Eco-Friendly Experiences within walking distance of a train station
Every time you travel by train instead of car, you’re opting for an eco-friendly travel option. Train journeys are one of the most sustainable forms of transport available and by choosing to travel by train, you’re keeping the air we breathe cleaner as well as helping to tackle climate change.
But what about when you arrive at your destination? If you’ve opted for sustainable transportation, you might also want to choose other green travel options that will support local economies and people at the same time as looking after the planet.
Is it possible to have a green day out? Or weekend that’s a climate change winner?
We think so. From eco-activities to sustainable accommodation, we’ve put together some ideas to help you enjoy some of the UK’s best eco-friendly experiences by train, all within walking distance of a train station (or handy connecting bus stop).
A win for you and a win for Planet Earth.
Sustainable accommodation near a train station
Thanks to consumer demand, the UK hospitality industry is making considerable effort towards greater sustainability. Before you choose a hotel, self-catering accommodation or restaurant, look at their website. If they’ve given specific information about changes they’ve already made and been honest about ones they’d like to make, the chances are they’re taking sustainability seriously.
One that might help you find sustainable travel experiences, are the awards and certifications, which hospitality businesses can earn by meeting certain sustainability criteria. One of the most supported of these is the Green Tourism certification scheme, which considers an organisation’s impact in three categories, People, Places and Planet. Green Tourism awards Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates.
Not all the accommodations below have certifications, but they are all doing their best to look after the environment, and their local communities at the same time as looking after you. We were impressed by their efforts.
The Green House Hotel – Bournemouth, Dorset
Image credit: Thomas Faull | Getty Images Signature
Type of accommodation – Luxury hotel
Nearest train station - Bournemouth (BMH)
Walking from station – 18 minutes
Eco-friendly experiences – Beach selfies at Bournemouth Pier, sea swimming intro with WAVE23, bus and ferry to stunning Studland Bay.
Plenty of hotels now use energy efficient lighting, provide electric vehicle charging and encourage guests to reuse their towels but the Green House Hotel, which was selected by Expedia in 2019 as the most environmentally friendly hotel in the UK, has taken their journey to sustainability further than most. Their water is heated by solar energy, and they generate much of their electricity on site. They support UK and local businesses with their food and furnishing choices and, from furniture to coffee beans they upcycle and recycle as much as they can.
All this and you get to choose from 32 beautiful guest rooms and dine on the very best seasonal, locally sourced food, knowing that you’re also supporting local schools with their eco projects.
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Kingsmills Hotel – Inverness, Scotland
Image credit: Derek Rau | Getty Images
Nearest train station – Inverness (INV)
Walking time from station – 19 minutes
Eco-friendly experiences – Walk or cycle on the Loch Ness 360 trail, explore the Inverness Botanic Gardens, learn about kiltmaking at the Scottish Kiltmaker Visitor Centre.
Proud holders of the Green Tourism GOLD award, the team at Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness are setting the benchmark for sustainability in the Scottish Highlands. Proudly boasting Green Tourism GOLD award, Kingsmills’ ambitions are impressive. Not only do they take ambitious steps to reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint, but they also work in their community and with suppliers to spread the eco-tourism word and encourage sustainable practices such as high welfare, sustainable forestry and closed-loop production.
When you stay at Kingsmills, you get the benefit of their stunning facilities but so do local charities and community groups. Local support is an important element of sustainability, and Kingsmills Hotel achieves this in many ways including working with local suppliers and providing quality work experience opportunities through local schools and colleges.
Rail Holidays – St Germans, Cornwall
Nearest train station – St Germans (SGM)
Walking time from station – six minutes
Eco-friendly experiences – Admire St Germans Viaduct from the Quay, walk to Lanhydrock House from Bodmin Parkway station, visit the community shop for local goodies.
If your family love arriving on holiday by train, they’re going to be thrilled to see their holiday accommodation is a converted train carriage. Winners of the Cornwall Sustainability Awards 2023/24, the team at Railholiday have lovingly restored and furnished their four holiday carriages, which are conveniently situated right next to St German’s train station.
Offering a £50 holiday discount for anyone who arrives by train as well as anyone with a Devon or Cornwall postcode, Railholiday also offer hyperlocal carbon offsetting within their native hedge and tree-planting scheme (including a community orchard in St Germans). Wood for heating in the carriages is supplied from the family’s ten acres of mixed woodland, where guests are welcome to explore (wildlife notes are available in each carriage).
Riverside B&B – Moretonhampstead, Devon
Image credit: Thomas Faull | Getty Images Signature
Nearest train station – Newton Abbot (NTA)
Walking time from station – bus to Moretonhampstead then 48 minutes walking
Eco-friendly experiences – Learn navigation skills on Dartmoor, enjoy a woodfired pizza-making workshop or cycle the Wray Valley trail to nearby Bovey Tracey.
