Cumbrian Explorer

This tour discovers this wonderful Cumbria county primarily by rail with journeys on the Cumbria Coast Railway, Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, and the Settle to Carlisle Railway

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A relaxing five day break to the county of Cumbria in Northern England, considered as one of the most beautiful regions of the UK. This tour discovers this wonderful county primarily by rail with journeys on the Cumbria Coast Railway, Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, and the Settle to Carlisle railway. Our base is the Gilsland Hall Hotel near Carlisle, set in 140 acres of woodland with fantastic views across the Cumbrian countryside.

GILSLAND HALL HOTEL

A warm welcome awaits at this comfortable hotel situated on the outskirts of Gilsland. Facilities include bowling and putting greens, library, coffee shop, Galloways Bar, residents lounge, plus a ballroom with nightly entertainment. All bedrooms feature TV, telephone and tea / coffee tray. Lift available to most floors

ITINERARY

Day One: We travel north towards Carlisle, then continue on to the Gilsland Hall hotel where we stay for the next four nights.

Day Two: Today we head for Longtown and drive along Liddesdale as we make our way to picturesque Kielder Water and Forest Park. We take a break at the visitor centre before continuing to Bellingham and the bustling market town of Hexham with its quaint narrow streets, market square and 12th century Abbey. This afternoon we return along the path of the world-famous Hadrian's Wall.

Day Three: This morning we travel to Carlisle for our first train journey of the day. Admire the stunning sea views as the line meanders along the Cumbrian coastline through Maryport and Whitehaven to Ravenglass. Here we join the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, or “La’al Ratty” as it affectionately known, and enjoy the beautiful landscape as the steam train takes us from the coast to the foothills of England’s highest mountains.

Day Four: We travel to the picturesque market town of Kirkby Lonsdale situated in the heart of the Lune Valley where we will have some free time to explore. From here we continue our journey past the immense Ribblehead Viaduct to Settle, a quaint town framed by stunning countryside and home to the Settle-Carlisle Railway, one of the most scenic and impressive railways in the UK. During the afternoon we take a journey on this world famous railway and pass by viaducts, tunnels and the wild scenery of the North Pennines as we travel to Carlisle. We then rejoin the coach and return to Gilsland.

Day Five: We depart this morning and commence our return journey.

PRICE INCLUDES

Four nights accommodation with dinner and breakfast
Nightly entertainment at the hotel
Excursions as described above
Return travel by luxury air conditioned coach

Below is a list of pick-up points available on this tour.

Name	Address	Contact Details	Distance
Abergele	Abergele, Bowling Green Bus Stop
Bangor, Nelson Pub	Bangor, Bus Stop Opposite Nelson Pub
Bangor, Pontio Centre	Bangor, Pontio Centre Bus Stop
Bethel	Bethel, Primary School Bus Stop
Bontnewydd	Bontnewydd, Bus Stop Near Chip Shop
Bryngwran	Bryngwran, School Entrance
Caergeiliog	Caergeiliog, Outside Sportsmans Pub
Caernarfon, Campbell Road	Caernarfon, Bus Stop Bottom of Campbell Road
Caernarfon, Leisure Cent.	Caernarfon, Bus Stop opposite Leisure Centre
Caernarfon, Morrisons	Caernarfon, Morrisons Bus Stop
Caernarfon, Waterloo Port	Caernarfon, Waterloo Port Bus Stop
Caernarfon, Y Glyn	Caernarfon, Y Glyn Bethel Road
Chester	Chester, Holiday Inn South Hotel Bus Stop
Colwyn Bay	Colwyn Bay, Railway Station Bus Stop
Criccieth, Medical Centre	Criccieth, Medical Centre Bus Stop
Deganwy	Deganwy, Railway Station Bus Stop
Ewloe	Ewloe, Outside St David's Park Hotel
Gaerwen	Gaerwen, Stermat Car Park
Gwalchmai	Gwalchmai, Opposite Clock
Halkyn	Halkyn, Outside Billy Jeans (Springfield Hotel Return Drop Off Point)
Holyhead	Holyhead, Bus Stop Outside Ferry Terminal Entrance
Llanberis, Maes Padarn	Llanberis, Bus Stop Opposite Maes Padarn
Llanberis, Spar	Llanberis, Outside Spar Shop
Llandegai	Llandegai, Penrhyn Castle Entrance
Llandudno	Llandudno, Mostyn Broadway Coach Park Bus Stop
Llandudno Jct. New Road	Llandudno Junction, New Road Bus Stop
Llanfairfechan	Llanfairfechan, Castle Bridge Bus Stop
Llanfairpwll	Llanfairpwll, Pringles Car Park
Llangefni	Llangefni, Church Street Bus Stop
Llanrug	Llanrug, Arvonia Garage
Menai Bridge	Menai Bridge, Library Bus Stop
Northop	Northop, Red Lion Pub Bus Stop
Old Colwyn	Old Colwyn, Church Walks Bus Stop Opposite The Plough Inn
Penmaenmawr	Penmaenmawr, Llys Clwyd Bus Stop (Opposite Spar)
Penrhyn Bay	Penrhyn Bay, Post Office
Penygroes	Penygroes, Crossroads (Outside Victoria Hotel)
Porthmadog	Porthmadog, Tesco Bus Stop
Pwllheli	Pwllheli, Bus Station
Rhos on Sea, Cayley Arms	Rhos on Sea, Bus Stop Opposite Cayley Arms
Rhos on Sea, Hickorys	Rhos on Sea, Bus Stop Opposite Hickorys Restaurant
St. Asaph	St. Asaph, Bus Stop Outside Petrol Station
Valley	Valley, Opposite Valley Hotel
Wrexham, Northbound	Wrexham, Taxi Stand King Street (Taxi Feeder Service)
Y Felinheli, St. Marys	Y Felinheli, St Mary's Church Bus Stop
Y Felinheli, Victoria	Y Felinheli, Victoria Hotel Bus Stop