The Great Britain XVII

Incredibly varied landscapes, fascinating ancient history, remarkable modern marvels and some of the nation’s most beautiful countryside await you on this spectacular tour of Great Britain, a unique way to discover the very best of Britain’s railways.

• Re-live the early days of express steam haulage on the legendary Pompey Line.
• Experience spectacular scenery in Pembrokeshire National Park, with panoramic views across Carmarthen Bay via the lovely coast line through Kidwelly.
• Board the stunning Welsh Marches route to Shrewsbury en route to Chester, past Morecambe Bay to delightful Grange over Sands in the Lake District’s stunning south.
• Travel the full length of the beautiful Cumbrian Coast line to Carlisle, then into Scotland via the dramatic Royal Border Bridge at Berwick on Tweed.
• Traverse the ancient Kingdom of Fife and over the Highland main line to Inverness for a two-night stay.

Saturday 26th April
From bustling London Victoria to historic Bristol Temple Meads
Our 2025 Great Britain tour starts at London Victoria. We make our way across the Thames at Battersea, past the power station, before negotiating south east London’s complex suburban lines en route to Wimbledon. We can expect a fast run on South-Western Railway’s main line hauled by our immaculately restored steam locomotive through Weybridge to Woking, where we leave the main line to Basingstoke before heading to the cathedral town of Guildford’s busy railway junction
.The 1858 Portsmouth Direct line connects Woking to the south coast routes and Portsmouth, once a tricky steam traction route thanks to undulating gradients. You’ll enjoy experiencing the early days of romantic express steam haulage, going southwards through Haselmere and Petersfield on the ‘Pompey’ line to Havant on the south coast main line, then bypassing Portsmouth and continuing west towards Fareham where we join the Southampton line.
After crossing the River Hamble at Bursledon, then the River Itchen, we join the main line from Eastleigh at St Denys, travelling past vibrant Southampton Docks and onwards via Romsey to Salisbury. We pause to water the steam locomotive, giving you views of the magnificent 404ft tower of Salisbury Cathedral, England’s tallest church spire. Then we’re off again, crossing Salisbury Plain via Warminster to Westbury. Continuing along the Avon Valley through Bradford-on-Avon towards the roman city of Bath. Finally we arrive at Bristol Temple Meads station for a comfortable night in a hotel.

Sunday 27th April
A day travelling from Bristol Temple Meads to Cardiff via Pembrokeshire
The highlight of today’s tour is South Wales’ spectacular scenery, a delightful journey through Pembrokeshire National Park to Pembroke Dock and Fishguard. Our route takes in the long, dramatic Severn Tunnel, an awe-inspiring feat of engineering. Following the direct line from Cardiff to Bridgend then industrial Port Talbot, we join the Swansea District Line to Llanelli for panoramic views across Carmarthen Bay and the lovely coast line through Kidwelly.
Following the River Towy to the ancient Roman town of Carmarthen, with its brooding ruined castle, we change direction for a diesel hauled run west to Whitland, where we take the rural single track branch line through Tenby to Pembroke Dock, a rare treat for steam hauled trains offering an inspiring mix of rural and industrial landscapes.
Passing through touristy Tenby, we travel to the end of the branch line through Pembroke to Pembroke Dock, from where the famous Rosslare ferry runs, once a busy Royal Naval Dockyard and now linked by the Cleddau Bridge to Nayland. We reverse our direction of travel again and head back, steam hauled via Tenby to Whitland. The 1 in 50 gradient from Pembroke Dock is a thrill, a struggle our powerful locomotive makes short work of.
At Whitland we reverse once more to head east, diesel hauled, to busy Fishguard Harbour, the end of the London Paddington line, once served by the Pembroke Coast Express. Our return journey to Bristol is steam hauled all the way, with the same 1 in 50 gradient up from Fishguard Harbour to the wonderfully scenic line taking us to Whitland, with more dramatic steep sections to enjoy. Avoiding Carmarthen, we make our way along the coast to Llanelli, via Gowerton and the infamous 1 in 50 climb to Cockett Summit, two and a half miles of drama, before bypassing Swansea to rejoin the main line at Briton Ferry. Then we’ll return to Cardiff for a night in a central hotel.

