What is one heritage railway or railway attraction you want to visit and have not yet?

[SwindonManor]

Mine personally has to be East Somerset Railway.

 

[SECR 65]

Mine personally has to be East Somerset Railway.

I visited the ESR for the first time a couple of years ago and had a great time - the gradients are absurd so the Prarie was working so hard!

 

[LittleRedTrain]

I would love to ride the Ravenglass and Eskdale. I've been past on a railtour, but never had a chance to actually visit.
However it's a long trip to a part of the country I rarely get to, and it'd need to be a gala or similar to make it worth the trek.
Bure Valley Railway is also on my to-do list, I just never managed to fit it in when I've been in Norfolk.

There are a couple of lines that aren't too far as the crow flies, but hard to get to by public transport (Amerton, East Somerset etc). I was hoping to take advantage of the bus service to Frome for the recent East Somerset gala, but events got in the way!

 

[Pigeon]

Lynton & Barnstaple.

 

[Iskra]

Severn Valley Railway, it's just a bit out of the way from Yorkshire and there are many great railways that are closer: KWVR, NYMR, ELR, GCR, CVR & EVR to name a few.

However, hopefully I'll be making my first visit this week for the steam gala!

 

[Falcon1200]

The Churnet Valley Railway, mainly due to its apparent inaccessibility by public transport.

 

[50002Superb]

North Yorkshire Moors Railway, I’ve been to lines from Aviemore to Minehead but never the NYMR for some reason and their approach to pricing really puts me off.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Shipley Glen; East Lancs Railway; Snaefell Mountain Railway...

 

[Sun Chariot]

Snowdon Mountain Railway.
I've walked its entire length (when the descent back down Pig Trail was too treacherous, with onsetting weather conditions) but I've yet to go on the train.

I've a little "thing" for steam-worked narrow gauge mountain railways (link)

Railtour and Rail Trip Recollections - which were your most memorable?

Without hesitation, the May 1984 Anglo Scottish Freighter

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Iskra]

The Churnet Valley Railway, mainly due to its apparent inaccessibility by public transport.

I think it can be done, but may require an overnight stay. This will eventually get easier if they start regular services from Leek. It’s a great railway, and somewhere that you can see steam working truly hard which is pretty rare. The thing that puts me off visiting more often is the limited timetable, there are only a handful of trains per day.

 

[Falcon1200]

I think it can be done, but may require an overnight stay.

I am surprised that, AFAIK, the Churnet Valley has never operated a bus service from a suitable national rail station, such as Stoke, if only for Gala events. Such a facility enabled me to visit the Battlefield Line for the first time in 2024, and I have used similar links to the Boness & Kinneil, Gloucester Warwickshire and Kent & East Sussex Railways.

 

[LittleRedTrain]

I've done Churnet Valley in a day by public transport, it's not as simple as some lines, but perfectly doable.
No 16 bus from Hanley Bus Station in Stoke On Trent to Station Road in Cheddleton, then a pleasant stroll along the canal to the station itself.

Hopefully will be easier when they start running to Leek properly.

 

[DaventryRabbit]

I've done Churnet Valley in a day by public transport, it's not as simple as some lines, but perfectly doable.
No 16 bus from Hanley Bus Station in Stoke On Trent to Station Road in Cheddleton, then a pleasant stroll along the canal to the station itself.

Hopefully will be easier when they start running to Leek properly.

Or, if you don't mind a bit of a walk, D+G Bus 32 (Hanley - Uttoxeter) to Cheadle and walk down to Kingsley and Froghall

 

[Cowley]

Getting back to the original question. Over the last few years since my father turned 80, him, myself and my son have been going away to different areas each September after the school holidays have finished, staying in various Air b&b places and trying to get a few lines in that we haven’t done before, or maybe not since they were extended - like The Bluebell for example.

So we’ve done part of Wales:
Llangollen
Welshpool & Llanfair
The Cambrian at Oswestry

The Peak District:
Crich Tramway museum
Peak Rail
Churnet Valley (agree with @Iskra on this line)

The South East:
Spa Valley
The Bluebell
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch
Kent & East Sussex

I think our next trip might have to be over to East Anglia as I’d like to cover:
The Mid Norfolk
The North Norfolk
Wells & Wolsingham
The Bure Valley

It’s quite a trek from here though and I think we’d need more than two nights away.

