Rail highlights includes journeys on the "Great Little Trains of Wales" including the rugged Ffestiniog Railway, the remarkable newly rebuilt Welsh Highlands Railway (with its articulated former South African Beyer-Garratt engines), the Snowdon Mountain Cog Railway and the Llangollen Railway. These lines offer both history and great scenery, as do our trips on restored lines in England. A special treat will be a journey on the steam-powered North Yorkshire Railway, whose route runs from the market town of Pickering to the port of Whitby.

Classic sightseeing is also featured. We'll visit great castles, stately homes and gorgeous gardens, including Caernarfon Castle, where the Prince of Wales is proclaimed as the heir to the British throne. We'll explore stately Victorian Penrhyn castle. Highlights include touring Chester and York with it's famous Railway Museum and Minster .

All breakfasts and dinners are included. The tour uses three and four star hotels that reflect the character of their location, most are located in historic buildings. These full service hotels offer rooms with private bath and many other amenities, including in most instances, a gym and heated swimming pool..

Most travel will be by private coach. Walking tours of some towns and historic locations are included, and to enjoy these to the full you should be able to walk reasonable distances over generally level paths and pavements.

Before the tour starts:
If you prefer to arrive in Manchester early we recommend the Bewleys Airport Hotel. Conveniently located within the airport complex, this hotel offers easy access to all three terminals as well as the main line train station. A courtesy coach runs from the hotel to all terminals.

Day 1 Saturday July 3: (D) Manchester - Llangollen
Meet at Bewleys Hotel Manchester Airport this morning. Leave the hotel at 11:00am for a two hour drive to Trevor in Wales. Following lunch in the Thomas Telford, a Canal-side pub (not included), we will board the narrow-boat 'Eirlys' for a really memorable trip - a two hour relaxing cruise along the Llangollen canal across the 'stream in the sky' - Thomas Telford's famous Pontcysyllte aqueduct, 126 feet above the valley floor. Light refreshments will be available on board. Continue this afternoon to Llangollen where we will overnight in the Wild Pheasant Hotel. A three course Table d Hote dinner will be served in the Yew Tree Restaurant and you will have complimentary use of the spa facilities.

Day 2 Sunday July 4: (B-D) Llangollen Railway. Betws y Coed
We will leave the hotel this morning at 10:15am, allowing some time to enjoy the spa facilities, or simply relax. Our coach will transfer us the short distance to Llangollen Station, attractively located on the bank of the River Dee. Join the 11h00 departure on this standard gauge preserved railway and enjoy a steam train ride down the river valley to the country station at Carrog. Our coach will be waiting there to take us on to the pretty town of Betws y Coed where we will spend the night. Explore the railway museum and enjoy the miniature railway, often operated with steam locomotives. Wander through the attractive town and visit the suspension bridge over the river, reminiscent of a miniature Brooklyn Bridge. We will spend the night in the Stables extension to the Royal Oak Hotel. This modern extension offers all of the amenities of the attractive and centrally located three star hotel, but with even floors and modern plumbing. Dinner will be served in the spacious dining room. Following dinner there will be a rare treat when we attend a choir concert at St Mary's Church. There is no sound quite like the stirring sound of a Welsh male voice choir, with the passion and hwyl that blends the choral tradition of the past with musical talent of the 21st century.

Day 3 Monday July 5: (B-D) Llanberis - Bangor
After breakfast in the light and airy hotel atrium we will motor to Llanberis, passing the Ugly House and Capel Curig before crossing the dramatic Llanberis Pass. Ride the rack railway to the top of Snowdon Mountain, the highest mountain in England and Wales from where, on a clear day, the Welsh say you can see four Kingdoms - the Kingdoms of Wales, Ireland, the Isle of Man and Heaven. The café at the summit offers refreshments and the highest gift shop in the land. On returning to Llanberis at the base of the mountain, we will motor to Penrhyn Castle, a stately home built as a Norman castle. The extraordinary architecture houses a stately home, an industrial railway museum, a model railway room, a doll museum and an exhibition that interprets the story of the Pennant Family, slate, sugar and slaves. There is also at least one travelling exhibition and a Victorian walled garden. Refreshments are available in the restaurant. Continue your journey as we cross the Menai Bridge over the Menai Straight onto the island of Anglesea. See the two historic bridges that carried the road and railway across the straight to the ferry port at Holyhead and on to Ireland. Make a photo stop at LlanfairPG, the station with the longest name in Britain, before continuing to our hotel in Caernarfon. The stylish Celtic Royal hotel is conveniently located within easy walking distance of the historic walled town of Caernarfon. The 1841 listed building offers a sympathetically restored blend of Georgian and modern architecture. Dinner and breakfast will be served in the restaurant and there is a complimentary leisure club.