If you ask Kevin and Michelle to list the eco-friendly and conservation practices they’ve put in place at beautiful Riverside B&B, they’ll have plenty to tell you and their enthusiasm will be infectious. Michelle is a former environmental consultant, and the team's abundant knowledge and commitment has been quite rightly rewarded with a Green Tourism GOLD award. The B&B’s water and sewage is off-grid and eco-purists will find a very comfortable ‘treebog’ composting toilet outside as well as the cosy bathrooms inside. With eggs from their own hens, home baked goodies, homemade jams and marmalades, and even home pressed apple juice, you won’t feel you need to go off this peaceful 10-acre site to sample local produce. Riverside B&B even has a bar stocked entirely with drinks produced in Devon.
And if you fancy an experience that’s even closer to nature, Riverside B&B is also home to Wray Valley Camping, a camping and Nearly Wild Camping site.
Eco-friendly experiences in the UK you can get to by train (plus the occasional bus)
It’s worth remembering the most sustainable experiences are the ones you don’t need to travel far to visit. We’ve listed a few examples below but if these are miles away from your local train stations you could use them as ideas to plan your own eco-adventure. You might not find the Eden Project just down the road, but you may well find a local nature reserve or wildlife walk to explore alone or with your family. The National Trust, the Woodland Trust, Forestry England and the Wildlife Trusts all have some great options.
The Eden Project – St Austell, Cornwall
Image credit: Emily Barnes | Getty Images
Nearest train station – St Austell (direct bus link)
Walking time from station – St Austell 1.5 hours (Par station 1.5 hours)
Interesting fact about the Eden Project
There are currently seven other proposed and ongoing Eden Projects, including sites in China and Costa Rica.
From its famous biomes to its exhibitions and activities, everything about Cornwall’s Eden Project is about conservation. You’ll arrive ready to be entertained and leave with your head spinning with fascinating information. For anyone interested in finding out how to care for our planet, the Eden Project is the place to be, but this isn’t just a centre for learning. The Team at Eden understand that we learn best when we’re having fun, and with zip wires, giant swings and play spaces galore as well as the fascinating biomes, there’ll be plenty of that for the whole family.
If you arrive by public transport, you can claim a free Eden Guide Book on arrival (plus a Children’s Guide Book if you have children). If you’re travelling with luggage or bikes, you’ll find lockers and locking points available at the Eden Project.
Canoe Wild Beaver Tour and Talks – Canterbury
Image credit: FGM | Getty Images Signature
Nearest train station - Sturry (STU)
Walking time from station – 15 minutes
Interesting fact about beavers
Beavers’ teeth are orange because they contain iron for strength and protection.
There can’t be a more peaceful way to travel than paddling along a river. From their bases at Fordwich and Grove Ferry near Canterbury, Canoe Wild offer canoe, kayak and SUP hire on the beautiful River Stour as well as paddle training courses and wild experiences. On this beaver tour, you’ll learn all about the beavers that live on the river. Then from your canoe, you’ll spot signs of beaver activity and perhaps even the beavers themselves. Tours start at Fordwich, just a few minutes' walk from Sturry station, and you don’t need to worry about carrying any equipment on the train. Everything is provided, including buoyancy aids, paddles and dry bags for your valuables.
The Good Clothes Show – Olympia West, London (May 2025)
Image credit: Alexey_Fedoren | Getty Images
Nearest train station – Kensington Olympia (KPA)
Walking time from station – Four minutes
Interesting fact about clothing waste
In the UK we send around £140 million worth of clothing to landfill each year.
With prolific wastage and a poor human rights record, the fashion industry doesn’t have the best eco-credentials but demand for change is growing as more and more people make the move away from fast fashion, to enjoy clothing that is people and planet friendly. The Good Clothes Show aims to inform and educate visitors on how to make good purchasing decisions, upgrade existing pieces and embrace handmade and local ideas but it won't do this by ignoring fashion glamour. Expect red carpets, celebrities and bling that doesn’t come at the expense of the planet and be prepared to learn as well as buy.
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Walk the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, England
Image credit: CaronB | Getty Images
Nearest train stations – Worcester Foregate Street (WOF) and Birmingham New Street (BHM)
Total walking distance – 48 kilometres (two days)
Interesting fact about Birmingham
Birmingham is the most inland city in the UK but is said to have more miles of canal than Venice.
