Most scenic direct journeys from London

[Be3G]

Hi all,

I'm looking for suggestions for where to travel to by train on a direct journey from London (any of the Terminals) and back. I want it to be direct because my energy can be quite low some days as I'm recovering from a long-ish illness, so I want to simply board one cosy train and stay there – I'm not even interested in perfectly timed cross-platform connections. It's essentially a way for me to get out and have a change of scenery, so to that end I'd like the journey to be as scenic or otherwise visually interesting as possible. It could be a short journey to the home counties or a long intercity one, but if the latter, I'd want to have a few hours at my destination to stretch my legs/rest from travelling, and I'd also want to return to London at the end of the day (on a direct train again, but not on a sleeper).

So far the best thing I can think of is the line through Dawlish which can easily be done there and back in a day on a direct train from London, although it's quite a short section of an otherwise mediocre journey. Of course, I realise that there won't be much interesting scenery to be had on any rail line from London for the start of the journey, at least. Still, does anyone have a bright idea?

Thanks!

P.S. Am not interested in travelling internationally (i.e. Eurostar).

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Would something like Paddington-Worcester be OK? Great rolling stock (which should be quiet enough too) if you get a 180 or HST, fast run from Paddington to Oxford and the scenery beyond through Kingham and Evesham is rather pleasant if memory serves me well. Also a fine city at the end!

 

[Be3G]

That's an interesting idea, thank you. I haven't ventured beyond Oxford on that line, nor have I seen much of that part of the world in any capacity, so you could be on to something!

 

[Greenback]

The line through Stroud is not without its attraction. What about a circular trip, it's just a short hop between Worcester and Cheltenham?

 

[andythebrave]

Don't go shooting me down but I've always enjoyed the trip from Euston for its variety. The canal around Berkhamsted, racing the M1 traffic at Weldon/Watford Gap services, the rather grand ugly beauty of Rugeley power station, past the Heritage Centre at Crewe and over the viaducts around Acton Bridge/Weaver Junction. Then if you are going to Liverpool there's the rarely mentioned but striking crossing of the Mersey at Runcorn.
Easy to get some hours at destination and, if you're up to it, a fairly short walk down to Pier Head for a ride on the Mersey Ferry.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Oh, and book far enough ahead (or get lucky) and go 1st midweek for a nicer seat and food and drink that is mostly more than passable.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

The line through Stroud is not without its attraction. What about a circular trip, it's just a short hop between Worcester and Cheltenham?

Not a bad shout - 6 minutes at Gloucester though (or 116 at Cheltenham!) might be beyond the OP's comfort depending on what his condition is - trains are every two hours on both routes, which doesn't help matters. Would agree it would be better more fun than an out and back via Evesham job though. Depending on the OP's ticketing requirements I would assume that Paddington-Ashchurch Any Permitted allows you via Stroud or Evesham, not bad at £69.00 SVR.

 

[30907]

Portsmouth - one way via the Direct line and the other via the Arun Valley?

On the same theme, Canterbury, using the Maidstone and Chatham routes (or HS1). Hastings also, but the destination isn't that exciting!

I'm assuming the OP would want NOT to be tied to Advances (because of his health, the weather etc). If s/he was willing to make one leisurely change (deciding on the day whether they were up for it), it would open up other options.

For example, Hereford via Worcester returning via Newport.
Or South Devon via Castle Cary back via Salisbury.

 

[ac6000cw]

Portsmouth - one way via the Direct line and the other via the Arun Valley?

I'd been thinking about that one too

As another suggestion, how about a trip through the Chilterns on one of Chiltern Railways loco-hauled services from Marylebone to Leamington Spa - nice rolling stock, reasonable scenery and a pleasant town to wander around at the end. As a bonus, if you felt like a nostalgia break-of-journey along the way, Banbury is still semaphore signalled from two ex-GWR boxes.

 

[Tracked]

St Pancras-Sheffield's quite nice, especially the southern end, bonus points for spotting the Airship Hangers at Cardington

St Pancras-Margate? the HS1 part's good and it's scenic after it leaves that bit

Kings Cross-Edinburgh, though mainly for the Newcastle-Edinburgh section

Euston-Glasgow, the WCML is quite varied, the Southern part might not look as nice but I found going into Euston on a Pendo great fun through the curves in the last hour or so

 

[Be3G]

Thanks for the ideas everyone! As my original post says, I do literally want to catch just two trains on the day: one there, and one back. Distance is fairly limitless though (as long as I've got a few hours at the destination).

