Santa Claus Travel Time Map - Europe

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‘Memorable’ year (for mapping too) To quote many a commercial from 2020, this year has been “different” and “unprecedented” for all of us. With the Covid-19 pandemic changing our lives, it would be remiss to not mention the impact it has had on us and thank the tireless work key workers have done to protect and take care of us. Data and mapping has come into its own during this time, helping to track the spread of the pandemic, and where possible, to help plan and protect us. Data and mapping has also been vital to perhaps the other two major news headlines – theRead More →

Top 10 Most Expensive Rail Routes by Price per km

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Rail pricing – a global comparison There are some things in life you can be sure of – death, taxes and UK rail fares going up every year. By coincidence, I was just finishing up a quick bit of research on rail journey prices and cost over distance, when news of the latest price hike broke. In this article, the claim that the UK has the highest rail fares in Europe is investigated. It is something I’ve often thought about, and how it compares globally, but is this true? The take from the ‘Reality Check’, is that the UK is the most expensive bought onRead More →

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I sense your presents… Wintertime in Western culture is known for the religious and pagan traditions of gift-giving, merriment and feasting around Christmas. Commonly across many cultures, it is considered Santa Claus delivers gifts. Last year we asked, ‘where’ does Santa come from? This year we are looking into ‘how’ – namely how does Santa Claus (or whichever gift-bringer) navigate and deliver their gifts? Using a map of course! We can only guess on the actual map Santa uses – but I imagine that it could look like something like the stylised map below which I hope you enjoy. Several cultures have different figures whoRead More →

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Further depth Those who’ve explored this site in the past will know that I have analysed the geography of train networks on multiple occasions, particularly in the United Kingdom. Maybe it’s my bias being a rail commuter, but it’s a topic I’m returning to again! Access to train networks shapes many people’s lives – and is two-fold. Am I near to a station and are the trains reliable? To investigate ‘access’, we start by exploring the relationship between population density and station density in the UK. Are there ‘gaps’ in train station provision? Next we examine then the temporal and spatial patterns of train punctuality.Read More →

Distance to UK Train Stations

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Set for departure… *DING DONG* “The train now arriving at platform 2 is the (delayed) 1743 service to London Paddington calling at…” I’ve been spending a lot more time at train stations recently – starting a new job in a different city with a new commute, as well as travelling to see friends etc. Sometimes it can be frustrating waiting in the cold through delays for the next train, or weaving through commuters in the hope of getting a seat. However, being from a railway-boom town like Swindon, I do feel a certain affinity for the railway. But the geographer in me has often wonderedRead More →

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For those of us in the fortunate position to be in paid work, we are lucky if our travel to work is a simple one. The last century has been the increase in flexible working practices in many businesses, the geographic centralisation of economy and rise of private transport in most Western countries. This has led to it being common for many to not live in the same city/area, let alone the same part of town as your place of work. Therefore, commuting time has become of greater interest to companies and employees, as well as influencing property prices, climate change and transport infrastructure. This isRead More →