‘Spirit of the Lakes’ tours from West Coast Railways

FIVE railtours are on offer from West Coast Railways under the banner of ‘Spirit of the Lakes’.

October 1 sees the ‘Sherbourne Pullman’ and ‘Lune Rivers Trust’ take place. The first is diesel-hauled from Paddington to Sherbourne via Andover, picking up passengers at Slough and Reading. There will be four hours in Sherbourne before returning to London. The second tour is steam-hauled from Carnforth to York, picking up passengers at Wennington and Bentham. There will then be time to explore York before returning to Carnforth.

The next ‘Spirit of the Lakes’ will run on November 5 and visit Stratford-upon-Avon on board ‘The Stratford Pullman’.

Diesel-hauled from London Victoria with pick-up stations of Clapham Junction, Hounslow, Staines and Ascot, there will three hours to spend in Shakespeare’s home town. The tour follows the same route on the return to London, setting down passengers on the route.

Festive outings

The final two tours have a Christmas theme, with ‘The Bath Christmas Pullman’ on Saturday, November 26 and ‘Sherbourne Christmas Pullman’ on Sunday, December 4.

The first will depart from London Victoria, picking up at Clapham Junction, Hounslow, Staines and Woking before heading via Andover and Salisbury to Bath Spa station. Passengers will then have more than three hours in Bath, where the Christmas market will be in full swing before the return leg, this time via Southampton back to London.

West Coast Railways is offering the ‘Sherbourne Christmas Pullman’ railtour to Sherborne from Paddington on Sunday, December 4. Making use of Pullman coaching stock, it offers fares for dining and non-dining, with the opportunity for passengers to explore Sherborne for four hours. This is similar to the ‘Sherbourne Pullman’ in terms of departure station and route. Both of these railtours will be diesel-hauled.

For more information, visit https://westcoastrailways.co.uk/ spirit-of-the-lakes