It is indisputably true that I am an advocate of public transport. I see little or no point in owning the means of transportation, certainly for city dwellers. Yet public transport is often unsatisfactory even for a hardcore advocate such as myself. So it’s always nice to be able to recommend something entirely without reservation. That special something is the Heathrow Express. I had always considered it a monstrous imposition upon the British transport landscape and at £13 for a single journey it’s not exactly cheap but the secret of success is very simple.

They promise that a train will leave Paddington station every 15 minutes. 15 minutes later it will arrive at Heathrow airport, that’s it. The magic is that they deliver on this, trains clean, attendants plentiful and helpful. It’s one of my best transport experiences anywhere in the world bar none. I’ll be back.