Railtrail Main Brochure 2023 FULL PROOF

G rand T ours by R ail –

N E W TO U R

A unique Grand Tour by Rail brimming with seaside charm, heritage steam railways and stunning coastal vistas. Join us as we take a trip down memory lane and journey along the stunning south coast staying in Kent, Dorset and Devon visiting many of our favourite nostalgic attractions.

Also included in your Tour Fare: ★ Dinner every evening ★ Rail travel & seat reservations from your Home Station toTour Base (Standard or First Class) ★ Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager ★ Hotel por terage DAY 1 For those booking rail travel with us, we arrive in Ashford and transfer to our hotel for three nights, the Ashford International Hotel. You may wish to relax in the hotel’s leisure club ahead of dinner this evening in the hotel restaurant. (D) DAY 2 We begin our day in the ancient city of Canterbury where we visit the oldest Cathedral in England and can also explore the extraordinary atmospheric streets and many boutique shops. We continue to Chatham Historic Dockyard and discover 400 years of history as we explore the architecture, historic warships and people that shaped British maritime innovation, engineering, and design. Our day concludes at Shepherd Neame Brewery where we enjoy a guided tour, ale tasting and two-course brewer’s supper. (B,D) ★ Journey on the nostalgic Swanage Railway ★ Experience the famous Seaton Tramway ★ Relax on a scenic Dar tmouth River cruise ★ Steam along the English Riviera coastline on the South Devon Steam Railway TOUR HIGHLIGHTS ★ Discover the beautiful and contrasting coastlines of Kent, Dorset, and Devon ★ Ride the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Heritage Railway ★ Uncover the secret War time Tunnels at Dover Castle ★ Take a tour, tasting and dinner at Britain’s oldest brewery ★ Climb aboard historic warships ★ Explore the ancient streets of Canterbury and England’s oldest Cathedral ★ Steam on the Kent & East Sussex Railway ★ Enjoy a scenic tour by vintage bus on the Isle of Wight ★ Travel back in time on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway ★ Hop on board the Purbeck Breezer and admire the coastal vistas

Fares From £1869

Dover Castle

© Shutterstock © Shutterstock

DAY 3 This morning we travel by private coach to the attractive village of Tenterden to journey on one of Kent’s finest heritage railways, the beautiful Kent & East Sussex Railway. We can look around the Colonel Stephens Museum who built this and many other light railways before we enjoy a steam train journey along the picturesque route to Bodiam, where we meet our coach and continue to Dover Castle . Here we step inside the Great Tower and immerse ourselves in the history of this great castle before enjoying a unique visitor experience in the Secret Wartime Tunnels where the dramatic rescue operation of the 1940’s ‘Miracle of Dunkirk’ is vividly bought to life. We take a fascinating tour of the atmospheric WW2 Underground Hospital before returning to our hotel. (B,D) DAY 4 We commence our transfer day travelling by private coach to Hythe for a journey on the superb Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway - the world’s smallest public railway (15” gauge). The exhilarating journey takes us to Dungeness. We continue aboard our private coach to Brighton where we enjoy free time for lunch before we head to Brighton station to board our train via Southampton Central to Bournemouth and transfer to The Carlton Hotel for the next three nights where our luggage will be waiting for us. (B,D)

DAY 5 Transferring to Lymington, we join the Wightlink ferry to transpor t us the shor t distance toYarmouth on the Isle of Wight . Our vintage coach awaits, for a scenic ride along the western side of the island, around the southern tip to Shanklin . We take the Island Line service to Smallbrook Junction. Due to the low ceiling of RydeTunnel towards the nor thern end of the 8 mile stretch of track, normal size trains cannot operate on the island, which led to the Island Line using refurbished London Underground trains. At Smallbrook Junction we switch onto the nostalgic Isle of Wight Steam Railway, crossing the island’s hear t through picturesque countryside to Wootton. Returning from Wootton to the railway’s Haven Street station, we transfer by vintage coach to Yarmouth for our ferry and transfer back to Bournemouth. (B,D) DAY 6 Today we hop on board our Purbeck Breezer Bus at Bournemouth and travel along the coastal road past the stunning multi-million pound proper ties of Sandbanks via the shor t ferry crossing to the Isle of Purbeck before reaching our destination of Swanage. During our time in Swanage we enjoy a return journey on the nostalgic Swanage Railway , which operates along six miles of track from Swanage past the magnificent ruins of Corfe Castle. We return to Bournemouth via the Purbeck Breezer bus and enjoy dinner at the hotel. (B,D)

Swanage

Canterbury Old Town

Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway

© Shutterstock

RH&DR

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

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