There’s something special about leaving a major city to walk, hidden from the hustle and bustle, out into the countryside and then back into town again. Our canal networks can take you away from the noise of city streets and help you discover an older, slower way of travelling; all under your own steam. Starting at atmospheric Gas Street Basin in Birmingham, this canal walking route takes you along the towpath to discover a world of locks and tunnels you didn’t previously know existed. Count the numbered bridges as you go, cross an unexpected aqueduct, find a chocolate factory, and watch novice drivers tentatively manoeuvre their boats. On the canal, the entertainment is endless, and most canals have fantastic train connections. I split this walk along the Worcester and Birmingham Canal into two days, using local train stations along the way.
Enjoy your journey, travel by train
Image credit: RichieChan | Getty Images Pro
The best train journeys are the ones that take you to exciting places. Swapping the car or a flight for train travel on some of your journeys is a great way to reduce your personal carbon footprint but car-free travel has other benefits too. Imagine a day out or a weekend away without traffic queues, sat-nav errors or parking problems; you can avoid all of those when you travel by train.
Another eco-friendly travel tip is to book your train tickets online and using e-tickets on your smart phone instead of paper ones. Unnecessary paper or journeys to the station all add to your carbon footprint and are easy to avoid.
The TrainSplit app allows you to book online and save money on train tickets. A journey from A to B can often be cheaper if it is split up into shorter legs. Ticket splitting like this can take time and effort to work out yourself but once you’ve downloaded the TrainSplit app from Google Play or the App Store, you won’t need to. TrainSplit will search through the possible ticket options and show you the results in a user-friendly format.
All you’ll need to do is choose the route, time and cost that suits your journey. With e-tickets and a detailed itinerary on your phone, you’ll be good to go wherever you want your train adventure to take you.
A Family and Friends Railcard can help you find affordable train tickets for family days out. Check out these ideas for family walks by train.
Buy Your Digital Railcard with Us
Save even more on your train travel with a digital railcard! Whether it’s a Family & Friends Railcard, Senior Railcard, or 16-25 Railcard, buying through us ensures you can enjoy discounted fares while travelling across the UK. The digital format means you’ll have it handy on your phone whenever you need it, making travel even more convenient. Purchase your railcard today and start saving on every journey!
Extend Your Stay
Why not make the most of your journey and extend your stay in one of the recommended accommodations? From luxury hotels to charming B&Bs, there are plenty of options to choose from.
FAQs
1. Why is travelling by train more eco-friendly than driving or flying?
Trains produce significantly lower CO₂ emissions per passenger compared to cars and planes. They are one of the most sustainable modes of transport, helping to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.
2. What are the best eco-friendly destinations in the UK accessible by train?
Some top sustainable travel destinations accessible by train include:
• The Eden Project (St Austell, Cornwall) – Direct bus link from the station.
• Loch Ness 360 Trail (Inverness, Scotland) – Accessible from Inverness station.
• The Worcester and Birmingham Canal Walk – Starts at Worcester Foregate Street or Birmingham New Street station.
3. What sustainable accommodation options are near train stations in the UK?
Eco-friendly accommodation near train stations includes:
• The Green House Hotel (Bournemouth, Dorset) – 18-minute walk from Bournemouth station.
• Kingsmills Hotel (Inverness, Scotland) – 19-minute walk from Inverness station.
• Rail Holidays (St Germans, Cornwall) – Six-minute walk from St Germans station.
• Riverside B&B (Moretonhampstead, Devon) – Accessible by train and bus from Newton Abbot.
4. How can I save money on train tickets for sustainable travel?
You can save money on train travel by:
• Using the TrainSplit app to find split tickets, which can be cheaper than standard fares.
• Booking in advance to get discounted Advance tickets.
• Using a Railcard (e.g. Family & Friends, Senior, 16-25) for up to 1/3 off fares.
5. What are some eco-friendly activities near UK train stations?
• Canoe Wild Beaver Tours (Canterbury) – 15-minute walk from Sturry station.
• The Good Clothes Show (London, Olympia West) – 4-minute walk from Kensington Olympia station.
• Dartmoor Navigation Skills & Woodfired Pizza Workshop (Devon) – Accessible via Newton Abbot station.
6. What is the most sustainable way to book train tickets?
The most sustainable way to book train tickets is:
• Using e-tickets instead of paper tickets.
• Booking online to avoid unnecessary travel to a station to pick up your tickets.
• Choosing digital railcards instead of plastic ones.
7. What is TrainSplit and how does it help with sustainable travel?
TrainSplit is an app that helps travellers find the cheapest train fares by automatically splitting tickets into multiple legs. It reduces the cost of train travel, making sustainable transport more accessible.
8. Can I use a digital Railcard for discounted sustainable travel?
Yes! A digital Family & Friends, Senior, or 16-25 Railcard allows you to save money while travelling sustainably. You can buy a digital Railcard online and store it on your smartphone for easy access.
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