluded that long-haul ferry journeys aren’t for me. One of the best parts of train travel is watching the landscape shift – a pleasure that’s understandably lacking at sea. Then came the first sight of land: peaks so triangular they could be pyramids, in swirls of candy-pink clouds. It was an exhilarating moment.

There at last… the peaks of Lanzarote as viewed from the ferry - Corianna Heise/Alamy

At 28 hours, plus extra time to get on and off either side, the ferry journey was too long for me. On the other hand, the trains were wonderful, and allowed me to unlock new cities and experiences along the way. Rather than parachuting into a destination with little sense of what lies around it, I arrived slowly and felt the journey had more value. I ended the trip reflecting on the same question Race Across the World asks viewers: “Reaching the other side of the world has never been easier. But by flying over, are we forgetting how to travel through?”

The writer was a guest of Byway Travel, which offers an 18-day London to Lanzarote return trip, including rail and ferry journeys and hotel accommodation. Prices start at £2,647pp.

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