Britain from the Rails: A Window Gazer's GuideThere's a magical romance about trains that no other form of transport can capture. Meeting under an iconic station clock at a grand terminus. Gathering speed through city, town and country, swooping across viaducts, rattling across huge junctions and whistling through tunnels. At long last you are in a small Sussex beachside halt, or a Welsh valley country station, beside a quiet Norfolk waterway, or winding through a remote forest high above a Scottish loch. Dreamily you think, 'Do those same twin ribbons of steel really lead all the way back to the greatest city in Europe? Can this really be the very same seat?'Britain from the Rails travels to a world far from the endless queues and prodding security of ugly airport terminals. It abandons the cars to their motorway jams and soaring petrol prices, and revels instead in the gems of Britain's historic railway system. |
Contents
THE GLORIOUS EAST COAST MAIN LINE TO SCOTLAND | 1 |
to the worlds first railway | 9 |
Firth to last | 18 |
RAILS TO ROMANCE AND BEAUTY | 27 |
Inverness to Glasgow and Edinburgh | 44 |
Inverness to Aberdeen | 53 |
the very strange story of the most beautiful | 59 |
from Inverness to Wick and Thurso | 68 |
Shrewsbury to Swansea | 186 |
Really recommended for the ride | 199 |
SOUTH WESTERN FROM WATERLOO TAKE ME TO THE SUNSHINE | 215 |
Martians to maritime | 222 |
the New Forest | 228 |
Woking to Pompey ups and Downs | 237 |
the West of England Main Line | 243 |
FROM DIRTY WEEKENDS | 253 |
overview and recommended lines | 74 |
a useful connector | 91 |
The Lake District by train? What are those words worth? | 100 |
GODS WONDERFUL RAILWAY | 105 |
Kennet Valley and Vale of Pewsey | 140 |
undiluted Old England at her best | 155 |
Welsh rare bits and best bits | 168 |
what to look out | 260 |
Brighton Line Branches | 272 |
catch the 1066 | 281 |
How to get times and book tickets | 288 |
a few technical rail terms explained | 304 |
Tourist information centres | 311 |
Other editions - View all
Britain from the Rails: Including the nation's best-kept-secret railways Benedict Le Vay Limited preview - 2014 |
Common terms and phrases
Aberdeen ahead arches beach beautiful Blaenau Ffestiniog branch lines bridge Brighton Brighton Line Bristol Britain British Brunel built called Cambrian Coast Line canal carriages Castle climb Coast Main Line curve East Coast Main East Suffolk Line Edinburgh engines Exeter ferry Ffestiniog Ffestiniog Railway Flying Scotsman Glasgow harbour heading Highland hills huge Inverness Ipswich island junction King's Cross Loch loco London London Paddington London Waterloo look loop LSWR Mallaig massive Midlands milepost miles mountains Norwich once Paddington pass passengers pier platforms Portsmouth pretty rail railway reach river road round route Salisbury Scotland seaside side signal box Skegness soon Southampton speed station steam stop Swindon terminus There's ticket tower town track train tunnel VALLEY LINE viaduct views village Wales walk Waterloo WCML Welsh WESSEX MAIN LINE Western Wherry Lines Wroxham