Great Western Coffee Shop

On a fora I frequent people have been talking about rail journeys they want to do - this is a NON rail related site - I have a life (of sorts)

However - whilst we all know the trans india, trans canada, trans siberia, orient, etc etc are once in a life time jobbies

Can anyone recommend UK rail journeys they recommend.

e.g.

Having doen the (1) the heart of wales loop from ludlow via llandridnod and back via newport cos I needed peace and quiet to study and (2) the northern loop of shrewsbury - llandudno, blaneau, porthmadoc, shrewsbury to show my american friend north wales in a day!

I'm sure there must be others across the country equally as scenic............

On the national network there's the Settle-Carlisle, West Highland Line to Mallaig, South Devon between Exeter and Newton Abbot and the Severn Beach Line ( ;)). All favourites of mine.

My current absolute favourite, off the network, is the Festiniog Railway from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The first class accomodation and scenery are stunning!

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/fessie2.jpg)

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/fessie3.jpg)

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/fessie4.jpg)

Swansea to Carmarthen is rather fine - lots of running along the sea wall, not entirely dissimilar to Dawlish/Teignmouth. The Cambrian Coast line anywhere between Machynlleth and Pwllheli also merits an honourable mention. Cornish main line has its highlights, as does the route between Bath, Westbury and Weymouth (marketed as Heart of Wessex).

Oh, and having done half of the trans-Canada route (the scenic half, Vancouver to Winnipeg) I can vouch for that one too!

Edit: oh yeah, forgot Carlisle to Newcastle via Hexham and Middlesborough to Whitby. And the North York Moors Railway (preserved) from Pickering to Grosmont.

It seems to me that there's a subtle difference between "rail journeys that they want to do" and things that are scenic. The Trans-Siberian strikes me as a journey : most of the time you're going to be more interested in the travelling theatre of your fellow travellers. I don't think that I've read anything about it that extols the scenery. The general message seems to be "the same thing, for many days".

The list that the others have given you - Dawlish, Settle-Carlisle, Newcastle-Carlisle etc are indeed are scenic. But you couldn't think of the Severn Beach line as a Journey!

Perhaps Vancouver - Winnipeg is a rarity in combining both.

The best ones in this country combine a lot of different scenery. If you're going to take someone on the Settle and Carlisle, don't do the tourist thing and just travel from Settle to Kirkby Stephen (coach tours have a tendency to do this). The whole length from Leeds to Carlisle makes a much better trip : gradually working your way out of built-up Leeds and the small towns up to Skipton, a rural passage through Hellifield to Settle, and then the country getting wilder up onto the tops. And then, after Kirkby Stephen, the run down the Eden Valley.

Same comment applies to Newcastle - Carlisle, albeit without the extreme of the tops.

And to the whole length of the West Highland from Glasgow to Mallaig.

And try not to come back the same way the same day. I do like your circular tour of North Wales : is there a circular ticket for this like the Heart of Wales line?

Some other bits of scenery that haven't had a mention yet:

Darlington - Edinburgh. Sit on the east side of the train so as to see Durham Castle and Cathedral, the Tyne and its bridges, Bamburgh and Lindisfarne castles, Berwick and the Bass Rock. The approach into Edinburgh isn't as good as the one where you come in from Fife over the bridge.

West Coast main line through the Lune Gorge between Oxenholme and Penrith.

Perth - Inverness

Kyle of Lochalsh. The section beside the sea from Kyle to Strathcarron is particularly scenic. The section over the top isn't as wild as the West Highland though.

Lancaster - Carnforth - Barrow - Whitehaven - Workington. Though best to try not to be on trains that are taking the workers to/from Windscale!

St Ives branch.

The approach to Lincoln from the west (Newark or Retford)

March - Ely. Incredibly flat, really big skies. Possible that Liverpool - Norwich, with all of the contrasts between the scenery, would give your American friend the whole of England in one day.

Gloucester - Chepstow (it's difficult to get enthusiastic about Chepstow - Cardiff, even as a contrast!)