Britain’s best rail journeys for 2025
The King may have abandoned his train, but these royally-good trips will keep you on track
The King has just announced he’s decommissioning his royal train, rather than undertake costly repairs to upgrade it. He will continue to use it until 2027, after which time it will hopefully be turned into an attraction.
“The Royal train has been part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved. But in moving forwards, we must not be bound by the past,” Keeper of the Privy Purse, James Chalmers, said. “The time has come to bid the fondest of farewells as we seek to be disciplined and forward looking in our allocation of funding. Before it finally goes out of service, it is our hope that the train will make further visits to parts of the UK, while discussions will begin on finding a long-term home where some particularly historic elements might go on public display.”
It’s the end of a royal era – the late Queen loved to travel by train and overnight on it, arriving at her events refreshed, in the morning. However, the good news is, there are plenty of fabulous sleeper train and regular rail trips you can still take – whether you do it in luxury, or simply luxuriate in the view.
I love a train journey – even the unexpected ones. I accidentally got on the wrong route last week and saw all of splendid Kent, so take my advice and pay more attention than me. Here are some ideas to get you started:
The UK’s most luxurious new train
If you want do it in style, you’ll love Belmond’s new Britannic Explorer, which just launched. We’re talking uber-high-end - like a five-star hotel on rails. The UK’s first luxury sleeper train comes with wellness suite and gourmet dining and has journeys to Wales, the Lake District and Cornwall, from £6,300, for a three-night trip, belmond.com
Tea on track
For a taste of luxury, get on board Belmond’s British Pullman. It runs day trips from London, with fine-dining, to destinations such as Oxford, Bath, Blenheim Palace and wineries, or simply a round trip epicurean experience, like I enjoyed. I wrote about it for Escape – read my review here. The meticulously-restored art deco train is an absolute beauty and it’s a fabulous treat to travel on it, although be warned, it will make you yearn to go on the Orient Express. From £435, belmond.com
A high-end Highland fling
Another Belmond train - and no, I’m not being paid to write about the company, but they have cornered the market in luxury rail travel - is the Royal Scotsman, which is the most sumptuous way of seeing Scotland, by far. The luxury sleeper train, which has dining cars and a Dior spa, goes on journeys from two to seven nights, from £4,800, belmond.com
The Hogwarts Express
Thankfully, you don’t have to have a large budget to enjoy Britain’s most magic rail journeys, as The Jacobite steam train (aka the Hogwarts Express) takes you on Scotland’s most stunning rail route – across the Glenfinnan Viaduct. The Jacobite steam train is on my wish-list, £69 return, westcoastrailways.co.uk
See extraordinary sights
Similarly, Britain’s regular trains also travel some spectacular routes, including the extraordinary journey on Yorkshire’s Settle-Carlisle Railway, which crosses the Ribblehead Viaduct, settle-carlisle.co.uk. And special mention goes to the LNER route from Edinburgh to Newcastle, or London, which takes you along the Northumberland coast by Berwick-upon-Tweed and will make you marvel at the beauty, lner.co.uk
Full steam ahead
There are heritage trains all over the UK, but if you want a special experience, here’s my pick:
North Yorkshire Moors Railway: This route includes Grosmont station – aka Harry Potter’s Hogsmeade – and takes you from Whitby, through the North York Moors, nymr.co.uk
Swanage Railway: I’ve travelled on this charming train from Corfe Castle, where Enid Blyton based many of her Famous Five adventures, to Swanage, swanagerailway.co.uk
Bluebell Railway: Another heritage line close to me, is Sussex’s Bluebell Railway from Sheffield Park, to East Grinstead, bluebell-railway.com
Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways: Wales has lots of heritage railways – see here – but one of the most popular is the Ffestiniog which goes from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog, festrail.co.uk
Take a sleeper train
You won’t see many sights, as you’ll be asleep, which is the point, but you can experience how the royals travel, on a sleeper train from London to Cornwall, or Scotland, on the Night Riviera and Caledonian Sleeper. Arrive refreshed and breakfasted, gwr.com; sleeper.scot
Ahh this is giving me such wanderlust - it is my bucket list item to go on the Royal Scotsman. Did you see the recent tv series on it with Alan Cumming? Obsessed!