The two different routes to Portsmouth was good thinking but I've already seen rather a lot of the journey to Portsmouth pre-illness (got a friend who works in the cathedral there, lucky thing). I've never been to Leamington Spa (and only travelled out of Marylebone once) so that's definitely food for thought! The Chilterns are, after all, well known for their gentle beauty. I'm intrigued by the industrial scenery of the trip to Liverpool too – it doesn't have to be scenic in the chocolate box sense.

Any further ideas appreciated.

 

[Yew]

The area around Fort William has nice views from the lounge car of the sleeper

 

[Greenback]

The problem is that the lines out of London are not particularly scenic in the traditional sense, which is largely due to geography and suburbia. As a general rule, the further you go the better the scenery is, especially if you reach the imaginary line between the Exe and the Tees. South and east of the line is flatter and has less features, though it can still be interesting.

West and north of the line the terrain is higher, more rugged and, for many, more enjoyable to look at.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Thanks for the ideas everyone! As my original post says, I do literally want to catch just two trains on the day: one there, and one back. Distance is fairly limitless though (as long as I've got a few hours at the destination).

The two different routes to Portsmouth was good thinking but I've already seen rather a lot of the journey to Portsmouth pre-illness (got a friend who works in the cathedral there, lucky thing). I've never been to Leamington Spa (and only travelled out of Marylebone once) so that's definitely food for thought! The Chilterns are, after all, well known for their gentle beauty. I'm intrigued by the industrial scenery of the trip to Liverpool too – it doesn't have to be scenic in the chocolate box sense.

Any further ideas appreciated.

OK, what about Exeter? Two different direct routes from London, each with interesting stretches, such as the redoubled bits of the LSWR line, the canal on the Berks and Hants, and different types of traction too!

 

[yorksrob]

A nice one is Charing Cross to Hastings - some lovely countryside through the Weald

(I've always had a soft spot for Hastings sea front and the old town's quite good).

Then return to Victoria via Haywards Heath - a nice coastal stretch around St Leonards, lovely views of the South Downs between Eastbourne and Wivelsfield, then a bracing trip up the BML.

 

[Class172]

I'd give another vote for the Cotswold line - can be very comfortable on a midday train, looking out at the rolling green hills, with views also as the line climbs the Malvern Hills; the cities of Worcester and Hereford are also good places to visit by themselves.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Another vote for the North Cotswolds line for me - it's rather lovely. The stretch after Worcester - through the Malverns - is beautiful too: Hereford and Worcester are both interesting cities, although Worcester (Foregate Street) station is rather better placed for the city centre than the station in Hereford.

Rather closer to London (and rather overlooked), but I really do think the scenery on parts of the Essex Thameside/c2c line is rather stunning. The most scenic route is only taken by relatively few direct trains (this is: Fenchurch St - Barking - via Rainham - Grays - Pitsea - Southend - Shoeburyness). For this you get: industrial and post-industrial bleakness through the old Fords site at Dagenham and round about, and similarly by the docks in Tilbury; the haunting old Bata Factory at East Tilbury, and then lots of marshland (maybe an acquired taste - but I think it's very atmospheric); then onto going right past the ruins of Hadleigh Castle, the old town/fishing village at Leigh-on-Sea, and so on. In fact, Leigh may well be a nicer destination overall than Southend, depending on your tastes in seaside towns!

Also in Essex, the Southminster Branch (which I think still has some direct trains from Liverpool Street) has a fair bit to be said for it, scenery-wise (flat scenery-wise, of course): although I don't think you'd find much to do in Southminster itself: Burnham-on-Crouch would make a more interesting place to spend time.

 

[306024]

Yes close to London I'd also vote for Fenchurch St to Shoeburyness via Rainham. Old Leigh is a must for a plate of cockles, with pepper and vinegar.

 

[Gathursty]

Are there any direct trains to Teignmouth/Newton Abbott? Newton Abbott has a great cafe and the station has canopies but if the weather is good to you, you can disembark earlier into Teignmouth or even Dawlish perhaps. In any case, my intention is to offer Brunel's coastal route into the ring.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Either the East Grinstead or Uckfield lines from London Bridge/Victoria. You get away from the Smoke quite quickly and you're starting to climb into proper countryside from Riddlesdown onwards, only about 25 mins from London.

