Great North Eastern Railway, London to Edinburgh

Book very early to get a reasonably-priced seat on this often-crowded train service between London and Scotland, which typically stops at Peterborough, York, Newcastle and a few smaller English towns. On board, the seats are comfortable enough and the catering is okay. While it takes over four hours to reach Edinburgh, the last couple of hours are enriched by fine views of Durham's hilltop cathedral and Newcastle's eclectic bridges, followed by sweeping vistas across the deserted Northumberland countryside and coast line. The train arrives in Waverley station in the shadow of Edinburgh's imposing castle in the heart of the historic city. For Londoners within easy reach of Kings Cross station, GNER's southern terminus, the train isn't much slower than flying and is far less fiddly. 6/10