I travelled up to Leeds on the train today. It's amazing how much you don't know about your own country. Despite having lived in the North for 30% of my life I'd never actually been to Doncaster. Even now I've only travelled through it. We also stopped at a station called Newark. Again I'd never realised that there was a Newark in England.

The journey was ok but as suspected GNER didn't live up to their brand promise. Because of a last minute change to the time of my presentation I travelled on an early train and was surprised when the cheapest ticket I could buy cost me over £70. The wifi that GNER boasts about in its ads exists, but do any of the GNER staff know the password? Nope. As I left the train I spotted a how to connect brochure - having charge £72 for a ticket it's an additional £2.95 for 30mins of wifi access anyway!

I remember pitching for the GNER account a year or so ago and we decided to take a trip on one of their trains. First of all it was a pretty ugly train ex British Rail with just GNER livery added, then mid way into the journey the train decided that after 50 years of service (or whatever it was) this was going to be its last journey and when going up a gentle incline behaved like a geriatric asthmatic and came coughing to a halt. After 10 or so minutes of trying to resurrect the tired beast a tow train was called to shunt us to the nearest station. This took an age to arrive and when it did finally get there it took us to a local station where we waited for another train which was now ridiculously overcrowded.

It's incredible how in the 21st century train companies can act in a completely outdated manner. But I guess with a monopoly on most routes its pretty easy. Maybe I'll fly next time.