‘I travelled 4,000 miles across UK by rail – the country's most beautiful train journey takes 10 minutes and costs £3'

The Sun

14-05-2025

MOST of us sit on the commuter trains taking in the same view every day, but Tom Chesshyre travelled 4,000 miles around the UK on some of the most scenic journeys.
Tom did it using the National Rail service and went from the tip of Scotland all the way down to Penzance.
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He told Sun Travel that there are some incredible rail journeys to take around Britain - and a few that are further afield too.
To celebrate 200 years of modern railway, Tom headed around Britain using the train network.
And while Tom went across the thousands of miles, one of his favourite journeys was in the south of England - and only lasted 10 minutes.
Tom told us: "The rail is five miles long so it's only 10 minutes. It goes between St Erth and St Ives in Cornwall and make sure you're sitting on the right hand side for the best views.
"It goes high up in the cliffs so you look down on the sandy coves below. It gives spectacular views of the coast, it was previously called the Cornish Riviera Express."
For anyone wanting to hop onboard on their next trip to the seaside, you can do this journey from just £3.10.
Tom spoke very highly of the scenery on the south coast, but he confessed that Scotland has beautiful views from the railway in excess.
Tom did a look around the north of Scotland and got to cross a famous bridge that movie fans will recognise.
Tom said: "Get yourself to Inverness then get on a train over to Kyle of Lochalsh. That train journey goes from the east to the middle to the west of Scotland - it has beautiful lochs, and fields of heather with deer.
"From Kyle of Lochalsh you can get a taxi to the Isle of Skye which is connected by a bridge.
"Then get on a ferry from the the Isle of Skye to Mallaig which is back on the mainland and that is where you can get on the famous line that goes over the Harry Potter bridge, which is actually called the Glenfinnian Viaduct."
New £18m Scots train station near Glasgow set to open next year
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For anyone thinking these train journeys are expensive, they're surprisingly affordable.
You don't have to take the steam train, just get on a public service line instead. A ticket from Mallaig to Fort William, which crosses the viaduct, typically starts around £9.20.
If you want to do the epic steam journey, that's on the The Jacobite Steam Train which does a 41-mile round trip between Fort William and Mallaig in the Scottish Highlands which cost from £72.75.
One way to get up to Scotland is on the Caledonian Sleeper train which goes from London Euston to Aberdeen and covers nearly 400 miles.
Tom told us: "It was one of the most enjoyable journeys I've had, mostly because of the people.
"I made sure I got a seat in the dining car and it was there I met a guy who went to school with the drummer from Blur.
"I set an alarm for 5.30AM to see the sunrise over the Tay Bridge in Dundee. It was great to leave the big smoke and see all the mist on the river."
Tom's adventure around the UK has coincided with the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway which opened in 1825.
It's not just rail around the UK that Tom explored, he's even been to the other side of the world on trains.
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Tom added: "For a long train journey I don't think you can beat going from Perth to Sydney in Australia.
"It's the world's longest stretch of straight track across the Nullarbor Plain which is 300 miles long and it doesn't deviate at all. There are ghost towns behind the tracks and kangaroos.
"Another incredible journey which sadly you can't take now was on the Trans-Siberian Railway and I went from Moscow to Beijing, which was nine days on a train - it was quite claustrophobic for some.
"I was nosing around chatting to everyone and getting to know the people who run the dining carriage and finding out who the chef was having an affair with."
The final journey that Tom revealed was all the way over in India.
Tom explained: "In Kalka there's a little narrow-gauge train that's nicknamed the Toy Train because it's so tiny. It can't go more than 20 miles an hour and it winds through Shimla.
"It's in the foothills of the Himalayas - it's beautiful. When you stop at the stations, you can lean out the windows and people will offer you chipatis and curry pots for rupees."
You can read more about Tom's journey across Britain in his new book.
Slow Trains Around Britain: Notes from a 4,088-Mile Adventure on 143 Rides is out now.
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