If you take the East Grinstead line you've also now got a quick interchange onto the Bluebell Railway all the way down to Sheffield Park.

Oxted, the traffic junction for the East Grinstead/Uckfield lines might be worth a wander; the secondhand bookshop (called The Secondhand Bookshop) about a minute from the station has a good selection of railway books, or at least did when I was last there.

Plenty of opportunities for strolls in the countryside if you're feeling up to it.

 

[Bevan Price]

London Euston to Bangor & return gives nice views of the Dee Estuary, then the sea, after you pass Chester, plus a few mountains are visible in good weather. Only problem if you want to see the town, the centre is a longish walk from the station (although buses / taxis are an option.)

(Llandudno would be a good alternative, if you could accept an easy "same platform" incherchange. A third alternative is Colwyn Bay, where the station is adjacent to the town centre, but you would miss some of the better scenery west of Conwy.)

 

[Techniquest]

Quite a bit of variety really for options, if you include the majestic beauty of industrial scenery too. Let's chuck in something different to the other suggestions so far:

Paddington to Swansea. Yes you've got the rather dull section to Reading to get through first, but beyond there it starts getting better. You've also got the massive amount of works going on to the west of the station now, which I found quite fascinating. Then you've got Didcot power station almost right next to the mainline and the towers may make an impression on you. Not a lot of interest beyond there for a while admittedly, but it's well trodden territory for me so I'm bound to find it a little stale. Swindon gives you things like the muesums and brewery alongside the mainline as you leave at least, and you've still got a lot of 125mph running too.

I'm not sure entirely what you could call industrial scenery, but you get more of it not far from Llanwern steelworks (although it's partly hidden by trees so you might not see much of it), then it's all go with the busy Alexandra Dock Junction Yard, the approaches to Cardiff gives you the obvious city skyline but you should still see some the SA Brains site too. Geographical scenery definitely gets better now too, with further on the large bit of industry better known as Margam steelworks just before Port Talbot Parkway. Further on, a bit past Neath, you travel under Brunel's Flying Arches, which were the rather genius way to stop the embankments interrupting the railway. Still there to the best of my knowledge, although being on a train makes it difficult to see them unless you're standing at an open droplight and looking at them that way. Swansea gives you another natural city skyline, with sights such as the Liberty Stadium at Landore to see. Swansea's station is supposedly much done up since my last trip there years ago, but still offers very easy interchange on buses into the rest of the city centre, and should you wish to visit the beaches that's easy enough to reach too. Nice and easy 3 hour journey from Paddington aboard an HST

I'd also recommend the trip to Hereford via Evesham, another easy journey aboard an HST for 3 and a bit hours, with the best of the geographical scenery after Oxford. Some lovely views of the Malverns hills too, and the Cotswolds are also well viewed from this train too. Not a huge amount to do in Hereford I'm afraid, although buses into the city centre are now better since the Hereford to Gloucester buses now start at the train station. Otherwise it's at least 7 minutes walk into town, more if you take an easy stroll. Plenty of shops, coffee outlets and a variety of food outlets too but not otherwise a huge amount of interest! Direct trains in the daytime are 1314 and 1514 from Hereford, with the next direct service to London being 2154 weekdays, 2020 Saturdays. Sundays there are more direct trains in the daytime though. Direct trains are 0822, 1022, 1722 and 1822 from Paddington weekdays, should be about the same Saturdays and a fair bit different on Sundays. Think a day return is only around £54, not bad at all for around 300 miles for a round trip!

Plenty of others, including the nicely scenic run to Glasgow and to Edinburgh, with a trip along the North Wales Coast also being quite nice too.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Not a lot of interest beyond [Didcot]

Well, at least you can keep an eye out for the Uffington White Horse. You get a reasonably decent view of it from the train for a time, maybe two-thirds of the way between Didcot and Swindon...

 

[davetheguard]

Well, at least you can keep an eye out for the Uffington White Horse. You get a reasonably decent view of it from the train for a time, maybe two-thirds of the way between Didcot and Swindon...

