Furryanimal
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Cwmbran to Worcester via Hereford is rather good.Mainly open countryside.
Also enjoy going up to Gloucester alongside the Severn.
Also enjoy going up to Gloucester alongside the Severn.
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Opinion: Which is the best stretch of railway in the British Isles?
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Liskeard to Looe - partly for the anticipation of arriving in Looe.
Having said that, the Spitting Image style life size model of Prince Charles that lives in a field alongside the track does detract from the overall beauty, like a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much loved and elegant friend, as someone once said...
Having said that, the Spitting Image style life size model of Prince Charles that lives in a field alongside the track does detract from the overall beauty, like a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much loved and elegant friend, as someone once said...
muddythefish
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This has to be tongue in cheek. That stretch of line is characterised by graffiti, litter strewn trackside and general urban grot.
Cricketer8for9
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Waterloo to Worting Junction. Flying Junction after flying Junction shows how to actually rebuild a railway line, in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras in the main, so it works. And if they can do Woking and Basingstoke it will almost be perfect.
I also like urban railways and find Blackfriars to Croydon interesting with the ever changing skyline and Victorian suburbs.
In my book, the prettiest hour on British Rail.
For a shorter journey, St Erth to St Ives is top of the list.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
Nobody has mentioned Helsby to Ellesmere Port, for some reason. Joking aside, the industrial wilderness around Stanlow is a fascinating sight.
Nobody has mentioned the Esk Valley either.
Nobody has mentioned the Esk Valley either.
Mutant Lemming
Established Member
: Bray to Greystones
: Snowdon Mountain Railway when the weather is nice
: Snowdon Mountain Railway when the weather is nice
For me, the Cambrian Coast because it offers everything - Tiny way side request stops, sandy beaches, the sea, rolling fields, mountains, castles, the harbour at Pwllheli and Pensarn. Truly special.
Others I love include the St Ives Bay line (for obvious reasons), the West Highland Line and the Looe Valley line. I like the latter with how remote it is, and the almost eerie woodland adjacent to the track for most of it. The Tarka line, Avocet line and Riviera line on the Devon Metro are also charming.
Others I love include the St Ives Bay line (for obvious reasons), the West Highland Line and the Looe Valley line. I like the latter with how remote it is, and the almost eerie woodland adjacent to the track for most of it. The Tarka line, Avocet line and Riviera line on the Devon Metro are also charming.
ChiefPlanner
Established Member
WCML Tring to say North Wembley , rolling Chilterns , canal scape , the Ovaltine farm and "factory" , Berkhampstead Castle , the parallel DC lines and the Bakerloo.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Of the mainlines I would say the whole WCML - an end to end journey pretty much tells the story of the UK.
61653 HTAFC
Veteran Member
Liverpool to Scarborough has the same variety in a fraction of the distance.
Plus you'll soon be able to do it behind a locomotive, as trains "should" be!
The line past Hereford to Shrewsbury is nice too as it passes through Ludlow and Church Stretton. It's just a pity that the trains they use aren't fit for purpose and only consist of 2 or 3 carriages. I've done that route many times and 9 times out of 10 the trains have been crowded. In fact, last time I got the train from Newport to Chester on that line I had to stand all the way!
Train Maniac
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Island Line- Charging down the line at 45mph between Smallbrook and Brading is an experience to remember! 
John Griffiths
Member
Peterborough to Ely gives a marvellous taste of Fenland: the huge skies and horizons, the lonely farmsteads, the parallel drains of the Bedford River, even duststorms if it's windy after a dry spell; the view of Ely Cathedral slowly approaching; even the rather majestic but half disused March station. Flat landscapes aren't necessarily dull.
Edit - just noticed post 74 by AJM. Haven't done that stretch yet - always changed at Ely for Kings Lynn (another nice run)
Edit - just noticed post 74 by AJM. Haven't done that stretch yet - always changed at Ely for Kings Lynn (another nice run)
Medway Valley Line or Hastings Line for me. Nothing comes close to my love of the Garden of England/the Weald.
Thameslink between St Panny & London Bridge/Elephant is awesome due to the urban, twisty nature of the line, plus all the abandoned urban rail infrastructure on the line & the quite amazing gradients the trains tackle.
Thameslink between St Panny & London Bridge/Elephant is awesome due to the urban, twisty nature of the line, plus all the abandoned urban rail infrastructure on the line & the quite amazing gradients the trains tackle.
Island Line- Charging down the line at 45mph between Smallbrook and Brading is an experience to remember!
If only there was a like button!
I’ve got 1000s of boring rail miles under my belt but never usually travel off the beaten track.
The Gunnislake branch however holds a certain charm for me, as does Dawlish, although Dawlish is a given. On a more surprising note, I think there’s a bit of something special from the run between Havant and Petersfield, twisting and turning through the South Downs, through fields and villages and tunnels, you can certainly tell the route was built on the cheap.
Also of a similar vintage, the stretch between Winchester and Worting Jn is pretty under rated, especially on glorious days.
Mikey C
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I always enjoy the stretch of HS1 where it crosses the A282 Dartford crossings, over the northbound tunnel approach road and under the southbound QEII bridge. A great view of the activity on the Thames too (although it's slightly spoiled by some screens)
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