Day 4 Tuesday July 6: (B-D) Caernarfon - Porthmadog
After breakfast we will walk through the walled town and make a short visit to King Edward 1st's largest Castle. Find out about the investiture of the Prince of Wales and learn why this castle looks different to all other Welsh Castles. Another short walk will take us to the station of the Welsh Highland Railway where we will board a train for our journey through Snowdonia to Porthmadog. After a stop for lunch at Harbour Station in Porthmadog we will continue our steam train ride on the Ffestiniog Railway to Blaenau Ffestiniog. These two narrow gauge railways combined make the longest, and possibly the most scenic, heritage railway journey in Britain. They also include some of the most unusual steam locomotives - Garratt articulated on the Welsh Highland and Fairley articulated on the Ffestiniog. Continue our train experience by travelling on the standard gauge Conwy Valley line. A diesel multiple unit will take us down the attractive railway to Conwy Junction. Return to our hotel in Caernarfon.

Day 5 Wednesday July 7: (B-D) Conwy - Llandudno
This morning we will visit Conwy. We will explore some of the more interesting parts of the town walls before entering Conwy Castle, one of the most interesting in Wales. Find out why it was built and how it was defended. Explore the walled town, including medieval and Victorian residences and the smallest house in Britain. Find out about Llewelyn the Great, the last Welsh Prince who opposed the English occupation under King Edward 1st - and lost. We will continue to the Victorian seaside town of Llandudno to ride a cable tram up the Great Orme, a hill offering great views over the town and the Irish Sea. If weather threatens to make the tram ride unpleasant we will stroll down the pier and promenade of this well preserved Victorian seaside resort, a favorite retreat of Louis Carol and where he wrote Alice in Wonderland. Return to Caernarfon for the night.

Day 6 Thursday July 8: (B-D) To Chester
This morning we will drive down the attractive coastal road back towards England. Visit one of the best known and most spectacular churches in North Wales - the "Marble Church", which is dedicated to St. Margaret, and erected by Lady Willoughby de Broke in memory of her husband. A Canadian War Cemetery can be found in the churchyard, a reminder of the First World War. Next we will stop at Bodelwyddan Castle where partnerships with the National Portrait Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum and the Royal Academy of Arts enable the display of many important national treasures. To house these collections, the interior of the stately home has been sympathetically restored to its Victorian splendor. Explore the formal gardens and see the practice trenches, used to prepare soldiers for the Great War. Early this afternoon we will motor to the medieval town of Chester with its Roman heritage, magnificent cathedral and famous shopping 'rows'. After checking into our hotel we will enjoy a one hour tour of the city in a chartered vintage open top bus, a replica of a London B-Type that was introduced in 1910, was one of the earliest double deck motor-buses built in the world, built to replace the remaining horse-drawn buses of the period. Our hotel tonight will be the centrally located New Blossoms Hotel. Built in 1650, this romantic listed building is Chester's oldest hotel and is within walking distance of the Roman amphitheatre and Chester's shops. Relax in the blend of contemporary and period surroundings featured in this luxurious 4-star hotel.

Day 7 Friday July 9: (B-D) Chester - York
There will be time to explore Chester a little more before we depart early this afternoon, motoring to the historic town of York. Our hotel for the next two nights will be the 4 star Georgian Ramada York, Fairfield Manor hotel, set in 6 acres of countryside overlooking the River Ouse just three miles from city centre.

