Travelling in Victorian times

Old English "Flying" Mail Coach.

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Many large towns were not initially connected to the rail network, which meant even for gentlemanly leaders, rail travel was not an option for certain legs of the journey. To reach towns, villages and hamlets not
connected to the railway network, and without a road carrier service, walking was often the best option; the alternative being the expense of coach hire and the upkeep of a horse. Walking was a staple form of transport in the Victorian period: lower class people routinely walked long distances simply because there was no alternative.

The 1830s was the golden age of the stage coach when ‘flying coaches’ could transport affluent travellers in relative comfort and safety at speeds up to ten miles per hour. The road network, like the later railways, primarily radiated from London in the direction of major cities and towns. Destinations off the major routes were less well served and roads which traversed the country ‘across the grain’ were inconvenient.
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