If you were to spend 5 and half hours on a train departing from, say, Edinburgh, you would realistically expect to visit London.

You would expect to pay (buying in advance) about £100 for a return trip.

So here's my secret.

If you want to visit the West Coast say Kyle, Isle of Skye, Lochcarron and you are travelling from Aberdeen (via Inverness), you will expect to pay just £25-£30 RETURN!!!

That's right... from Aberdeen you can take one of the most visually stunning train journeys in the world, to the opposite side of the country, for less than the price of a return taxi into the city centre.

You couldn't drive there for that price, never mind back!

And my tip for the easiest way to find these readily available fares, is the use East Coast Trains brilliant matrix thingy-me-bob