"Never mind what they all say, my dear, but take a return-ticket every time the train stops"

What I like about British Rail tickets is that they are designed so old-fashionedly, so definitively like a train ticket. What I dislike is that they never seem to match the journey I intend to make.

Yesterday, returning from Exmouth (because no, we didn't also walk all the way back again), I asked the guard for a ticket to Exeter St David's. Apparently it was quite beyond his imagination that I wished to stay in Exeter for more than a few hours, because upon closer examination he turned out to have given me a one day return.

P.S. It must be remarked that in England, return tickets can often be cheaper than one way tickets - only that wasn't the case yesterday; just like two seperate single tickets can be cheaper than the corresponding return ticket. Are you still with me?

Another thing I observed yesterday: a nice little dome tent on St David's churchyard. And two supplementary tramps to go with it. And, to complete the picture, a note on the church door warning the campers to clear off or they would call the police. Does that sound Christian to you?