Day 8 Saturday July 10: (B-D) York
This morning we will take a walking tour of York (coaches are not permitted in the centre of the city). See the famous Betty's English tea shop, the Mansion House, Assembly Rooms and York Art Gallery. Hear of intrigue at King's Manor, see more of York's rich history in the Museum Gardens and Yorkshire Museum. Discover what made Clifford's Tower infamous and where Dick Turpin ended his days. Walk down the Shambles, one of Europe's oldest medieval streets; hear its own tale of martyrdom. Finish your tour at the magnificent York Minster. (Entry to the Munster included). You can spend longer in the City or join Geoff as he walks to York Railway Station with its magnificent curved train-shed roof and then to the York Railway Museum. The coach will meet us at the Railway Museum, passing by this morning's drop-off point if you have chosen to stay in town.

Day 9 Sunday July 11: (B-D) York - Whitby
After breakfast we will motor to the market town of Pickering to catch a train on the 18 mile long North York Moors Railway. Ride the steam train over the dramatic Yorkshire Moors to Grosmont, where there will be time to examine the steal locomotive workshops before we continue to the fishing port of Whitby. The short journey from Grosmont to Whitby will be by steam train if feasible, alternatively a diesel train may be used or, if not available, a coach transfer. A final selection can only be made when next year's train timetables have been finalised. There will be time to explore the attractive fishing port of Whitby. Discover the legends of smugglers, Dracula, a traditional maritime seaside town steeped in history and set among spectacular cliffs and bays. Stroll down the pier and visit Whitby Abby. The abbey that still (mostly) stands dates from the 12th century, but lies near the site of a 7th-century Saxon monastery. It was on this site in 664 AD that it was decided to follow the Roman Catholic church instead of the Celtic Church with regard to the date of Easter. Later this afternoon we will continue to our hotel, the 4 star Gisborough Hall Hotel. From the sweeping private driveway, to the surrounding woodlands and distant hills, the Gisborough Hall Hotel exudes countryside charm and exclusive seclusion. The historic hotel is an ivy-clad example of Victorian architecture at its very best.

Day 10 Monday July 12: (B-D) Whitby - Windermere
This morning we will motor across the Yorkshire Dales to Windermere in the Lake District. En route, explore some of the smaller attractions that make England special. We will ride the Wensleydale Railway, probably in a 1960's railcar and then stop at the picturesque market town of Hawes to visit the museum located at the disused railway station, the Ropemaker and the Wensleydale Cheese Centre - a fine opportunity for lunch. Continue this afternoon to Bowness where we will spend the next two nights. The 4 star MacDonalds Old England Hotel and Spa is on the shore of Lake Windermere, largest of the Lake District lakes. The hotel overlooks the jetty from where a number of historic lake cruisers ply their trade. Dine tonight in the hotel's two AA rosette Vineand Restaurant.

Day 11 Tuesday July 13: (B-D) Windermere
We will leave the hotel a little later today, giving you time to enjoy the heated swimming pool, spa or gym - or just wake up later. We will motor to Grasmere, where there will be time to explore the attractive town and find out about the heritage of Wordsworth. This afternoon, motor down the length of Lake Windermere to Haverthwaite Station where we will join a steam train on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. Ride to Lakeside to join a lake steamship and continue our journey back to Bowness and our hotel, followed by free time to explore Bowness and nearby Windermere. A relaxed day in beautiful scenery at the end of our tour.

Day 12 Wednesday July 14: (B-D) Windermere - Manchester
Relax this morning before an early afternoon transfer back to Manchester Airport. The tour ends on arrival at the airport at about 5:00pm. Accommodation can be booked for you at Bewleys Hotel, Manchester Airport, on request.

Important notes:

All of the hotels described on this tour have been reserved, but we reserve the right to change any hotel to one of equivalent quality in the unlikely event that this becomes necessary. Descriptions are as supplied by the hotels, we cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of these descriptions or for any services that are not available during our stay.

Activities such as train journeys depend on timetables, some of which are not yet available. This can lead to small itinerary adjustments as the various service suppliers finalize their plans.