Now arriving on platform 13: the four-figure train ticket.

Britain’s highest rail fare was revealed last week, and it was a shocker — precisely £1,002 for a last-minute, first-class return from Newquay, in Cornwall, to Kyle of Lochalsh, in northwest Scotland.

But is all rail travel a rip-off, as the outraged headlines claimed? Consider this: if our theoretical Cornish traveller had used his common sense, he could have had a standard-class return on that Scottish route for £119. And, as we’ll show below, fares get much, much cheaper than that.

The first rule is, book early. Long-distance rail fares work like no-frills airline fares, with cheap seats offered to early bookers, then prices rising as these are snapped up.

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In the UK, the cheapest advance fares are released 12 weeks before travel; in Europe, it’s generally 90 days ahead. Second, be flexible. The cheapest fares will be when the fewest people want to travel. You’ll pay through the nose to go under the Channel on a Monday morning.

And third, do your research. For UK tickets, the best place is nationalrail.co.uk , which has a journey plannerto find routes, times and comparative prices. Note that it’s sometimes cheaper to buy two singles than a return — you’ll find out only by trial and error, so get clicking.

For journeys using Eurostar, you won’t get cheaper than by booking direct at eurostar.com or — for trips further afield, to Spain, Italy, Switzerland or Germany — raileurope.co.uk.

That’s how to find the cheap seats, but where can you go? Here are three classic rail-based breaks — fascinating journeys to inspiring places, each for far less than that heinous £1,002 fare.

THE WEST HIGHLAND LINE
From £11.60

The makers of the Harry Potter films know a thing or two about scenery. When the Hogwarts Express thunders north, it’s the West Highland that provides the jaw-dropping backdrop.

It’s been voted the most scenic railway on the planet, and the most dramatic stretch runs from Fort William to Mallaig, an 84-mile visual tour de force with waterfalls tumbling off the high peaks, heather frosted white in winter and views from Arisaig over to the isles of Rhum and Eigg.

ScotRail (scotrail.co.uk) has advance returns for £11.60 — not bad for a world-class treat. For Sassenachs, the classic way to enjoy the route is to head for the Highlands overnight on the Caledonian Sleeper from Euston to Fort William. ScotRail has a handful of discounted “bargain berth” singles from a measly £19, one-way, and regular second-class sleeper singles from £59, one-way.

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