Details added: 20.01.10
Snowdonia and Northern Fells
Two Tours - August
This wonderful steam tour around Wales and Cumbria, features four main line steam runs. We experience the magnificent Cumbrian Mountain Express, the exciting North Wales Coast Express, The Cambrian and The Welsh Mountaineer. Plus - an extra highlight - we will travel aboard the railway wonder of the 21st Century, the rebuilt Welsh Highland Railway and Ffestiniog Line. All in all a steam epic! With limited spaces available, we recommend you book early to secure a place.
Friday
Explore Chester
We meet at the Queen Hotel in Chester which will be our base for two nights. Arrive at your leisure giving you time to explore this fine Roman city. Dinner and overnight accommodation at the Queen Hotel. (D)
Saturday
Cumbrian Mountain Express
We take a short journey by private coach to Liverpool Lime Street station where we board our steam charter ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’.
An impressive exit from Lime Street Station, hauled by a magnificent Pacific locomotive Duchess of Sutherland or Oliver Cromwell, is closely followed by breakfast at your seat. Heading north through Preston, we skirt the Lake District before entering Lune Gorge. Our steam locomotive will be fully extended as we begin our ascent to the summit of Shap Fell. Descending through Penrith North Lakes, we halt at Carlise for a two hour break. Leaving Carlisle we join the Settle and Carlisle Railway, climbing up through Langwathby and Culgaith and passing for water at the market town of Appleby. Spectacular scenery appears as we climb the steep gradient to Ais Gill and through Dent Dale, with the Peaks of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-Y-Ghent dominating the landscape. Twenty major viaducts and fourteen tunnels culminate with the magnificent 24 arch Ribblehead Viaduct. We continue back to Liverpool Lime Street and enjoy a four course dinner silver-served at our seats. Our private coach transfers us back to Chester from Liverpool Lime Street. We stay overnight at the Queen Hotel in Chester. (B L D)
Sunday
Steam along the North Wales Coast to Holyhead
After breakfast we join our special steam hauled train at Chester station with reserved 1st class seats. Hauled by 6201 Princess Elizabeth, we cross the river Dee and enter Wales, running along the Dee Estuary and the Irish Sea before passing through Prestatyn and Rhyl. This coastline is known for its stunning beaches and, at Colwyn Bay, we have fantastic views of the Great Orme. Running close to the Irish Sea we then pass through several small seaside resorts before crossing the Britannia Tubular Bridge onto Anglesey. We take a two hour break at Holyhead to explore the town before returning steam hauled to Bangor. On arrival we transfer by coach to Penryn Castle, a dramatic neo-Norman fantasy built in the early 19th Century for a wealthy Welsh family, crammed with fascinating objects. Afterwards we transfer by coach to Llanberis to check in to our 3 star hotel for dinner and overnight accommodation.
Monday
The Welsh Highland and Snowdon Mountain Railways
This morning we transfer to Llanberis Station for a steam trip on the Snowdon Mountain Railway and wonderful summit views. Back in Llanberis you’ll enjoy some free time to explore this delightful Snowdonian town and take lunch.
In the afternoon we embark on a trip on the newly completed Welsh Highland Railway from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, through the magnificent Snowdonian National Park.
Our fantastic forty mile steam hauled narrow gauge journey, by two foot gauge Garratt locomotives, takes us past Caernarfon Castle, Beddgelert and the famous Aberglaslyn Pass, eventually arriving at Porthmadog where we transfer by coach to our hotel, dinner and overnight accommodation. (B D)
Tuesday
The Cambrian
We transfer to Machynlleth station to board our steam hauled Cambrian train, heading off alongside the Cambrian Coast through Aberdorey, Barmouth and Porthmadog to Pwllheli. On arrival we will have two hours to explore the town and find lunch before returning on our steam hauled train to Porthmadog. Here we join a steam hauled service on the Ffestiniog Railway to Blaenau Ffestiniog, then transfer by coach to our hotel in Lladudno for dinner and overnight accommodation. (B D)
Wednesday
A Steam Spectacular up to Blaenau Ffestiniog
After breakfast we take a ride on the 3’6” gauge Great Orme Railway from Llandudno Victoria to Great Orme. Afterwards we go to Llandudno town station to join our special steam hauled train to Blaenau Ffestiniog, hauled by a former LMS Black V, to Llandudno Junction where we join the Blaenau Ffestiniog branch. This is an incredibly steep line, climbing uphill into Snowdonia through Betws-y-Coed and Pont-y-Pant to Blaenau Ffestiniog. You’ll have around an hour to explore Blaenau Ffestiniog before we retrace our steps downhill to Llandudno. Our steam hauled train continues along the North Wales Coast to Chester and Crewe and you can leave the tour at either place; we hope to arrive in Crewe by 18:00.
