Favourite railway route in the UK (or abroad)?

[Brussels Bureaucrat]

I travel a lot in the UK by rail (the best form of travel there is!) and there are some great routes out there. My favourites:

Both routes into Plymouth are brilliant. From the east there's the run along the coastline after Exeter through the cliffside at Teignmouth/Dawlish/Starcross etc, and then then the final mile or so as you run along the Plym. And of course you get a glimpse of Home Park just before you arrive at the station. But I think it's even better from the west - once you've left Liskeard (always a good feeling) you get that lovely stretch along the estuary at St Germans, then the first glimpse of Devonport docks across Plymouth Sound before Saltash, then of course the epic Brunel bridge over the Tamar.

Other journeys to recommend: of course the trip from St Erth to St Ives is jaw dropping, but the last mile or so into Penzance past Marazion and St Michael's Mount is great.

The Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh is just ridiculous, through the Highlands. Two and a half hours very well spent. The route south out of Inverness through the Cairngorms is brilliant as well.

I also really like the stretch west of Coleraine in Northern Ireland, as you run right along Lough Foyle and you can see the hills of the Irishowen peninsula in Co Donegal on the other side of the lough.

 

[boletus edulis]

Never been on it, but a uni mate who used to occasionally go up to Fort William, as his brother in law was an MP up that way, said it was an amazing view especially in the morning if on the overnight from London.

Been on a train in Colombo, that was an experience - bit packed and bumpy. But fun and nice people.

 

[IJN]

I’ve been on the Flam railway in Norway. Beautiful trip.

It’s billed as the most beautiful in the world! It’s certainly not that, but very pretty with all the waterfalls and mountains.

 

[Green Matt]

The little tram up to Victoria Peak in Hong Kong provides a splendid view, albeit along a very short length of track!

Most dramatic rail journey I've taken is probably the California Zephyr from San Francisco to Chicago. The section running through the Rockies is a particular highlight.

As has been mentioned, the journey east from Plymouth is not to be sniffed at. Added bonus if you get waves coming up the side of the carriage alongside Dawlish!

 

[Andrew Owen]

The Tamar Valley Line up to Gunnislake is underrated. Some lovely scenery if you go on a sunny day.

Scotland is pretty amazing - Inverness to Wick on the Far North Line, Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, Glasgow to Fort William or Oban.

A bit further south, Carlisle to Settle going down through the Lake District.

Europe is surprisingly flat and boring, but there's the Glacier Express from Chur to the Alps, a nice journey from Vienna to Feldkirch, some very lovely journeys along the Rhine and Mosel valleys (koblenz to cochem and koblenz to mainz), and my personal favourite - Belgrade (Serbia) to Bar (Montenegro). One of the few international trains still running in that part of the world, and an absolute delight.

Edit: forgot Ljubljana to Zagreb. Gorgeous.

Turkey is another gem - make sure you go in summer as it's surprisingly cold in winter. Izmir to Konya and Ankara to Kars, right over by the border with Georgia. Quite adventurous and you won't sleep much (they're both night trains) but you won't regret it.

 

[Alan Turing]

In no particular order:-

Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog
Liskeard to Looe
St Erth to St Ives
Paignton to Kingswear
Romney Hythe and Dymchuch

 

[Ross B]

Plymouth to Rosyth
Plymouth to Gunnislake
Snowdonia Mountain Railway
Tokyo to Hiroshima
Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko

 

[Green Matt]

Good in a different way, but I quite like a trip on the DLR if you get a seat at the front of the train

 

[Frank Butcher]

I travel a lot in the UK by rail (the best form of travel there is!) and there are some great routes out there. My favourites:

Both routes into Plymouth are brilliant. From the east there's the run along the coastline after Exeter through the cliffside at Teignmouth/Dawlish/Starcross etc, and then then the final mile or so as you run along the Plym. And of course you get a glimpse of Home Park just before you arrive at the station. But I think it's even better from the west - once you've left Liskeard (always a good feeling) you get that lovely stretch along the estuary at St Germans, then the first glimpse of Devonport docks across Plymouth Sound before Saltash, then of course the epic Brunel bridge over the Tamar.

Other journeys to recommend: of course the trip from St Erth to St Ives is jaw dropping, but the last mile or so into Penzance past Marazion and St Michael's Mount is great.

The Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh is just ridiculous, through the Highlands. Two and a half hours very well spent. The route south out of Inverness through the Cairngorms is brilliant as well.

I also really like the stretch west of Coleraine in Northern Ireland, as you run right along Lough Foyle and you can see the hills of the Irishowen peninsula in Co Donegal on the other side of the lough.

Inverness to Kyle over Achnasheen - my manor as you know. Stunning scenery.

Glasgow to Fort William is fantastic and varied. High mountain scenery to very isolated stations. We camped at Rannoch station this year before the short hop to Corrour in the morning (from whence you climb Beinn na Lap). Wonderfully isolated station with a great cafe/restaurant.

Point of interest is that it then passes beside Loch Treig and Fersit, where Rudolf Hess was held for a time after his 1941 flight from Nazi Germany.

And of course there is the extension out to Mallaig (lovely fishing port) cutting through via the Glenfinnan viaduct (these days commonly known for Harry Potter).

 

[Quinny]

I wouldn't say it was my favourite (that's probably from my local station at Starcross around the coast towards Teignmouth: never get bored of that short journey), but I found the rail journey between Vienna and Budapest fascinating.

 

[Cynthia Setter]

The White Pass and Ukon railway in Alaska. Very dramatic scenery and quite frightening to think of the prospectors in the early gold rush clambering up there.

 

[Martin Langford]

I’ve done the train from Exmouth to Plymouth hundreds of times and I never get bored of it, beautiful at any time of the year.

Have done Fort William to Mallaig on the Jacobite steam train. It truly is a stunning part of the world.

Going down the banks of the Rhine was amazing. Every twist and turn of the river seems to bring an even better view. Doing it on a sleeper train and seeing all the lights of the villages twinkling in the darkness and the moon shining off the water is magical.

Been on the Flam railway and also gone from Bergen to Oslo which was pretty spectacular mainly because we went 1st class which included free tea and coffee and every time the pots ran they got refilled but I never saw the carriage attendant actually replace them!! Lol

 

[Aldershot Exile]

I loved the Carlisle to Settle trip.

In the South West the Liskeard to Looe line is lovely. When I took it, the train stopped to pick someone up at what seemed like the end of their garden!

 

[Brussels Bureaucrat]

I loved the Carlisle to Settle trip.

In the South West the Liskeard to Looe line is lovely. When I took it, the train stopped to pick someone up at what seemed like the end of their garden!

I've never done that trip, I've always fancied it though.

The other route that's lovely is crossing the Pennines from Manchester towards Yorkshire. It's stunning all year round really but especially when it's snowed.

 

[Mexijan1]

Trains in China were pretty awesome, fast and you can set your watch to them. Yingkou to Dalian was a scenic route by the sea, especially in Winter when the sea was frozen over.