TAKE A CRUISE FROM ST PANCRAS TRAIN STATION

Travel writer Robin Mead wants to go cruising from St Pancras.

Everyone's favourite cruising destination has to be the Mediterranean. Fly cruises to the Med are increasingly popular, with Majorca about to join the impressive list of departure points like Athens, Venice, Genoa and Barcelona.

But people don't necessarily like fly-cruises. Airport hassles and baggage restrictions can spoil a cruising holiday. And industry figures show that cruising direct from (and back to) a British port is what passengers increasingly choose.

The snag, of course, is that to reach the Med from the UK, a ship must spend three days at sea and cross the Bay of Biscay. And although the infamous Bay is often gentle enough, it can be rough. Very rough!

An answer could be for British cruise lines to look at somewhere like Marseilles as a port of embarkation and disembarkation. Thanks to the Eurostar and the TGV, you can now get from London to Marseilles by train almost as quickly as you can get to Scotland. And there are no luggage restrictions.

Admittedly, the train is not cheap. But think of those six extra days in the Mediterranean sunshine! I, for one, fancy the idea of starting an ex-UK cruise from St Pancras.

Cruise lines....please note!

Read more of Robin's cruise news, views and articles on www.robinmead.com