It's now cheaper to travel from Sheffield to Essex via Berlin

One thing we all agree on is that Britain's railways offer fantastic service, value and customer satisfaction. Right, right?

Well, one blogger has hinted at the possibility that we're all getting screwed by high rail fares by discovering that a journey from Sheffield back to his home in Brentwood, Essex, was more expensive by train than an alternate route which took him via Berlin.

18-year-old Jordon Cox took a train from Sheffield to Derby, a bus to East Midlands Airport, flew to Berlin, then flew on to Stansted, saving him £8 on what he would have otherwise paid.

Naturally, it wasn't the quickest way of doing things - the journey took 12 hours, as opposed to 3 and a half hours - while it was also not environmentally friendly. However, whilst in Berlin, he did have the chance to do a bit of sightseeing around the German capital.

His German detour (including lunch) cost a grand total of £44.07, while travelling by rail in the UK (also including a sandwich) would have cost £51.79.

Jordon, who blogs on moneysavingexpert.com, said: "Obviously it isn't for everyone. Some people will just want to get home, but if you like travelling and saving money then its a great way to do it. The scenery was also 10 times better than any train trip would have been."

That seems a little unfair, you'd miss out on seeing Milton Keynes and Stevenage.

[via BBC]