Other lines that I’ve never done:
Strathspey
The Welsh Highland
Ravenglass and Eskdale
The Battlefield Line
Wensleydale

And a few others, especially some the smaller ones.

Oh, and the Isle of Man!

 

[Sun Chariot]

That's brilliant @Cowley

 

[A S Leib]

Cholsey and Wallingford, Wensleydale, and Embsay and Bolton Abbey as ones I've lived close enough to for it to feel strange not to have visited. The Mannheim Historic Railway, Depot 5 and Stuttgart Tram Museum fit that category, but I at least have planned dates to visit.

The Isle of Man and Northern Ireland would be my other choice(s), partly on the basis that nobody so far has gone for much less frequent experiences like the Jungfraubahn or Indian Pacific.

 

[Forty29]

Basically any preserved line in Wales they've all got fantastic scenery, also the Blanaevon near Big pit especially when a diesel running.
The North and Mid Norfolk lines, and to revisit The KWVR and East Lancs haven't visited in over 44 years and 25 years respectively!

 

[Brightonboy]

I would love to ride the Ravenglass and Eskdale. I've been past on a railtour, but never had a chance to actually visit.
However it's a long trip to a part of the country I rarely get to, and it'd need to be a gala or similar to make it worth the trek.
Bure Valley Railway is also on my to-do list, I just never managed to fit it in when I've been in Norfolk.

There are a couple of lines that aren't too far as the crow flies, but hard to get to by public transport (Amerton, East Somerset etc). I was hoping to take advantage of the bus service to Frome for the recent East Somerset gala, but events got in the way!

The BVR is a nice ride and has the advantage also that, afaik still, there is a footpath right alongside it for pretty much the entire length (I walked it E2E many years ago) so some good lineside pics available if you can make the time....

 

[Iskra]

I've done Churnet Valley in a day by public transport, it's not as simple as some lines, but perfectly doable.
No 16 bus from Hanley Bus Station in Stoke On Trent to Station Road in Cheddleton, then a pleasant stroll along the canal to the station itself.

Hopefully will be easier when they start running to Leek properly.

I fear this may be sometime as it’s very staff and loco intensive for them to use the triangle.

Getting back to the original question. Over the last few years since my father turned 80, him, myself and my son have been going away to different areas each September after the school holidays have finished, staying in various Air b&b places and trying to get a few lines in that we haven’t done before, or maybe not since they were extended - like The Bluebell for example.

So we’ve done part of Wales:
Llangollen
Welshpool & Llanfair
The Cambrian at Oswestry

The Peak District:
Crich Tramway museum
Peak Rail
Churnet Valley (agree with @Iskra on this line)

The South East:
Spa Valley
The Bluebell
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch
Kent & East Sussex

I think our next trip might have to be over to East Anglia as I’d like to cover:
The Mid Norfolk
The North Norfolk
Wells & Wolsingham
The Bure Valley

It’s quite a trek from here though and I think we’d need more than two nights away.

Other lines that I’ve never done:
Strathspey
The Welsh Highland
Ravenglass and Eskdale
The Battlefield Line
Wensleydale

And a few others, especially some the smaller ones.

Oh, and the Isle of Man!

I've not been to any of the East Anglian railways yet either, but it's very much on the agenda. Same with Strathspey, which I think I will do on the Caledonian Sleeper seats to avoid a nights accommodation in Aviemore.

 

[Dave S 56F]

Bodmin and Wenford for me as its got some nice steep gradients or the Dartmouth steam railway other than that ile just stick to my local lines the Keighley worth valley railway and east Lancs railway.

 

[Iskra]

Bodmin and Wenford for me as its got some nice steep gradients or the Dartmouth steam railway other than that ile just stick to my local lines the Keighley worth valley railway and east Lancs railway.

Dartmouth Steam Railway is a cracking little line, definitely worth the effort to get down there. Railtours do it fairly frequently if you'd like to it in style or low effort.

