Sustainable travel news vol. 14

Welcome to our 14th sustainable travel roundup, created in collaboration with Flight Free UK, where we share some of the most recent updates, news, and developments shaping the future of eco-friendly travel.

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1. Walking route extended to mark 50th anniversary

A walking route has been extended by 15 miles (24km) as part of celebrations for its 50th anniversary. The Two Moors Way, which first opened in 1976, has had the Erme-Plym Trail added to it, taking the route to Wembury in south Devon.

The addition to the route, which goes up to Lynmouth through several areas of Devon and Somerset including Dartmoor and Exmoor, extends the total distance it covers to 117 miles (188km).

Find out more on the BBC website. 

2. New Poland–Germany train route launches

A new 1,300 km rail route from Poland to Germany via the Czech Republic has launched, becoming one of Europe’s longest daily passenger train services. The service is operated by Czech rail company Leo Express, and will run from Przemyśl in Poland, close to the Ukrainian border, to Frankfurt am Main in Germany, stopping at major cities including Kraków, Prague, Dresden and Leipzig. The full journey will take around 18 hours.

Find out more on the Travel Tomorrow website. 

3. Free bus travel for kids in England throughout August 2026

Free bus travel for children aged 5 to 15 is coming to England throughout August 2026, as part of a new government scheme designed to take some of the financial pressure off families during the summer holidays. 

Every child in that age group can travel free on participating local buses from 1 to 31 August, with no registration required and no fares to pay. The government is committing more than £100 million to fund the scheme.

Find out more on the Think Money website. 

4. Travel all around the Netherlands by train for €49 a month this summer

The Netherlands has unveiled an affordable summer train subscription, giving visitors unlimited nationwide travel during off-peak times, weekends and public holidays.

The scheme, called NS Flex Dal Vrij, has been launched by Nederlandse Spoorwegen, the country's national railway company, in collaboration with the government. It offers unlimited travel across the country for €49 a month for up to two months. Ordinarily, a month’s travel would cost passengers €127.95.

Find out more on the Euronews website. 

5. 'England's first cycle street' opens to the public

A road which is claimed to be England's first "cycle street" has opened to the public. The £2.4m project on Adams Road in the west of Cambridge - said to be used by 3,000 cyclists per day - gives cyclists and pedestrians priority over motorists.

Under the rules, motorists can access the road but must give way to cyclists. It is part of a wider so-called "greenway" scheme by the Greater Cambridge Partnership, which aims to improve walking and cycling journeys between the city and the village of Comberton.

Find out more on the BBC website. 

6. Oslo and Berlin direct train link to launch 

A new train service between Oslo and Berlin will run year round as soon as 2028, with two departures a day. Crossing four countries, from Norway, to Sweden, Denmark, and Germany, the complete journey is expected to take between 14 and 15 hours but will be slashed by an hour and a half when the new Fehmarn Belt tunnel between Germany and Denmark opens.

Find out more on the Travel Tomorrow website. 

7. La Dolce Vita Orient Express to launch new Rome-Istanbul luxury train journey in 2026

A new luxury rail journey will connect Rome and Istanbul. La Dolce Vita Orient Express will launch the five-day, four-night route in October 2026, offering travellers a slow journey through some of Europe’s best-known cities and landscapes. 

Accommodation includes deluxe cabins, suites, and the exclusive La Dolce Vita Suite. The interiors were designed by Milan-based Dimorestudio and feature bold colours, vintage-inspired furniture, and luxurious materials. Menus are created by three-Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck and focus on regional ingredients linked to the destinations along the route.

Find out more on the Travel Tomorrow website. 

8. World cycling champion bikes children to school

Former world champion mountain biker Tracy Moseley has joined a bike bus initiative at her local primary school, where her 8-year-old son is a pupil.

Moseley, 47, who lives near Malvern in Worcestershire, led a group of children on a two-mile (3.2km) route through the Herefordshire countryside as part of an effort to improve their health.

The national Bike Bus scheme gives pupils the chance to ride together, joining up at meeting points along the route with a nominated "driver"—an adult volunteer who leads the cyclists.

Find out more on the BBC website.

By Eveline Vouillemin ©