United Kingdom → Belgium → Netherlands · Epic
Eurostar: London to Amsterdam
Three countries and the Channel Tunnel before lunch
5h 04m · Eurostar
- Epic
- High-speed
Photo: Rob Dammers · CC BY 4.0
Country hub
Britain by train
Preserved steam lines, Scottish scenic main lines and the sleeper north, the British catalogue divides more cleanly by the kind of railway than by region.
Britain's railway pleasures come in three distinct shapes: a preserved line run by volunteers for a short heritage ride, a scheduled main line whose scenery is the reason to take it, and an overnight train that turns the length of the country into a night's sleep.
Each journey below carries its own published route, operating season and booking detail.
19 published journeys · 4 groupings
Featured journeys
Start with these
United Kingdom · Sleeper
Britannic Explorer
Britain reimagined as a modern luxury sleeper journey.
72h · Belmond
- Sleeper
- Luxury
- Culinary
Photo: Geof Sheppard · CC BY-SA 4.0
United Kingdom → France · Engineering
Eurostar: London to Paris
Under the Channel, city centre to city centre in 2h16m
2h 16m · Eurostar
- Engineering
- High-speed
Photo: Julian P Guffogg · CC BY-SA 2.0
3 journeys
Sleeper and luxury overnight trains
Wake up somewhere else: scheduled berths and closed-door luxury itineraries.
United Kingdom · Sleeper
Britannic Explorer
Britain reimagined as a modern luxury sleeper journey.
72h · Belmond
- Sleeper
- Luxury
- Culinary
Photo: Geof Sheppard · CC BY-SA 4.0
United Kingdom · Scenic
Royal Scotsman
A private Highland country house that happens to move by rail.
72h · Belmond
- Scenic
- Sleeper
- Luxury
Photo: Peter Moore / Geograph via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
United Kingdom · Sleeper
Caledonian Sleeper Highlander
Go to sleep in London and wake in the Highlands.
11h 30m · Caledonian Sleeper
- Sleeper
- Epic
Photo: Colin MacInnes / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
8 journeys
Steam and heritage railways
Preserved lines, mostly short returns, run to a seasonal timetable.
United Kingdom · Heritage
Bluebell Railway
Eleven miles of classic British heritage steam.
40m · Bluebell Railway
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Peter Trimming from Croydon, England · CC BY 2.0
United Kingdom · Scenic
Dartmouth Steam Railway
Steam beside Tor Bay and the River Dart.
25m · Dartmouth Steam Railway
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Derek Harper · CC BY-SA 2.0
United Kingdom · Scenic
Ffestiniog Railway
Historic narrow gauge climbing from sea level into slate country.
1h 15m · Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: SchmalspurDVZO · CC BY-SA 4.0
United Kingdom · Scenic
North Norfolk Railway
Heritage trains between pine woods and the Norfolk coast.
25m · North Norfolk Railway
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: The Basingstoker · CC BY-SA 2.0
United Kingdom · Scenic
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Steam across the moors from market town to coast.
1h 50m · North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Bill Henderson / Geograph via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
United Kingdom · Scenic
Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway
A miniature steam railway from the Cumbrian coast into the fells.
40m · Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Peter Trimming · CC BY-SA 2.0
United Kingdom · Scenic
The Jacobite
Steam over Glenfinnan to the fishing port of Mallaig.
2h 16m · West Coast Railways
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Daniel Kraft / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
United Kingdom · Scenic
Welsh Highland Railway
Twenty-five miles of steam beneath Yr Wyddfa.
2h 10m · Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Alan Wilson · CC BY-SA 2.0
6 journeys
Scenic main lines
Ordinary scheduled services over extraordinary ground.
United Kingdom · Scenic
Borders Railway
From Edinburgh into the rolling Scottish Borders in about an hour.
1h 01m · ScotRail
- Scenic
AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas
United Kingdom · Scenic
Far North Line
Britain’s long railway into the peatlands and North Sea coast.
4h 15m · ScotRail
- Scenic
- Epic
Photo: Peter Moore / Geograph via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
United Kingdom · Scenic
Kyle Line
Lochs, mountains and moorland from Inverness to the west coast.
2h 40m · ScotRail
- Scenic
Photo: Phil Richards / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
United Kingdom · Scenic
Settle–Carlisle Line
Victorian railway engineering across the Yorkshire Dales.
1h 40m · Northern
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Engineering
Photo: Smiley.toerist / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
United Kingdom · Scenic
Snowdon Mountain Railway
Rack railway to the roof of Wales.
3h 30m · Snowdon Mountain Railway
- Scenic
- Engineering
- Excursion
Photo: Porius1 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
United Kingdom · Scenic
West Highland Line
A five-and-a-half-hour journey from Glasgow into the Scottish Highlands, across Rannoch Moor and over Glenfinnan Viaduct to the fishing port of Mallaig.
5h 30m · ScotRail
- Scenic
Photo: Tony Hisgett / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
2 journeys
High-speed and international
United Kingdom → Belgium → Netherlands · Epic
Eurostar: London to Amsterdam
Three countries and the Channel Tunnel before lunch
5h 04m · Eurostar
- Epic
- High-speed
Photo: Rob Dammers · CC BY 4.0
United Kingdom → France · Engineering
Eurostar: London to Paris
Under the Channel, city centre to city centre in 2h16m
2h 16m · Eurostar
- Engineering
- High-speed
Photo: Julian P Guffogg · CC BY-SA 2.0