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BUFFER ZONE HOOTS MON
When it comes to distance travelled, you certainly get your money’s worth on the West Somerset Railway, where the 20-odd mile long track is the longest standard-gauge heritage line in the UK.
Eight steam locomotives work this route, which is the former branch line connecting Taunton to the coast. There are 10 restored stations along the route.
You’re right in the Quantock Hills here, on the edge of Exmoor.
Nearby attractions include the medieval village and castle at Dunster, run by the National Trust, and the Victorian gardens at Hestercombe. The seaside resort of Minehead is also popular with tourists. The railway has yet to confirm its reopening date.
west-somerset-railway.co.uk
The journey is the thing with this genial period train. Usually hauled by a sturdy tank engine, it bumbles gently along the back of Paignton’s Goodrington Sands, before a brief dive inland to pass Agatha Christie’s holiday home at Greenway, which has its own station.
Eventually the line emerges on the banks of the River Dart to saunter south to Kingswear.
The company that runs the railway also has river boats on the Dart, so a popular summer choice is to do a train-river-bus combo linking Paignton, Dartmouth and Totnes.
Goodrington is one of the finest beaches in Devon, Dartmouth is famous for its naval history and its officer training college, and Totnes is disarmingly eccentric. Train and river services are now running again.
dartmouthrailriver.co.uk
Train at Minehead station
Dartmouth Steam Railway train passes Kingswear wiches, lies just beyond Sheringham. In the opposite direction lies the grand estate of Holkham Hall, with its Palladian villa and massive sandy beach.
Meanwhile, just inland are the twin villages of Great Snoring and Little Snoring – both could have been tailor-made for Instagram. Train services are now running again.
nnrailway.co.uk
North Norfolk Railway
Goathland station played the part of Hogsmeade in the Harry Potter movies. Three seasons of television documentaries then followed, putting
Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway this tiny station on the map. With one of the longest stretches of private track in Britain, it deserves the attention.
The rest of the line climbs through rugged moorland scenery and travellers have the option of continuing on the main line into the traditional seaside resort of Whitby.
Given its moorland setting, there are some notable station-to-station walks along the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Whitby is for ever associated with Dracula and also has some of the best fish-and-chip shops in the country.
Meanwhile, the southern terminus of Pickering is just north of the foodie town of Malton – famous for its weekend markets and Yorkshire puddings. Trains are now running on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway again, although the journeys are non-stop.
nymr.co.uk
in the library, where leather sofas sit on parquet floors and stained-glass windows feature college crests. The 192 rooms ooze luxury. Mine, the Charles Darwin suite, had books on natural history. The Hypnos beds and silky linen are superb, the designer bathrooms contain D. R. Harris & Co smellies and huge windows overlook Parker’s.
Apart from a couple of staff in visors plus hand-sanitiser stations, reception appeared to be relatively “normal”. We parked our own car, and bathrobes and lotions were removed from rooms. These are available on request. Room service is left on a tray outside your door and rooms are serviced only every three days, and cleaned and left empty for a day between guests. Each second table in the restaurant was left empty.
This 10-mile section of the original Highland Railway Line weaves its way through heather and birch from Aviemore – the adventure capital of the Cairngorms – down through the valley of the River Spey.
Most passengers stay on board for the return trip but Boat of Garten, its mid-way stop, is famous for the RSPB’S very successful osprey conservation project.
Beyond Broomhill, the trackbed becomes the Speyside Way, a cycle and hiking route that bumps over the toes of the Cairngorms as it follows one of Scotland’s most glorious rivers on its meandering journey through whisky country to the sea.
Meanwhile, back in Aviemore, you can sign up
Parker’s Tavern has a very relaxed French bistro feel with more Cambridge scenes. It has an incredible menu created by Tristan Welch who was Gordon Ramsay’s partner at Petrus. Start the evening in the bar with a glass of bubbles (€13). Starters include truffled duck egg on toast with a truffle-mushroom mayonnaise (€13), and tempura courgettes with local honey, cider vinegar and pepper (€9). Classics include a Wiltshire truffle risotto (€16) and nut-brown buttered sole (€18). Every dish was superb. Wine from €25 a bottle.
Stroll around Parker’s Piece or explore Cambridge by bike.
Doubles from €158, room-only.