Railway Day Trips: 160 classic train journeys around Britain

PLYMOUTH TO LOOE

For the first 17¾ miles of this scenic rail journey trains from Plymouth travel along the route of Brunel’s heavily engineered former broad-gauge Cornwall Railway, which opened in 1859 and still links Cornwall with the rest of Britain’s rail network via the magnificent Royal Albert Bridge over the River Tamar. After crossing the wrought-iron single-track bridge from which there are fine views of the Tamar Estuary and the distant Devonport Royal Naval Dockyard, the railway heads through Saltash and St Germans stations, crossing creeks and rivers on the first of many viaducts that span the narrow valleys along this route. Winding its way through low hills past Menheniot station, the railway then approaches the historic market town of Liskeard over the 720-ft-long Liskeard Viaduct from where the single-track branch line to Looe can be seen 150 ft below.

At Liskeard, trains for Looe depart from a separate platform set at a right angle to the main line before descending a steeply graded 180-degree loop, which was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1901, to remote Coombe Junction. Here the guard changes the points before the train reverses direction to head south down the picturesque wooded valley of the East Looe River along the route of the Liskeard & Looe Railway that opened alongside the Liskeard & Looe Union Canal in 1860 – both canal and railway were originally built to carry minerals from mines and quarries on Bodmin Moor down to Looe Harbour. Keeping company with the river and disused canal, the railway passes through request stops at St Keyne Wishing Well, Causeland and Sandplace before slowing for a riverside road crossing at Terras Crossing. The journey ends at the modern minimal station at Looe from where it is but a short walk to the harbour, fish market, beach and quaint narrow streets of East Looe.

DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

beach; harbour; fish market; quaint streets (East Looe); boat hire on West Looe River; boat trips to Looe Island; shark fishing; Old Guildhall Museum; South West Coast Path

FREQUENCY OF TRAINS

1 per hour

26½ MILES

1 HOUR 10 MINUTES

NUMBER OF CHANGES: 1

(Liskeard)

The picturesque harbour at Looe is the jumping-off point for boat trips up the West Looe River and to St George’s Island.

PLYMOUTH TO PENZANCE

Diesel trains for the scenic, switchback line to Penzance follow the same route as the day trip to Looe as far as Liskeard. Trains leave Liskeard in a westerly direction to cross the valley of the East Looe River on the imposing Moorswater Viaduct (147 ft high and 954 ft long). To the north lie the former granite quarries on Bodmin Moor while to the south the single-track branch line wends its way down the valley to Looe. After climbing to Doublebois, trains begin their descent of the wooded Fowey Valley to call at Bodmin Parkway station, junction for the steam-operated Bodmin & Wenford Railway. The heavily engineered section from Doublebois to Bodmin Parkway features no less than 7 viaducts. Originally designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the 1850s with timber spans supported on masonry piers, the timber spans were later replaced by masonry arches. From here, the line heads south, continuing down the valley to Lostwithiel, junction for the freight-only line to Carne Point, near Fowey.

From Lostwithiel, the railway climbs away from the valley to pass through Treverran Tunnel before descending to Par station, junction for the Newquay branch line. Leaving Par behind, the line heads along the Carlyon Bay coastline before climbing inland to St Austell, Cornwall’s largest town and centre of the china clay industry. Westwards from here, the railway follows a switchback route to Truro, crossing steep-sided river valleys on 8 viaducts and boring through the hills in two tunnels. West of Truro (junction for Falmouth), it climbs steadily up through the hills to Redruth before descending to call at Camborne, Hayle and St Erth (junction for St Ives). The line then cuts across the Cornish peninsula to follow the shore of Mount’s Bay past Long Rock depot to reach Penzance station.

DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

Art Deco Jubilee Bathing Pool; Morrab Gardens; Golowan Festival (June); Newlyn Art Gallery; Penlee House Art Gallery & Museum; St Michael’s Mount (by bus to Marazion)

FREQUENCY OF TRAINS

1 per hour

79½ MILES

2 HOURS

NUMBER OF CHANGES: 0

Owned by the National Trust, St Michael’s Mount near Penzance can be reached via an ancient causeway at low tide.

PLYMOUTH TO EXETER

The rail journey from the maritime city of Plymouth to the cathedral city of Exeter is undoubtedly one of the most scenic in England. Trains leave Plymouth’s 1960s station along the route of the original South Devon Railway that opened to the city in 1848. The planned extension of the disastrous atmospheric railway from Totnes never materialized and Brunel’s eccentric but innovative system was replaced by a more conventional railway in the same year.

Today’s modern trains make light work of the steeply graded section around the southern edge of Dartmoor but in steam days most trains needed to be double-headed up the 1-in-42 Hemerdon Bank to Ivybridge station before reaching the summit of the line at Wrangaton. From here it is downhill all the way through Brent and Rattery Bank to the historic riverside town of Totnes. After a brief stop at Totnes, trains continue on their switchback route with the steep climb up to Dainton Tunnel and a similarly steep descent down to Newton Abbot. In steam days the town was an important railway centre with workshops and large engine sheds, while today the station is still the junction for the line to Paignton.

From Newton Abbot, the railway follows a fairly level route firstly alongside the Teign Estuary and then hugging the coastline, tunnelling through red sandstone cliffs between Teignmouth and Dawlish. This coastal route is often at the mercy of winter storms, which cause havoc with train services. The penultimate leg of this scenic route follows the west bank of the Exe Estuary from Dawlish Warren and through Starcross to end at Exeter’s busy St Davids station where trains to London can still be seen departing in opposite directions. Here a change of train is necessary to complete the short journey up to Exeter Central station from where the delights of this historic city can be explored on foot.

DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

12th-century cathedral; 11th-century Rougemont Castle; Danes Castle; St Nicholas Priory and Garden; Exeter Canal basin and riverside walks; 17th-century Butts Ferry; Royal Albert Memorial Museum; Spacex art gallery

FREQUENCY OF TRAINS

2 per hour (Mon-Sat)

52 MILES 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES

NUMBER OF CHANGES: 1

(Exeter St Davids)

The journey from Plymouth to Exeter takes in this wave-swept coastal stretch of railway at Dawlish.

PLYMOUTH TO GUNNISLAKE

Set astride the Devon/Cornwall border, this highly scenic single-track branch line serves a string of villages along the valley of the River Tamar – hence its marketing title of the Tamar Valley Line. From Plymouth station, trains call at Devonport, Dockyard, Keyham and St Budeaux Victoria Road before diving under the road and rail bridges that cross the Tamar, while closely following its eastern shore along what was once the London & South Western Railway’s main line to Exeter and Waterloo. This line opened in 1890 and, along with the branch line to Gunnislake and Callington, was listed for closure in the ‘Beeching Report’. Fortunately the section from Plymouth to Bere Alston and the branch as far as Gunnislake were reprieved because of poor road connections and there are currently plans to reopen the line from Bere Alston to Tavistock.

After following the east bank of the Tamar, the railway crosses its tributary, the River Tavy, on an attractive 8-span bowstring bridge to arrive at the isolated village of Bere Ferrers, where the privately owned station buildings and signal box have been lovingly restored to their former glory and are open to the public. From here, the railway continues north to Bere Alston station where the train reverses direction to take the winding route to Gunnislake.

Abounding in sharp curves and steep gradients, the railway soon crosses the Tamar high above on the spectacular concrete 12-arch Calstock Viaduct, which was completed in 1908. After crossing the viaduct, today’s trains call at tiny Calstock station before meandering high above the river to end at the minimal station of Gunnislake. For centuries the village was at the heart of an important industrial and mining region and was also the lowest crossing point of the Tamar until the opening of the Tamar Bridge near Plymouth in 1961. The mining and quarrying ended in the late 19th century and Gunnislake now lies in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

walks in Tamar Valley (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) from Gunnislake station; Rising Sun Inn (real ale pub in Gunnislake); Cotehele House and Gardens (Calstock); Bere Alston station museum

FREQUENCY OF TRAINS

1 every 2 hours

15¼ MILES 45 MINUTES

NUMBER OF CHANGES: 0

A Plymouth to Gunnislake train slowly crosses the River Tamar on the impressive viaduct at Calstock.

TOTNES TO BUCKFASTLEIGH

The 9½-mile broad-gauge single-track branch line from Totnes to Ashburton was opened in 1872. It was converted to standard gauge in 1892 and became part of the Great Western Railway five years later. Serving small villages and farming communities on the edge of Dartmoor, the line led a fairly quiet life and was closed to passengers in 1958 and to goods in 1962. Lord Beeching reopened it as the South Devon Railway in 1969, but ‘improvements’ to the A38 trunk road led to the section between Buckfastleigh and Ashburton closing in 1971.

Steam-hauled trains now carry visitors on a delightful journey alongside the River Dart from the new terminus at Totnes (Littlehempston) – the station is accessible via a footbridge over the Dart from the national rail network station in the town. Leaving Totnes, the railway winds its way northwards up the meandering Dart Valley and past the parkland grounds of Dartington Hall to reach the only intermediate station and passing loop at Staverton. From here, the railway continues up the wooded valley, occasionally passing farms and isolated cottages before ending at the lovingly restored Buckfastleigh station. Here, a small but fascinating railway museum, miniature railway, café, butterfly farm and otter sanctuary are found while in the town (reached under the ugly concrete bridge of the A38 dual carriageway) there is Buckfast Abbey, famous (some say notorious) for its popular tonic wine.

DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

railway museum; miniature railway; Buckfast Abbey; otter sanctuary; butterfly farm; Sea Trout Inn (Staverton)

FREQUENCY OF TRAINS

3-9 per day (mid-Feb, mid-Mar-early Nov, Christmas week and New Year)

7 MILES 30 MINUTES

NUMBER OF CHANGES: 0

Hauled by a restored GWR locomotive, a passenger train makes its way along the idyllic Dart Valley to Buckfastleigh.

EXETER TO KINGSWEAR

Our journey starts at Exeter St Davids station, from where Brunel opened his broad-gauge atmospheric South Devon Railway to Totnes in 1848. The intention was to reach Plymouth but the resounding failure of this eccentric system, which required no locomotives, soon saw it replaced by more conventional steam motive power. Heading south, the railway closely follows the west bank of the ever-widening Exe Estuary through Starcross (for the passenger ferry to Exmouth) and Dawlish Warren before tunnelling through the red sandstone cliffs on a dramatic coast-hugging route to Dawlish and Teignmouth. From here the railway heads inland along the shore of the Teign Estuary to Newton Abbot, once an important railway junction town. Leaving the town behind, the Paignton branch soon diverges from the main line to Plymouth, to head south through Torre and Torquay along the former broad-gauge route that opened between 1848 and 1859.

On arrival at the resort town of Paignton passengers must transfer the short distance to the terminus of the Dartmouth Steam Railway before continuing their journey to Kingswear. This 6½-mile single-track railway was originally opened in 1864 and survived threatened closure by Dr Beeching when it was seamlessly reopened as a heritage railway at the beginning of 1973. South of Paignton, the railway climbs along the coastline above Goodrington Sands to Churston station from where a short branch line to Brixham operated until closure in 1963. Descending from Churston, the railway emerges from Greenway Tunnel to closely follow the east bank of the tidal River Dart before ending at the picturesque overall-roofed terminus at Kingswear. A regular ferry service operates from here across the Dart to Dartmouth.

DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

ferry to Dartmouth; boat trips up River Dart to Totnes; Dartmouth Castle; medieval and Elizabethan streets and architecture (Dartmouth); Dartmouth Museum (Butterwalk); 14th-century Cherub Inn (Dartmouth)

FREQUENCY OF TRAINS

Exeter to Paignton: 2 per hour Paignton to Kingswear: 4-9 per day (Feb-Nov)

35 MILES 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES

NUMBER OF CHANGES: 1

(Paignton)

Trains on the Dartmouth Steam Railway end their journey from Paignton along the shore of the picturesque Dart Estuary at Kingswear.

Historic Kingswear is reached via a ferry from Dartmouth.

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