It is now also quicker to get to Brussels, and no wonder so many of us actually enjoy travelling on the continent – Germany’s trains are relatively dear but super-reliable and very clean, France’s are a bit dirtier but cheap and never late, while travelling in Italy is so inexpensive it’s like going back to the 1950s. In contrast, when I see foreigners get on our trains their faces have usually gone pale and their hands are shaking, like they’ve been mugged. They sit there looking at their newly bought tickets and change, wondering if they’ve got the right exchange rate or if they’ve accidentally booked a first class return to Fort William.