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...and is why I never bother with the train any more as I don't like to plan my trips out 1 month in advance!
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Quite - they're good for a) the very rich (or those on expenses) or b) the very well organised. Being neither, it's a bit frustrating, really. Where there *is* competion, on the other hand, it can be quite good, look at Grand Central's prices for turn-up-and-go at Kings Cross on the East Coast (there just aren't that many trains). First Class off-peak return to Sunderland's only £101, for instance, although on the downside you end up in Sunderland. Doesn't seem to offer wifi yet, though, which many of the big operators are introducing.
First Class on a proper train will knock any airline into a cocked hat, by the way. One of the nice things about going skiing by train is that you can sit in the pub at St. Pancras watching them prepare your train, then stroll downstairs, buy a crate of lager, some gin and tonic, mooch through security and customs into the departure lounge, wander upstairs to the train, shove your skis and boards into a compartment in the middle, settle down, get the cards out and crack open a beer, all in about half an hour. That's civilised travelling. I suspect trying the same thing on Ryanair would result in the police being called.
http://www.grandcentralrail.co.uk/