It’s 200 years since George Stephenson climbed into the cab of the aptly named Locomotion No. 1 and took 600 passengers on a 26-mile trip on the Stockton & Darlington Railway.
Unsurprisingly, there was a buzz of excitement as the wheels rolled down the tracks, beginning in the small settlement of Shildon – considered the world’s first railway town – and continuing towards Stockton on the River Tees. They were, after all, on the world’s first public passenger steam train ride.
It remains a joy to visit this hallowed train spot. But what other uplifting journeys are to be had across Britain – the proud home of the railways?
North-East
Shildon to Darlington, County Durham
At Shildon’s Locomotion Museum is packed full of old trains – including Galatea and Duchess of Hamilton, pictured
This intriguing 11-mile journey is where Stephenson’s Locomotion No. 1 first chugged away in 1825. Drop by Shildon’s Locomotion Museum, packed full of old locos; check out the remains of Britain’s (and the world’s) first station at Heighington; and enjoy crossing Skerne Bridge, the world’s first such railway structure.
Don’t miss: Seeing Locomotion No. 1.
Middlesbrough to Grosmont, North Yorkshire
Middlesborough comprised a few abodes by the River Tees before the railway came in the early 19th century, yet by the 1860s it had become an industrial ‘infant Hercules’ (Prime Minister William Gladstone’s description). Departing from its atmospheric gothic station, you’re soon travelling for 27 miles along the gorgeous Esk Valley Railway, passing bracken-clad moors and hills.
Don’t miss: The lovely tiled route map at Middlesbrough station.
Berwick-upon-Tweed to Newcastle, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear
This journey starts at the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick, pictured, to the King Edward VII Bridge at Newcastle
This 62-mile journey goes from the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick (designed by George Stephenson’s son Robert) to the King Edward VII Bridge at Newcastle, spanning the Tyne and opened by its namesake in 1906. Between the bridges, the tracks skirt the North Sea cliffs – so make sure you book a sea‑facing seat.
Don’t miss: Gazing out to Holy Island in the North Sea.
North-West
Settle to Carlisle, North Yorkshire and Cumbria
Covering 73 bleak yet beautiful miles, this line was completed in 1876 at great expense – double the original budget of £3.6million. Thank goodness the original investors stuck to their guns. You cross 22 viaducts, passing peaks and calling at Dent, Britain’s highest mainline station (530 metres).
Don’t miss: The spectacular 24-arch Ribblehead Viaduct.
Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
Avoid traffic-clogged Lake District roads and take to the Cumbrian Coast Line, which stretches 85 miles between Carlisle and Barrow, with long sections snaking along the Irish Sea. The fastest journey takes two hours 20 minutes, though you may want to hop off at Maryport to visit the intriguing Senhouse Roman Museum or at Ravenglass for a side-trip on the local heritage line.
Don’t miss: The museum of rail paraphernalia at Ravenglass.
Wales
Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog, Conwy and Gwynedd
Llanduno beach is a seaside town in North Wales, which is surrounded by great scenery perfect to spot from a train
From Llandudno Junction, the station for the Victorian-era seaside town, it’s a 27-mile ride into the hills to the small town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. You follow the pretty River Conwy, slowly rising via farmsteads, woodland and rocky escarpments with former slate quarries dotted with rhododendron bushes.
Don’t miss: The lovely little platform cafe at Llandudno.
Craven Arms to Llanelli, Shropshire and Carmarthenshire
Slicing cross country on the Heart Of Wales Line, this 90-mile ride cuts between Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons, traversing remote green valleys between rolling hills. It’s a Transport For Wales service, often with no more than a carriage or two. There’s an exhilarating feeling as you leave the west coast mainline rattling into the depths of mid-Wales.
Don’t miss: Taking some snacks/drinks for the three-hour journey.
South-West
Exeter to Teignmouth, Devon
It’s 15 miles heading south from the cathedral city along the muddy River Exe, passing a half-sunk vessel by the shore and arriving at a seawall by the English Channel. Golden, red-tinted sands run along the tracks, broken by small headlands with crumbly cliffs. On the section at Dawlish, sometimes closed and occasionally damaged during storms, you almost feel you’re surfing along the waves.
Don’t miss: Getting a sea-facing seat.
Truro to Penzance, Cornwall
St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall is a great spot from this train, with its castle perched up on the hill
This 30-mile ride slides between rolling hills from the county capital towards the end of the Cornish line: Penzance, Britain’s southernmost station. On the run-in, on the left, is the island of St Michael’s Mount, with its mysterious castle.
Don’t miss: A coffee/tea at old-fashioned Sullivan’s Diner, next to Penzance station.
St Erth to St Ives, Cornwall
This five-mile journey on Cornwall’s north coast leaves the Plymouth-Penzance mainline at the pretty little station of St Erth, winding along clifftops with great sweeps of sand. St Ives, once a sleepy fishing village, became popular with tourists when the Cornish Riviera Express from London began in 1905.
Don’t miss: Carbis Bay, just before St Ives.
West Country
Castle Cary to Dorchester West, Somerset and Dorset
From the elegant market town of Castle Cary, this ride takes you 30 miles south on the remote Heart Of Wessex line through classic English countryside. The joy here is the sense of isolation, watching little farmsteads pass by, crossing Yeovil Junction and rattling towards Dorset’s county town.
Don’t miss: Lovely skies around sunset.
