Railtrail Annual Brochure 2024

R oses B attle B y S team P lus the S ettle & C arlisle L ine

We thought we would celebrate the steam and rail heritage of the north country with our own ‘battle of the roses’ tour, including Yorkshire and Lancashire steam and heritage railways every day from our base at an iconic railway hotel.With Railtrail escorting this great railway holiday you are sure to come up smelling of roses!

DAY 1 We arrive in Bradford and make our way to the Midland Hotel, our historic railway hotel situated next to the city’s Forster Square station. (D) DAY 2 A fabulous trip to the Dales awaits today, as we transfer first to the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway for a journey along the former Skipton-Ilkley Line, which was built in 1888. We spend some time at Bolton Abbey before making our way to Shipley with a tour and tasting at the excellent Saltaire Brewery. (B,D) DAY 3 From Bradford we take the scenic journey across the Pennines to Bury. When we arrive in Bury, we board our wonderfully restored steam locomotive for a return journey through the Irwell Valley to Rawtenstall on the East Lancashire Railway . Arriving back in Bury we have a couple of hours to visit the superb Bury Transport Museum or the famous Bury Market before making our way to the foothills of the South Pennines Station to Tour Base (Standard or First Class) ★ Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager ★ Hotel Porterage TOUR HIGHLIGHTS ★ Many of Yorkshire & Lancashire’s steam trains on one great railway holiday! ★ Stay at Bradford’s iconic Midland Hotel with dinner every evening ★ Keighley & Worth Valley Steam Railway ★ Skirt the Dales by Steam on the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway ★ Tour & Tasting at the Saltaire Brewery ★ Steam through the South Pennines on the Whistlestop Valley Railway ★ Go underground at Yorkshire’s National Coal Mining Museum ★ Middleton Railway, the world’s oldest continuously working railway ★ Steam across the moors on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway ★ Visit the fascinating Bury Transport Museum ★ Steam from Bury to Rawtenstall on the East Lancashire Railway ★ Experience England’s greatest rail journey – the Settle & Carlisle line ★ Also included in your Tour Fare: ★ Dinner every evening ★ Rail travel & seat reservations from your Home

Fares From £1099

8 DAYS

Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway

© EBAR

to ride the WhistlestopValley Railway , a 15-inch gauge light railway on old colliery tracks between the villages of Clayton West and Shelley. (B,D) DAY 4 We transfer to Pickering to board the NorthYorkshire Moors Railway for a stunningly diverse journey in heritage carriages to the coast. Steaming across heather moorland landscapes, we pass by Goathland, familiar to many as ‘Aidensfield’ in ‘Heartbeat’, before descending to Whitby , a picturesque fishing port framed by its famous abbey. Climb the steps to the abbey or simply enjoy some of the finest fish and chips in Yorkshire before we make the return journey. (B,D) DAY 5 We experience the Settle & Carlisle Line . This great journey climbs up through the Yorkshire Dales from Settle, gateway to the ‘Three Peaks’, crossing Ribblehead Viaduct , the engineering marvel spanning Batty Moss, and passing Dent, the highest mainline station in England at 1150 ft. After the summit at Ais Gill, we speed along the Eden Valley to the border city of Carlisle where there is time to enjoy a sightseeing break before the return journey. (B,D) DAY 6 Today we head south to the National Coal Mining Museum where we descend 140m underground to discover the history of coal mining through the centuries. Our day then ends at the Middleton Railway, a former colliery line near Leeds and the world’s oldest continuously working railway that became the pioneer standard-gauge preserved line in the world operated purely by volunteers. (B,D) DAY 7 Today we travel by train to visit the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway where you can ride to your heart’s content with your day rover ticket through countryside made familiar through film, the Railway Children. Perhaps, take a break to alight at the Brontё heritage town of Haworth with its cobbled main street and curio shops. (B,D) DAY 8 We bid farewell to Bradford and make our way home. (B)

DEPARTS Monday 13 May 2024 Monday 17 June 2024 Monday 9 September 2024

FARES

FARE REGION

FIRST* £1309 £1329 £1369 £1385 £1439 £1369 £1299 £1239 £1309 N/A £1429 £1355 £1319

STANDARD

London: Kings Cross Greater London South of England East Anglia South West Midlands Yorkshire North East North West South Wales North Wales Heart of England

£1225 £1229 £1255 £1259 £1289 £1255 £1199 £1185 £1225 £1185 £1265 £1249

Scotland £1229 £20 tour discount for holders of National Railcards Join & Leave at Hotel £1119 MAY & JUNE departure supplement £60 Single Room Supplement £170 *Please Note: Some local and regional train services are Standard Class seating only and First Class ticket holders will travel in standard class accommodation for these sections of their journey. 7 nights’ bed, breakfast & table d’hôte evening meal Rail travel & seat reservations from your Home Station to Tour Base (Standard or First Class) Rail & coach travel, with transfers as described All excursions & admissions as detailed Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager Hotel Porterage

HOTEL Midland Hotel, Bradford

Built between 1885 and 1890 by the Midland Railway Company, the Midland Hotel was a showpiece for the railway company’s northern operations, and is of particular architectural interest, with some of the finest Victorian interiors in the city.Today sees a hotel that has undergone a transformation, with investment to all areas of the building, restoring it to its original greatness.

Middleton Railway

Book now – online at www.railtrail.co.uk or telephone: 01538 382323

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