Monday 28th April
Taking the Welsh Marches route to Shewsbury, onwards to the Lake District
The unforgettable Welsh Marches route taking us north to Shrewsbury is a memorable experience, after which we follow the borders line to Chester then the West Coast Main Line past Morecambe Bay to Grange-over- Sands in the south Lakes. 
The North West route from Newport runs along the edge of the Black Mountains, featuring some fantastic sharp inclines to challenge our steam locomotive. At the summit there’s Llanvihangel to enjoy before our long descent to Hereford, with lovely cathedral views as we approach. The northward journey continues, steam hauled, back into England, through Ludlow and Craven Arms via pretty, undulating scenery past the Long Mynd all the way to historic Shrewsbury. The borders line then carries us to quaint Oswestry, back into Wales on the Chirk and Cefn viaducts en route to the market town of Wrexham. 
Descending Gresford bank to the luscious Cheshire plain and onwards to Chester, with its famous Roman walls on the river Dee, we pass Warrington and Preston on the way north along the West Coast Main Line. You’ll enjoy journeying through the Cotton Mill towns of Wigan and Preston, with glimpses of the silvery sea at Morecambe Bay once we’ve passed Lancaster. The Cumbrian Coast line at Carnforth leads us to the south lakes line as far as Grange-over-Sands, where we take to the road by coach for the final leg of today’s adventure for an evening in the Lake District.

Tuesday 29th April
From Grange-over-Sands to the vibrant Scottish capital
Relaxed and re-invigorated by stunning views of Lake Windermere, we head back to Grange-over-Sands for an incredible run along the Cumbrian coast to Carlisle, with a variety of long, scenic viaducts to cross, numerous estuaries, quaint villages and pretty river inlets. The Lake District’s craggy peaks are in view the whole time, along with the vast Sellafield nuclear power plant and the old ex-industrial towns of Whitehaven and Workington. On a clear day you might catch a glimpse of Snaefell’s peak on the Isle of Man.
You’ll enjoy miles and miles of splendid views of the Irish Sea all the way to Maryport, where we head inland again to Carlisle, a border town with a small but interesting cathedral and a well preserved castle. From Carlisle we follow the west to east Hadrian line towards Newcastle, a rural feast for the eyes taking us along the route of the wall itself, dating back to AD122 and once home to ten thousand Roman soldiers.
We actually cross the wall near Haltwhistle, following the South Tyne River to Hexham before crossing the River Tyne itself to Newcastle. Here we join the East Coast main line through Berwick on Tweed to Edinburgh. It’s a delightful journey with glimpses of the North Sea, attractive Alnmouth, distant views Bamburgh Castle, and of course fairytale Lindisfarne on Holy Island. Then there’s the sweeping Royal Border Bridge across the Tweed at Berwick on Tweed to enjoy, followed by the Scottish border. We’ll stay in Edinburgh, a place offering everything you’d expect from a major city but with a centre small enough to explore on foot. 

Wednesday 30th April
Heading far north through the romantic Kingdom of Fife to Inverness 
Leaving Edinburgh we travel north to Inverness, with a run across the ravishing Kingdom of Fife and over the Highland main line. The infamous Forth crossing over the world famous Forth Rail Bridge, completed in 1890 and 8094 feet long, is a highlight. On entering Fife we head for Dunfermline, where we reverse our direction of travel. Now diesel hauled, we return to Charlestown Junction just south of Dunfermline to join the freight-only line along the banks of the Forth towards Kincardine and Alloa, an unusual route for any train.
From Stirling we’re steam hauled north for another spectacular journey, this time all the way along the Highland Main Line to Inverness past castles and ruins, fast-running rivers, deep ravines and dizzying mountain passes, going through Pitlochry and Blair Atholl, with Blair Castle in view once we’ve negotiated the deep gorge at the Pass of Killicrankie.
A long climb through Glen Garry follows the A9 road to the summit of at Druimuachdar, 1484 feet up and the highest main line summit in Britain. This place is studded with whisky distilleries, including Dalwhinnie and Kingussie. At Aviemore you’ll spot the Speyside railway that serves Boat of Garten and Nethy Bridge. The final section of the Highland line from Aviemore tackles a long 1 in 60/72 climb up to Slochd Summit, 1315 feet above sea level, and you’ll see more viaducts crossing huge, wild valley floors as we return to Inverness, our home for two nights.