Exeter to Okehampton, Devon
Okehampton station sits right on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, and features an excellent bookshop
This route covers 15 miles and is special for being part of a section of the Dartmoor Line that was reopened in 2021 (after closing in 1972). Okehampton station is right on the edge of Dartmoor National Park.
Don’t miss: The excellent little bookshop at Okehampton station.
The South
Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin, Isle of Wight
Make sure to stop halfway at Smallbrook Junction for a side-journey on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, pictured
Arriving by ferry, it’s a few strides from the dock to Ryde Pier Head station, where old London Tube carriages await, along with some newer, purpose-built ones. This quaint, eight-mile ride to the old-fashioned seaside resort of Shanklin bumps along tracks past quiet suburbs and fields.
Don’t miss: Stopping halfway at Smallbrook Junction for a side-journey on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.
Tonbridge to Hastings, Kent and East Sussex
This 33-mile line traverses the sandstone hills of the High Weald, cutting through tunnels and winding around contours, calling at historic towns such as High Brooms, Tunbridge Wells and Battle. Expect wooded hillsides, farmland with fruit trees and tranquil countryside before arriving at the fun seaside town of Hastings.
Don’t miss: It’s a short walk from Hastings station to the beach.
East of England
Norwich to Sheringham, Norfolk
In Sheringham, the North Norfolk Railway offers steam rides
It’s a 25-mile ride from Norwich to the seaside town. The route curves across ploughed fields and flatlands with canals, with the occasional village with a flint church poking up.
Don’t miss: In Sheringham, join the brilliant ‘Poppy Line’ North Norfolk Railway offering steam rides.
Thorpe-le-Soken to Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex
This short journey of five miles or so is all about escaping down the line – known as the Sunshine Coast Line – to the seaside resort of Walton-on-the-Naze, which was put on the tourist map by trains in 1867. You cut across gorgeous emerald countryside, before pulling into the terminus, a short walk from the amusement pier.
Don’t miss: The striking mural of Winston Churchill at Frinton-on-Sea station.
Grimsby to Barton-on-Humber, Lincolnshire
The Humber Bridge, the world’s longest single span suspension bridge, can be seen from this route
Your reward for this peculiar, 21-mile ride passing bulk terminals, warehouses, power stations and electricity pylons – as well as some long, flat arable farms – is a superb view of one of Britain’s greatest engineering structures, the Humber Bridge, the world’s longest single span suspension bridge when it opened in 1981. From Barton-on-Humber station it’s a short walk to the river.
Don’t miss: The brilliant little cafe/bar facing Humber Bridge.
North of England
Sheffield to Chinley, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire
A passenger train on the Hope Valley railway line, running through the rolling hills of the Peak District
The Hope Valley line runs through the Peak District, connecting Sheffield and Manchester. The Sheffield side is especially beautiful, with tracks winding past Hathersage, Edale and Hope, before arriving at Chinley. Fells rise all around and carriages are often occupied by walkers.
Don’t miss: Walking from Chinley to see spectacular old viaducts from below.
Liverpool to Manchester
OK, so it may not be especially scenic, but Stephenson’s 31 miles of tracks between these two cities were just as important to train history when they opened in 1830 as the Stockton & Darlington Railway five years earlier. You can visit Edge Hill station, where the locos set forth to Liverpool Road station in Manchester – now preserved as part of the fantastic Science And Industry Museum.
Don’t miss: Seeing the old tunnels at Edge Hill in Liverpool where the 1830 trains began their journeys.
Scotland
London Euston to Aberdeen
The Caledonian Sleeper is an overnight rail journey beetween Scotland and London – but make sure to book a table for dinner in the dining car
The Caledonian Sleeper offers rides from Euston to Fort William, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. The latter makes a superb choice. You leave in the evening, enjoying the plush dining car, before arriving around dawn, crossing the Tay Bridge to Dundee and traversing scenic coastline via St Andrews.
Don’t miss: Booking a table in the dining car.
Inverness to Thurso, Inverness-shire and Caithness
This long journey of 107 miles (three hours, 45 minutes) offers an escape into a peaty, empty landscape, skirting estuaries, lochs and the coast before arriving at Thurso, Britain’s most northerly station.
Fittingly, this route is known as the Far North Line. It was completed in 1874 thanks to the financial contributions of the Duke of Sutherland.
Don’t miss: Thurso’s lovely history museum.
Mallaig to Glasgow, Highlands and Lanarkshire
The Glenfinnan Viaduct was made famous as the route taken by the Howarts Express in the Harry Potter films
It’s a blockbuster five hour and 20 minutes, 130-mile journey from the peaceful west coast port of Mallaig to Glasgow. The highlight comes quickly: the Glenfinnan Viaduct, with its 21 spans and long curving shape – made famous thanks to journeys taken by the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films.
Don’t miss: Booking a seat on a steam train ride, if you can get a space.
Northern Ireland
Belfast to Derry
Over 90 miles, the Belfast to Derry Line connects with Antrim, Ballymena, Coleraine and Castlerock – making it an excellent way to explore Northern Ireland. It crosses rolling emerald green farmland and slides by mountains and luminous snaking rivers.
Don’t miss: The spectacular coastal section after Bellarena, before curving inland to Derry.
- Tom Chesshyre is author of Slow Trains Around Britain: Notes From A 4,088-Mile Adventure On 143 Rides, published by Summersdale.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .