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In a modern world where travelling between destinations is perceived as a waste of time, it is hard for many to comprehend the beauty of some of the most spectacular places on the planet. With UK rail tours, the trip itself becomes the destination. Here are the top 5 UK Rail journeys.
From the bagpipes and intimate musical events, to the grand sweep of the moors and the gorges, the Royal Scotsman Classic Tour is a journey straight to the heart of the Scottish Highlands. Life on the train is relaxed and indulgent, with the freshest local produce served in the dining cars.
From Edinburgh, the train follows the east coast up to Keith, then journeys to the picturesque west coast village of Plockton, before travelling onward to Inverness and south to Perth. Highlights include: a private display of traditional Scottish dance at Strathisla and a personal tour of Ballindalloch, with its magnificent house and gardens. Other activities include clay pigeon shooting or guided walking along Caledonian pine forest trails.
This fabulous tour provides a convenient opportunity for passengers in the West Midlands to sample a truly spectacular railway journey. One of Britain's best, the breathtaking Settle to Carlisle line combines superb scenery with impressive Victorian engineering. Spectacular scenery unfolds as the locomotive makes the steady climb through Settle with the peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside dominating the landscape. This line includes twenty major viaducts and fourteen tunnels, cumulating in the massive yet beautiful 24-arch Ribblehead Viaduct.
After passing through Blea Moor Tunnel, the train runs high along the edge of Dent Dale with spectacular views into the valley below. Beyond Dent station, the highest main line station in England at 1150 feet above sea level, the train enters Garsdale and speeds onwards to Ais Gill Summit at 1169 feet. Taking the West Coast Main Line through Penrith, on the edge of the Lake District, the train climbs steadily to the summit at bleak, windy Shap. The impressive Lune Gorge leads to Oxenholme - then it is back to Worcester to conclude the journey.
A journey on this steam railway between Sheffield Park and Kingscote is made memorable not only by the quaint Sussex countryside but also by the historic carriages and atmospheric stations, each restored to evoke a different period: Sheffield Park the Edwardian era, the classic country junction of Horsted Keynes reflects the inter-war years and Kingscote evokes the nostalgia of the 1950s.
The trip from Inverness to Britain's most northerly town, Thurso, is nothing short of a romantic sojourn. From the moment the train clatters over the Caledonian Canal on leaving Inverness, the journey commences with some of Scotland's most beautiful scenery. Travelling through desolate moors and windy peaks, this is a ride that will thrill even the most jaded of travellers.
Scotland's West Highland line runs from Glasgow's Queen Street Station to the west coast town of Mallaig. The Iron Road to the Isles is a Scottish treasure boasting 264km of metal rails and wooden sleepers crisscrossing mountains and moorland, passing lochs and villages. Photo opportunities abound in this picturesque setting.
The train leaves Glasgow, speeding northwest to Loch Lomond, where the train enters the Highlands, with its looming green peaks and brooding sky. As the line climbs to Rannoch Moor the scenery grows increasingly desolate and dramatic.
The West Highland Line continues to dazzle, with the final stretch on to Mallaig offering astonishing views of islands and beaches, plus a crossing of the viaduct at Glenfinnan. But Mallaig is not the end of this incredible journey; from here ferries flow to Skye, Rum, Eigg and on to the lost world of Knoydart.
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