Off the Rails My Trans Mongolian Railway adventures from the Great Wall in Beijing to St Petersberg

One of the benefits of long-distance train travel is the opportunity it gives you to discuss any given topic in great detail. One of our favourite topics on this trip has been the question of which route is superior: fom Beijing to Moscow, or Moscow to Beijing. There have been plenty of arguments on both sides, not least the fact that the shopping is better in Beijing than Moscow, therefore it's better to finish there, than to lug all your bargains with you the whole way. However, I've been fully converted to the opposing camp, and now am firmly of the opinion that starting from Beijing is the way to go.

What made me change my mind? The train from Irkutsk to Moscow, that's what. It was in every way superior to any of the trains we'd experienced thus far. This is definitely the way to spend the last leg of your trip, not the first leg - no doubt about it. With elegant blue-upholstered carriages, a swish art-deco inspired dining car, and (miracle of miracles) clean toilets, it makes a comfortable home for your three-day, three-night journey.
The only area in which I admit that the Russian train has some room for improvement is in the food area. At the beginning of our journey, despite being fully armed with snacks and supplies (pot noodles were a general favourite), we set ourselves the task of sampling the delights on offer in the dining car in every train. The Chinese dining car set a high standard - although its menu was a trifle heavy on the pork, it did have some vegetarian options, and the food (when it arrived - the service wasn't exactly top speed) was delicious.

Our second leg, from Ulaan Baatar to Irkutsk, left in the late afternoon, and we deliberately neglected to pack snacks, figuring we'd enjoy sampling the Mongolian dining car. So we were somewhat distressed to find that no such carriage existed on the train! Fortunately, the thoughtful folk at Mongolian Railways provided each passenger with a dinner pack, consisting of two bread rolls (one savoury, one sweet), pre-packed salami, a bottle of water, and some potato chips.

After that experience, we packed plenty of pot noodles for the Russian leg, despite being heartily sick of the things. However, we discovered we had plenty of other options- so many, that it took us a day to even get to the dining car.

The first option was buying snacks from the babushkas who would sometimes be waiting at the station when the train pulled in to a scheduled stop. These stops were in themselves a highlight - a chance to get out, stretch your legs and breathe in some fresh air. At some of the stations (not all of them), we'd be met by an army of babushkas, selling everything from homemade ice cream cones to crayfish. Most popular buys were boiled eggs; homemade piroshki or pies - sometimes available in potato or meat varieties, always available in cabbage variety; and boiled dumplings |(served still piping hot in a bag, eaten quickly with fingers - yum!)

That took us through our first few meals. then we decided a visit to the dining car was long overdue. Our first visit was a bit chaotic, as the menu we were given was Russian only. Fortunately one of our gang has a few words of Russian, so we were able to order an omelette and something called "pureed potato", which turned out to be cream of potato soup. Unfortunately for our resident vegetarian, neither option turned out to be meat free: the omelette came with sausage (and in true Russian fashion, the chef refused to make a meat-free version), while the potato soup also had bits of meat floating in it. However, both were quite tasty.

Our next visit was much more successful, as this time we were given an English menu. While many of the items listed on the menu turned out to be unavailable, the dishes we were able to order were all fairly tasty. True, they took an awfully long time to be served (our record was an hour's wait for fried potatoes), but then, on a three-day train journey, you're not exactly pressed for time.

There's always plenty to occupy you, scenery-wise. To our great surprise, Siberia - a place that always sounds forbidding and frigid - turned out to be not only warm, but beautiful. Rolling forests, wide rivers, tranquil wooden villages - there was always something new to look at. Sometimes the sights were more sobering- a shocking number of decrepit factories and plants, simply left to rot, provided plenty of evidence that life in Siberia doesn't always live up to the most optimistic assessments - but on thing's for sure: we were never bored.

Now we've landed in Moscow, and have a few days to explore this mammoth city, Europe's largest. Can't wait to see what's in store.