Thursday 1st May – optional day
Enjoy a day to yourself, or take another unique rail journey with us
Today is a free day. You might want to spend time discovering the capital of the Highlands or take an extra railway excursion. The service train to the Kyle of Lochalsh is impressive.
Or there’s an optional excursion to Wick and Thurso on the cards if you prefer, aboard the Great Britain again. It leaves Inverness early in the morning for a diesel hauled adventure to Wick, an exceptionally scenic and often remote journey along the full length of the Far North line, an unforgettable route that hasn’t hosted a steam hauled train for quite some time.
The train runs along Beauly Firth to Dingwall, where we take the Far North line onwards along the edge of Cromarty Firth to Invergordon. We skirt the edge of Dornoch Firth before cutting through more beautiful valleys to Tain and ultimately to the ocean at Golspie.
Heading inland from Helmsdale, you’ll experience some extremely remote terrain as we go off-grid through Kinbrace, Forsinard and Altnabreac stations then onwards to Georgemas junction. After that we’ll cut across Caithness to Wick, where we join our steam locomotive again for the return journey to Inverness. We’ll be steam hauled out of Wick to Georgemas Junction before joining the short branch line to Thurso, Britain’s most northerly station. 
The journey back to Georgemas junction is diesel hauled, after which we turn around and return to Inverness, steam hauled all the way. There’s a dramatic climb through Altnabreac to County March Summit, then an equally thrilling descent via various remote stations to Helmsdale. The coast is yours to enjoy to Golspie, then there’s an exciting steep incline up to Dunrobin station, a private station built for the Duke of Sutherland who used to live at nearby Dunrobin Castle. More hard climbing follows to Lairg Summit before we enjoy a less severe but equally attractive loch and coastal run, a relaxing evening return journey taking us back to Inverness.

Friday 2nd May
Heading steadily south through stunning countryside to Newcastle
Steam hauled we head south over the Highland Main line back to Perth and Edinburgh. There’s an unforgettable, long, hard climb out of Inverness, a twenty mile adventure taking us to Slochd Summit, then we descend through Carr Bridge to Aviemore in the exquisite Cairngorms National Park. The ispiring highland scenery continues through the Grampian Mountains to Kingussie and Newtonmore, before we embark on the legendary hard slog up to Druimuachdar Summit once more. After that it’s mostly downhill to Perth, with a brief climb out of Dunkeld to Kingswood Tunnel. We’ll stop for water at Perth, where you can stretch your legs, before re-boarding for the journey south via Ladybank and the rugged Fife coastline to the Forth Bridge, reaching Edinburgh mid afternoon. 
Your final leg today retraces our steps along the East Coast main line, crossing the border at Berwick and onwards to cosmopolitan Newcastle upon Tyne with its varied, dramatic river bridges and extraordinary modern buildings visible from the railway station. 

Saturday 3rd May 2025
A high speed run past World Heritage Durham and historic Darlington
Travelling south from Newcastle on the East Coast Main Line steam hauled, there’s an exhilarating fast run and unforgetable views of Durham city, a World Heritage Site with an ancient castle and Norman cathedral, offering magical views from the railway viaduct spanning the city.
Continuing southwards, we go through Darlington, the original home of railways, before the ECML’s long straight run through the small Yorkshire towns of Northallerton and Thirsk, across the flat, fertile Vale of York and past the city of York itself, home to the National Railway Museum, ancient Roman city walls, The Shambles, and the gorgeous pure white Minster dating back to 1220. 
Then it’s onwards to Doncaster, where we join the meandering rural Great Northern and Great Eastern Railway’s Joint route to Lincoln, crossing the River Trent at Gainsborough before passing through lovely Lincoln itself, dominated by its high hill, cathedral and castle. Rural Lincolnshire makes a pretty sight as we cut across the mellow agricultural landscape as far as Sleaford, where the flat fenlands begin.
Travelling from Spalding towards Peterborough, we briefly rejoin the ECML at Werrington Junction then approach the bustling cathedral city on the River Nene. Our route follows the line through Whittlesey and March, crossing many drains as the Fenland landscape stretches, flat and featureless, to the horizon, an extraordinary sight. We pass by Ely Cathedral as we join the rambling line across Norfolk via Thetford to Norwich, where you’ll stay for your final night.

Sunday 4th May
An unusual, interesting route back to London
Our final day with the Great Britain sees us taking an unusual return route to the capital, another journey not frequented by a steam hauled train for several years. We’re diesel hauled to Great Yarmouth, taking the direct route via Acle to Great Yarmouth before reversing to be steam hauled to Reedham, where we reverse again for the diesel hauled run to Lowestoft. 
Lowestoft is Britain’s most easterly railway station, a town once famed for its fishing industry and ship building. We’re steam hauled along the East Suffolk line, then the single line through Beccles continues on to Halesworth, once the junction station for the Southwold Railway narrow gauge line that ran to the coastal resort from 1879. 
Regaining the double track from Halesworth as far as Saxmundham, the junction station for the Sizewell power station branch, we return to a single track as far as Woodbridge, famous for its historic tide mill on the banks of the River Deben, where they still mill stoneground flour. We take the new Bacon Factory curve to avoid Ipswich, en route to Stowmarket, then take the line to Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket, famed for horse breeding and racing.
After Cambridge, with its world-class colleges and universities, we travel steam hauled though Royston to Hitchin in Hertfordshire, where we rejoin the ECML to travel south through Stevenage. Your final leg of the adventure, from Norwich, ends at London King’s Cross station, the conclusion of a classic railway adventure you’ll remember with great pleasure for many years to come.