stevetx

Here are the 10 most scenic rail journeys according to The Guardian. Has anyone taken one of these or have others to share?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/gallery...912491&index=0

ssachida

I've been on 6 of the 10. Not bad and quite pleased with myself

They are lovely in parts. Though you get better views of those fantastic viaducts from near the train line than from the train itself. Plus most train windows don't afford the clearest view. I wish they would compare photos of places taken from the train as opposed to pictures of the train -- very different view points and experiences.

janisj

I haven't been on the Carlisle to Carnforth, or Craven Arms to Llanelli

Some were years ago, most recent probably Mallaig. Interesting the list only includes Ft William to Mallaig leg and not the bit across Rannoch Moor.

Nor the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

PalenQ

I've ridden them all and many other scenic railways - my tops would be the two Highlands lines in Scotland, from Inverness to Kyle of Lochlash and Mallaig to Ft William and thru the desolate Ranloch Moors to Glasgow - those two are tops by far over any other rail line in the U K IMO. The steam train up Mt Snowdon would be my third choice.

farrermog

I've been on most, but as ssachida says the train may not be the best vantage point. One that was impressive from the train and not mentioned in the article was fanging along the Welsh coast near Barmouth with sea spray blowing over the train. The journey down to and the arrival at Kyle of Lochalsh was certainly memorable - good to see the bridge doesn't spoil that part of the view - as was a splurge dinner, night and breakfast at the adjacent Lochalsh Hotel before taking the ferry over to a brooding Skye.

flanneruk

There's a loud noise of barrel-scraping about this list, and anyone "collecting" them might be setting themselves up for a major disappointment.

The Oxford-Hereford line is undoubtedly the world's most economically vital and its upgrading under the aegis of Cameron close to the only achievement of his bumbling prime ministership. But it's no more scenic than the thousands of miles of the rest of the English railway system outside suburban sprawl.

The St Erth-St Ives line has one fascinating twist: it's included in the Flanders & Swan funeral roll of great British railways doomed by Beeching - but is now phenomenally successful. That commercial success makes it a sod to ride on: far from the gentle meander along ocean seascapes we all imagine it's a horrendously overcrowded shuttle,mostly along the unappetising Hale estuary or through a boring golf course, between a pleasant seaside resort and its Park & Ride. When full (almost always), it's practically impossible to see the 30 secs vista of St Ives and its beach which is really the only visual highlight of the trip in from the car park.

The stunning viaducts shown for most other lines are indeed terrific. But the one place you can't see them from is the railway.

For once Pal Q's right. Most great scenic rides in Britain are on heritage lines that are mostly off the main railway system, and this silly list ignores most of them. British railways virtually all go through open countryside, and the view's usually pleasant enough. But for stunning scenery visible from proper trains, you need to go somewhere else.