West Country Steam

DAY 1

Journey from your home station to Exeter and, on arrival, we will make our way to the Rougemont Hotel, our hotel for the next five nights. We enjoy free time to explore our new surroundings before meeting for our first evening meal together.

DAY 2

This morning, we travel by train over Brunel's Saltash Bridge into Cornwall arriving at Bodmin Parkway for a wonderful journey of nostalgia on the Bodmin & Wenford Steam Railway, a time-capsule of yesteryear's train travel. We enjoy some free time in Bodmin on our return, maybe grab a coffee in the café or browse the gift shops before we return to Exeter for our evening meal together.

DAY 3

Today, we travel by steam train alongside the English Riviera coastline to Churston, then on through the wooded slopes of Long Wood bordering the Dart Estuary to Kingswear. We take a short ferry crossing to the historic resort of Dartmouth where there is free time for some sightseeing and a gentle circular river cruise viewing Bayards Cove, Kingswear and Dartmouth Castles, Britannia Royal Naval College, Dittisham Village, and Sir Walter Raleigh's Boathouse. We return by steam train to Paignton and onwards to our hotel in time for our evening meal together.

DAY 4

After breakfast this morning, we travel by private coach to Bishops Lydeard for a ride over the delightful 20-mile long West Somerset Railway through stunning countryside to the seaside resort of Minehead. We enjoy time to explore the town before our coach journey to Lynton where we experience a ride on the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway, the highest and steepest water powered funicular in the world. Afterwards, we continue the short distance to Woody Bay for a ride behind steam over the narrow-gauge Lynton & Barnstaple Railway with wild moorland and rugged coastline views. Our coach returns us to our hotel in Exeter for our evening meal together.

DAY 5

Today, we travel to Totnes where we join the oldest preserved steam railway in the south-west, the South Devon Railway, and follow a scenic seven-mile rail journey connecting the beautifully maintained stations at Totnes and Buckfastleigh. We enjoy free time at Buckfastleigh where we can visit the Butterfly Farm and Otter Sanctuary, located next to the railway station and only a few minutes' walk from the platform or, alternatively, we can venture a little further and visit nearby Buckfast Abbey and Gardens. We return to Exeter and enjoy our final evening meal together.

DAY 6

After breakfast, we bid farewell to Exeter and make our way to the station for our homeward journeys.

*Important Note: Whilst the arrangements for all described steam train travel are in place, we do reserve the right to make substitutions should it be deemed necessary for whatever reason.

B=Breakfast, D=Dinner