 

[Falcon1200]

Thanks for the info regarding the Churnet Valley, will have a good look at this.

 

[birchesgreen]

East Lancashire Railway, though i am hoping to go there this year.

 

[DarloRich]

I think it is Swanage for me. We have had trips booked for something like the past 5 years and life has thrown various spanners in the works meaning we haven't yet made it!

We will try again this year.......................

 

[SwindonManor]

I would love to ride the Ravenglass and Eskdale. I've been past on a railtour, but never had a chance to actually visit.
However it's a long trip to a part of the country I rarely get to, and it'd need to be a gala or similar to make it worth the trek.
Bure Valley Railway is also on my to-do list, I just never managed to fit it in when I've been in Norfolk.

There are a couple of lines that aren't too far as the crow flies, but hard to get to by public transport (Amerton, East Somerset etc). I was hoping to take advantage of the bus service to Frome for the recent East Somerset gala, but events got in the way!

The Muncaster Express railtour I am guessing...
I have been, even if it isn't a gala it's a nice long line with a decent gradient challenge for locos. I have also done BVR, which was also nice but I prefer the R&E. I also would have liked to go to ESRs gala but things got in the way for me as well. It sounded like a great one.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Apr 2026 ==

Severn Valley Railway, it's just a bit out of the way from Yorkshire and there are many great railways that are closer: KWVR, NYMR, ELR, GCR, CVR & EVR to name a few.

However, hopefully I'll be making my first visit this week for the steam gala!

EVR definitely.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway, I’ve been to lines from Aviemore to Minehead but never the NYMR for some reason and their approach to pricing really puts me off.

It's expensive at £49.50...but a nice one to do with the length. Timetables aren't packed of services though - as the length creates a long journey end to end.
I can't possibly respond to all of these (though I want to, I would be here forever).
These are great lines and I've done a few of them. Shipley Glen I recommend, but be warned, combine it with something else as it is a very short tramway/funicular style route up the hill. I'd visit Shipley station (which is a brilliant station, one of my UK favourites - though Saltaire is a closer walk to Shipley, which is still about 10-15 minutes ish I think).

 

[Barclay]

Here are the ones I think that I have left to visit. Done the rest!

Standard Gauge
Battlefield Line
Derwent Valley
Mangapps
Mid Norfolk
Helston
Border Union
Eden Valley
Lincolnshire Wolds
Northamptonshire Industrial
Tanat Valley

Narrow Gauge
Amerton
Bala
Golden Valley
Lancashire Mining Museum
North Ings
Old Kiln
Steeple Grange
West Lancs

Trams
Heaton Park
East Anglia Transport Museum
Shipley Glen

 

[Ashley Hill]

I really ought to visit the Bluebell Railway one day.
There are many short ones I have not visited, some which are embarrassingly close like Helston, East Somerset, Avon Valley and Cholsey & Wallingford.

 

[alexl92]

North Yorkshire Moors Railway, I’ve been to lines from Aviemore to Minehead but never the NYMR for some reason and their approach to pricing really puts me off.

I've been a few times but the management is putting me off at the moment.
My wishlist is as follows...

Lines I've done before but want to go again:
Embsay
KWVR

Realistic for this year:
East Lancs
Wensleydale (must be on a non-pacer day though)

Semi-realistic:
Tanfield
GCR

Desired, but probably not gonna happen:
Dean Forest
Pontypool & Blaenavon

No chance, but would be lovely:
K&ESR
Swanage
Bodmin & Wenford

 

[Travelmonkey]

Mine personally has to be East Somerset Railway.

I still wanna go to the West Somerset or severn valley railways,

 

[50002Superb]

I've been a few times but the management is putting me off at the moment.
My wishlist is as follows...

Lines I've done before but want to go again:
Embsay
KWVR

Realistic for this year:
East Lancs
Wensleydale (must be on a non-pacer day though)

Semi-realistic:
Tanfield
GCR

Desired, but probably not gonna happen:
Dean Forest
Pontypool & Blaenavon

No chance, but would be lovely:
K&ESR
Swanage
Bodmin & Wenford

The GCR is phenomenal on a gala day, my favourite of those to visit.