Chris Stapleton, Plymouth
A Travelling by train in India is part of the essential experience. While most daytime trains don’t need to be booked in advance, overnight services certainly do. And you’re right: buying tickets in person can be time-consuming, so I’d advise you to book at least longer journeys beforehand.
Indian Railways (www.indianrail.gov.in) has a temperamental website, but it is useful for finding train names, times and fares. Better still, contact SD Enterprises (020 8903 3411, www.indiarail.co.uk), the general sales agent for Indrail passes in the UK.
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Staff there are terrifically knowledgeable about the Indian railway network.
An Indrail pass allows you to book and pay for your travel before leaving. The minimum duration of a pass is just 12 hours. It costs £18, and is therefore good for the overnight train from Delhi to Jaipur, for example. More popular durations are seven days (£82), 15 days (£112) and 21 days (£120). These allow unlimited travel to more than 7,000 stations.
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Q My two children have an as yet unflagging fascination with dinosaurs. We’re hoping to take them to the Jurassic Coast, but want to know if this is feasible without a car.
John Probert, Northampton
A The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site — a 95-mile slice of southern England that’s a living geography lesson, from towering rock formations to secluded coves and undulating hills.
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But it’s a dinosaur fix your kids seek, so head to Lyme Regis for preserved footprints, museums and some hands-on fossil-foraging. Axminster is on the London-Exeter line; from there, take a bus to Lyme Regis. Visit The Train Line (www.thetrainline.com) for timetables and fares.
Dinosaurland (01297 443541, www.dinosaurland.co.uk; adults £4, children £3) has a fine fossil collection and excellent model dinosaurs. It also offers two-hour fossil-hunting walks (£5/£2).
On a falling tide, make for the sands and hunt for ammonites, belemnites and other petrified remnants.
The CoastLinX53 bus (0870 608 2608, www.traveline.org.uk) operates a summer schedule along the coast’s key towns. An unlimited-use day ticket costs £5, or £12.50 for a family of four (up to two adults). For more information, visit www.jurassiccoast.com.