If you require it, we can arrange overnight accommodation for you. (B)
Meals included each day are shown as: B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D= Dinner
Explore Chester
We meet at the Queen Hotel in Chester which will be our base for two nights. Arrive at your leisure giving you time to explore this fine Roman city. Dinner and overnight accommodation at the Queen Hotel. (D)
Saturday
Cumbrian Mountain Express
We take a short journey by private coach to Liverpool Lime Street station where we board our steam charter ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’.
An impressive exit from Lime Street Station, hauled by a magnificent Pacific locomotive Duchess of Sutherland or Oliver Cromwell, is closely followed by breakfast at your seat. Heading north through Preston, we skirt the Lake District before entering Lune Gorge. Our steam locomotive will be fully extended as we begin our ascent to the summit of Shap Fell. Descending through Penrith North Lakes, we halt at Carlise for a two hour break. Leaving Carlisle we join the Settle and Carlisle Railway, climbing up through Langwathby and Culgaith and passing for water at the market town of Appleby. Spectacular scenery appears as we climb the steep gradient to Ais Gill and through Dent Dale, with the Peaks of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-Y-Ghent dominating the landscape. Twenty major viaducts and fourteen tunnels culminate with the magnificent 24 arch Ribblehead Viaduct. We continue back to Liverpool Lime Street and enjoy a four course dinner silver-served at our seats. Our private coach transfers us back to Chester from Liverpool Lime Street. We stay overnight at the Queen Hotel in Chester. (B L D)
Sunday
Steam along the North Wales Coast to Holyhead
After breakfast we join our special steam hauled train at Chester station with reserved 1st class seats. Hauled by 6201 Princess Elizabeth, we cross the river Dee and enter Wales, running along the Dee Estuary and the Irish Sea before passing through Prestatyn and Rhyl. This coastline is known for its stunning beaches and, at Colwyn Bay, we have fantastic views of the Great Orme. Running close to the Irish Sea we then pass through several small seaside resorts before crossing the Britannia Tubular Bridge onto Anglesey. We take a two hour break at Holyhead to explore the town before returning steam hauled to Bangor. On arrival we transfer by coach to Penryn Castle, a dramatic neo-Norman fantasy built in the early 19th Century for a wealthy Welsh family, crammed with fascinating objects. Afterwards we transfer by coach to Llanberis to check in to our 3 star hotel for dinner and overnight accommodation.
Monday
The Welsh Highland and Snowdon Mountain Railways
This morning we transfer to Llanberis Station for a steam trip on the Snowdon Mountain Railway and wonderful summit views. Back in Llanberis you’ll enjoy some free time to explore this delightful Snowdonian town and take lunch.
In the afternoon we embark on a trip on the newly completed Welsh Highland Railway from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, through the magnificent Snowdonian National Park.
Our fantastic forty mile steam hauled narrow gauge journey, by two foot gauge Garratt locomotives, takes us past Caernarfon Castle, Beddgelert and the famous Aberglaslyn Pass, eventually arriving at Porthmadog where we transfer by coach to our hotel, dinner and overnight accommodation. (B D)
Tuesday
The Cambrian
We transfer to Machynlleth station to board our steam hauled Cambrian train, heading off alongside the Cambrian Coast through Aberdorey, Barmouth and Porthmadog to Pwllheli. On arrival we will have two hours to explore the town and find lunch before returning on our steam hauled train to Porthmadog. Here we join a steam hauled service on the Ffestiniog Railway to Blaenau Ffestiniog, then transfer by coach to our hotel in Lladudno for dinner and overnight accommodation. (B D)
Wednesday
A Steam Spectacular up to Blaenau Ffestiniog
After breakfast we take a ride on the 3’6” gauge Great Orme Railway from Llandudno Victoria to Great Orme. Afterwards we go to Llandudno town station to join our special steam hauled train to Blaenau Ffestiniog, hauled by a former LMS Black V, to Llandudno Junction where we join the Blaenau Ffestiniog branch. This is an incredibly steep line, climbing uphill into Snowdonia through Betws-y-Coed and Pont-y-Pant to Blaenau Ffestiniog. You’ll have around an hour to explore Blaenau Ffestiniog before we retrace our steps downhill to Llandudno. Our steam hauled train continues along the North Wales Coast to Chester and Crewe and you can leave the tour at either place; we hope to arrive in Crewe by 18:00.
If you require it, we can arrange overnight accommodation for you. (B)
Meals included each day are shown as: B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D= Dinner
Price
| Price per person | £1155 |
| Single supplement | £185 |
Price includes:
- 5 nights accommodation with breakfast in 3 or 4-star hotels
- All seat reservations and transfers
- The services of a tour manager
Dates Available
Friday 6th August to Wednesday 11th August 2010
Friday 20th August to Wednesday 25th August 2010