We are often asked whan discusing travel routes which is best, plane or train?

So I thought it would be a good idea to put up a real-life travel schedules we did on our last trip, at the beginning of December:

09.00 - Comparatively leisurely start from home in North Yorkshire, bound for East Midlands airport.
11.00 - Arrive at East Midlands for the usual check in / security dance, flying with Sterling

13.40 Depart for Stockholm Arlanda
17.10 Arrive Arlanda. Now a wait for a connecting flight north to Ostersund with Fly Nordic. Scandinavian also serve the same route.
20.00 Depart for Ostersund
21.00 Arrive at Ostersund. Dead easy baggage collection, a real slick, informal place. Collect hire car from Avis desk. A Toyota Yaris with all sorts of clever ASC trickery to prevent us going sideways. Noble intent by Mr Toyota, but not really our bag...
21.30 Hit the road with ASC lights blinking away and the little Yaris thinking hard, Andy trying to find the ASC Off button in the dark without success.
22.30 Arrive at the hotel & Ice Driver base in time for a beer.

Return Leg.

08.40. Arrive at Bracke rail station to travel to Stockholm on the X2000 train. irst class tickets were not much more than standard and well worth it, with free WiFi, complementary coffee / orange juice and lots of leg room.
13.30 Arrive at Arlanda Station. Situated below the main terminal at the airport and looking like a James Bond Baddies lair.
13.40. Check in with Sterling for our return flight and them go and chill out with a pizza in Sky City, the main shopping area.
16.00 Depart for East Midlands with Sterling
17.15 Arrive back at Easy Midlands just in time to join the good old M1 snake northwards

So which is best, train or plane?

There's no clear answer and it will ultimately come down to the time that you arrive at Stockholm Arlanda.

If you arrive at a convenient time to jump on a train, then do so. You may as well be sitting on something that's moving than sitting at an airport. Plus the trains are all the things you don't see in the UK - Reasonably priced, clean and punctual. And when you arrive at Bracke, where we'll collect you and you're just seven minutes from our base.

Ostersund airport is one hour away, but very good, with efficient but non-intrusive security used to the outsided luggage that skiers and snowboarders travel with. It may well be that your flight from the UK schedules nicely with a connecting flight north. We'll collect you and it's around a 1 hour transfer to the hotel.

Our preference? The train. Particularly if travelling in daylight as the views at this time of year get better and better the further north you go. If you travel through big airports as much as we do, Swedish trains come as a refreshing change from air travel with nice views, no security searches and being able to turn up five minutes before it's due is a pleasant thing indeed. The X200 is a tilt train that's modern, quick and slick looking. The Inter City is an older design, but every bit as punctual and with really charismatic corrugated sides to the carriages and individual compartments that look at home in an episode of Poirot. So we just chill out, have a beer and gaze out of the window.....