Country Getaways

For those of you who really like to lose civilisation at the weekend (or for the summer) leave the rat race completely behind, run through fields of long grass, sleep under the stars, that sort of thing - well, the train really is your key to going nowhere fast.

It can take you right out into the middle of nowhere with your backpack (or with your Vuitton matching luggage and Fortnums hamper - the wilderness doesn't have to be wild). Obviously there isn't actually a station to service every forest glade or mountain top, but the railway can bring you within an easy taxi or bus ride of idyllic hotels, lodgings, cottages and campsites... and the rest is up to you.

If a weekend is all you've got, then obviously Europe is the most likely resort for your getaway. And what a lot of choice! Whether you want to gallup through French forests or do that Julie Andrews thing on top of an Alp, it is really easy to arrange.

If you have a little more time on your hands, and you really really need a break, why not really getaway from it all in Japan - a land famous for its hauntingly beautiful retreats. Japan has an impressive rail network which will shoot you to the remotest corners of the land, and it is very easy to put your travel itinerary together right here on line.

Or perhaps you've had enough of all the little boxes that we tend to inhabit - the bus, the train, the office cubicle - and are looking for some seriously big spaces for your playtime. Well they don't come any bigger than the American Wild West or the Australian Outback... why not take the train into the middle of the back of beyond, and try your hand at sheep shearing, or cattle driving, or just camp out (don't forget your guitar), explore and chill.