Planning a holiday in the UK? Discover the beauty and majesty of the Great British landscape on one of these scenic rail journeys.
Travelling by prepare combines all the very best issues to get you from A to Z: consolation, beautiful views and the liberty to take pleasure in a drink or two, be it a steaming sizzling cup of espresso or one thing just a little stronger. Thereâs additionally the additional advantage that prepare journey is kinder in your carbon footprint than most different types of long-distance transport.
So sit again, calm down and benefit from the view on one in every of these scenic rail journeys in Great Britain.
Any of the beneath excursions may be booked HERE.
1. Riviera Line, England
Start/end: Exeter â Paignton
Distance: 28 miles / 46 km
Journey time: 1 hr 10m
Cost: From £8.50 for an off-peak day return
Departing from Exeter City Centre in Devon, the Riviera Line calls at seaside magnificence spots that hug the stretch of shoreline often called the âEnglish Rivieraâ. The views are significantly pleasing between Starcross, a village on the Exe Estuary, and Teignmouth. The seashores listed below are a mixture of shingle and sand, and on a sunny day the ocean is a blanket of calm and tranquillity.
If you will have a hankering for a day on the seaside, look no additional than Torquay, the penultimate cease on the Riviera Line. Home of murder-mystery legend Agatha Christie, Torquay incorporates a fairly marina lined with quaint outlets and cafes and has a surprisingly lively nightlife too.
2. Highland Main Line, Scotland
Start/end: Glasgow/Edinburgh â Perth â Inverness
Distance: 118 miles / 190 km
Journey time: 1 hr 10m
Cost: From £33.10 for an off-peak return
Passing by the Cairngorms National Park, this is among the most scenic rail journeys in the entire of Scotland, and thatâs fairly the boast given the fantastic thing about the nation. You can begin this route from both Glasgow or Edinburgh, and also youâll journey first by Dunkeld & Birnam, the place youâll see the historic two-storey sign field erected in 1919, a uncommon instance of a Highland Railway field.
The first cease in the Cairngorms National Park, house to Britainâs highest mountain vary, is Blair Atholl. From right here youâll make the ascent to Dalwhinnie, the best station on the road at 1,174 toes and residential to the Dalwhinnie whiskey distillery, which utilises clear spring water and peat from the encircling bogs to create a singular flavour.
One cease on the road that’s actually price a go to is Carrbridge, a small however vigorous village famend for its uncommon competition line up, together with an annual chainsaw carving competitors and porridge making competition. Donât miss an amazing photograph alternative at Old Pack Horse Bridge, which might make an ideal movie prop in Hobbiton.
3. Cumbrian Coast, England
Start/end: Barrow-in-Furness â Carlisle
Distance: 85 miles / 137 km
Journey time: 3 hrs
Cost: From £17.80 for an Off-Peak Day Return
The Cumbrian Coast line journeys by the spectacular Lake District, well-known for its glacial ribbon lakes and rugged mountainous panorama. The stretch from Barrow-in-Furness to Maryport hugs the shoreline with beautiful views of the Irish Sea.
If youâre a mountain climbing fan, you may go away the prepare at St Bees and start Alfred Wainwrightâs well-known coast-to-coast stroll. The unofficial coastal route passes by three nationwide parks: the Lake District National Park, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and the North York Moors National Park. However, you might simply wish to full a small stretch as the entire distance is a formidable 182 miles.
4. Penistone Line, England
Penistone ViaductStart/end: Sheffield â Huddersfield
Distance: 40 miles / 64 km
Journey time: 1hr 15m
Cost: From £11.20 for an Off-Peak Day Return
Opened in the mid 19th century, the fabulously named Penistone line travels by the South Pennines from Sheffield in South Yorkshire to Huddersfield in West Yorkshire. Showcasing the ingenuity of Victorian engineering, youâll journey throughout 4 viaducts with superb views of rolling hills and dense forests.Â
A journey alongside the Penistone line is incomplete with out making a cease at Penistone itself, which has the marginally random accolade of being the best market city in the Pennines (at 702 toes). The city has some very nice walks and thereâs additionally an quaint cinema, Penistone Paramount, which showcases dwell performances and organ live shows.
5. Cambrian Line, England and Wales
Start/end: Shrewsbury and the Welsh coast
Distance: 137 miles / 221 km
Journey time: 3hrs 45m
Cost: From £44.30 for an Off-Peak Return
The Cambrian Line takes you from the beautiful historic city of Shrewsbury in Shropshire over the border into Wales, the place youâll journey by the rugged Welsh countryside to Dovey Junction Station the place the road divides.
Either you may journey south to Aberystwyth, the unofficial capital of Mid Wales, or head north alongside the West coast all the way in which to the coastal village of Pwllheli (which means âsalt-water poolâ).
If you go for the coastal department youâll journey alongside the Dyfi Estuary with its saltmarshes, sandbanks and mudflats. The journey alongside the coast additionally affords loads of alternatives to look out for seabirds and different wildlife.
Youâll move a number of castles, together with Criccieth Castle, which is perched atop a hill located on the headland between two seashores. If you journey all the way in which to Pwllheli youâll additionally get to admire the imposing mountains of Snowdonia National Park.
Any of the above excursions may be booked HERE.