There is an good picture of an HST and the Uffington White Horse at Martin Loader's excellent website hondawanderer.com

The White Horse, now thought to be as old as the Pyramids, is south of the railway; you need to sit on the left of the train (in direction of travel) when heading towards Bristol/South Wales/Cheltenham.

 

[30907]

Are there any direct trains to Teignmouth/Newton Abbott? Newton Abbott has a great cafe and the station has canopies but if the weather is good to you, you can disembark earlier into Teignmouth or even Dawlish perhaps. In any case, my intention is to offer Brunel's coastal route into the ring.

I think that was the OP's first thought? Newton is fine, but D and T are rather short on through trains (though the one that runs does give you out via Bath and back via the cut-offs).

On Greenback's suggestion of Exeter, worth remembering that the city is at the top of the 1 in 37 between Central and St David's! (apart from the quayside bit near St Thomas)

 

[GatwickDepress]

A nice one is Charing Cross to Hastings - some lovely countryside through the Weald

(I've always had a soft spot for Hastings sea front and the old town's quite good).

Then return to Victoria via Haywards Heath - a nice coastal stretch around St Leonards, lovely views of the South Downs between Eastbourne and Wivelsfield, then a bracing trip up the BML.

The iconic net shops on The Stade are very picturesque as well. I must add that the East and West Hill Cliff Railways are worth a ride -and not just because my father works on them.

Going via Brighton is also a possible option, which entails traveling over John Urpeth Raistrick's magnificent London Road viaduct (which I personally think beats the Ouse Valley Viaduct when it comes to the view).

 

[IanD]

Edinburgh up the West coast and back via the East Coast (or vv).

 

[yorksrob]

The iconic net shops on The Stade are very picturesque as well. I must add that the East and West Hill Cliff Railways are worth a ride -and not just because my father works on them.

Going via Brighton is also a possible option, which entails traveling over John Urpeth Raistrick's magnificent London Road viaduct (which I personally think beats the Ouse Valley Viaduct when it comes to the view).

Ooh yes, I'll never forget my first trip over that viaduct !

Funnily enough, the first couple of times I got the train to Brighton I ended up falling ill on the way back - as if my early railway obsession was being tested.

Needless to say, still one of my favourite routes

 

[Be3G]

Thanks, everyone, for your continued excellent suggestions. It seems the Cotswold line is getting the biggest share of votes so far – which is handy as a good chunk of it is covered by my Network railcard. I was quite excited by the idea of Bangor but, alas, the direct trains aren't very well timed for a relaxing but not too tiring day trip on a weekend day which is probably when I'd be going. I'll have to look in to Swansea…

Some of the suggestions close-ish to London I've already seen quite a few times – nary a year goes by without me ending up in one or more of Brighton/Eastbourne/Hastings. I have to agree too that the ‘coastal’ route to Southend really is quite an interesting trip, with a little bit of a sense of unworldliness in places. I hadn't, though, ever considered the lines via Oxted for a local trip – that's a nice idea if I don't feel like going far.

Thanks again.

The problem is that the lines out of London are not particularly scenic in the traditional sense, which is largely due to geography and suburbia. As a general rule, the further you go the better the scenery is, especially if you reach the imaginary line between the Exe and the Tees. South and east of the line is flatter and has less features, though it can still be interesting.

West and north of the line the terrain is higher, more rugged and, for many, more enjoyable to look at.

Indeed! I find that's even reflected in the pleasantness/prettiness of coastal locations too. About my favourite place to go for a seaside day trip used to be Lyme Regis (got to love that Jurassic coastline), which was quite a trek from London but just about doable! I find a lot (though not all) of the seaside resorts close to London quite bland.

 

[Donny Dave]

A late contender (if you can stretch your trip out for a few days) is Inverness. Once you get North of Northallerton, the scenery does change a lot, and is quite varied as well. The run from Perth to Inverness is pretty spectacular as well.

 

[IanD]

Thanks, everyone, for your continued excellent suggestions. It seems the Cotswold line is getting the biggest share of votes so far – which is handy as a good chunk of it is covered by my Network railcard.

Isn't the whole of the Cotswold line covered by a Network Railcard?

 

[overtonchris]

Isn't the whole of the Cotswold line covered by a Network Railcard?

Certainly is, all the way to Worcester! A really nice ride too, and Worcester centre I personally like (historical stuff very interesting). Not the quickest from Oxford onwards, but if you're scenery - spotting, who cares?!!