Railway Day Trips: 160 classic train journeys around Britain. Julian Holland

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       The restored Exeter Canal in Exeter. Beyond is Exeter Cathedral which was completed in 1400.

      TAUNTON TO BRISTOL

      The first section of Brunel’s broad-gauge Bristol & Exeter Railway opened from Bristol to Taunton in 1842 and until the opening of the cut-off line through Castle Cary and Langport in 1906 was the only railway route between London (Paddington) and the southwest. The original route via Bristol was nicknamed the ‘Great Way Round’ (using the initials of the Great Western Railway) that had taken over the B&ER in 1876. Broad-gauge trains ceased to run in 1892 when the whole route was converted to standard gauge.

      Today’s trains head eastward out of Taunton’s busy main-line station and soon pass Cogload Junction, where there is a flyover for trains to and from the Castle Cary line. The first intermediate station on this trip is at Bridgwater and from here the main line heads north in a straight line for 13 miles across the Somerset Levels through Highbridge & Burnham station to Uphill Junction. Here, local stopping trains diverge to take the longer single-track loop line via the resort of Weston-super-Mare before rejoining the main line at Worle Junction. They then head inland through a gap in the Mendip Hills through Worle, Yatton, Nailsea & Backwell and Parson Street stations before ending their journey at the imposing overall-roofed 13-platform Bristol Temple Meads station. Brunel’s original train shed, once the terminus of his broad-gauge line from Paddington, still survives and is currently used as a car park. A good bus service connects the station with Bristol’s many attractions including the new city-centre shopping mall, historic docks, zoo and Clifton Gorge with its magnificent suspension bridge.

       DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

      Bristol Zoo; Clifton Suspension Bridge; boat trips; ‘SS Great Britain’; Bristol Harbour Railway; Cabot Tower; Bristol Cathedral; St Nicholas Church Museum; Bristol Harbour Festival (end July/early August); International Balloon Festival (August); Industrial Museum; Museum & Art Gallery; Banksy street art; 17th-century Llandoger Trow pub; jazz and blues at the 18th-century The Old Duke pub

       FREQUENCY OF TRAINS

      3 per hour (Mon-Sat)

      2 per hour (Sun)

      45 MILES 32 MINUTES (DIRECT) / 1 HOUR 5 MINUTES

       NUMBER OF CHANGES: 0

       Overlooked by the colourful terraced house of Clifton, Brunel’s restored ‘SS Great Britain’ is a major tourist attraction in Bristol.

      BRISTOL TO SEVERN BEACH

      Considered by some to be one of the most scenic railway lines in Europe, the branch from Bristol to Severn Beach certainly boasts a variety of scenery (some man-made) along its route. It was opened in stages between 1863 and 1922 and today’s service consists of half-hourly trains between Temple Meads station and Avonmouth, with services extended to and from Severn Beach every 2 hours.

      Trains leave Temple Meads station in a northerly direction, taking the main line through Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road stations before diverging at Narroways Junction. Here the line, now single track, heads west through suburban woodland and the short Montpelier Tunnel before calling at Montpelier station. Redland station follows, while at Clifton Down station there is a passing loop before trains plunge into the gloomy depths of mile-long Clifton Down Tunnel. Emerging high above the Clifton Gorge, trains run alongside this winding and tidal stretch of the River Avon through Sea Mills and Shirehampton stations before reaching Avonmouth.

      From Avonmouth the scenery becomes more spectacularly man-made in the shape of chemical factories, an LPG terminal and the gigantic coal discharging plant close to St Andrews Road station. Looking more like a giant Anthony Caro sculpture, this brightly coloured structure is used for loading imported coal onto merry-go-round coal trains destined for distant power stations. To the north, freight trains take the Henbury Loop Line at Hallen Marsh Junction while our diesel railcar rattles along the last lonely 3 miles alongside the Severn Estuary. Disused chemical works punctuate the flat landscape before the train ends its journey at the minimal station of Severn Beach. Across the road are massive flood defence walls from which there is a panoramic view across the muddy estuary to South Wales and upstream to the new Severn Crossing. After gulping in the bracing sea air, taking a riverside walk and enjoying an ice cream it is time to retrace our steps back to Temple Meads.

       DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

      bird watching; conger fishing; views of Severn Crossing road bridge; Severn Way long-distance path

       FREQUENCY OF TRAINS

      1 every 2 hours (Mon-Sat and summer Sundays)

      2 per day (winter Sundays)

       13½ MILES 37 MINUTES

       NUMBER OF CHANGES: 0

       Passengers travelling by train to Severn Beach are treated to fine views across the Severn Estuary to Wales.

      SALISBURY TO BATH

      Our scenic journey to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Bath starts at Salisbury’s busy junction station. From here trains head west to Wilton Junction where the line divides – the West of England main line from Waterloo to Exeter continues west while Bath-bound trains take a northwesterly route along the Wylye Valley, skirting round Salisbury Plain to Warminster. Trains pass a string of picturesque and peaceful villages en route, such as Wylye, Codford and Heytesbury, which lost their stations nearly 60 years ago. Warminster station is located on a sharp curve and its short platforms are a problem for long modern trains. The nearby town is famous not only for its military connections but also for sightings of UFOs in the 1960s and 1970s. From Warminster trains continue to skirt around Salisbury Plain before heading north to the important junction station of Westbury.

      With the famous White Horse visible on the hillside to the east, trains leave Westbury in a northerly direction across the Wiltshire Plains before calling at the market and brewing town of Trowbridge. A short distance north of the station, Bath-bound trains branch off westwards at Bradford South Junction – here the single-track line to Melksham and Thingley Junction continues northwards – before reaching Bradford-on-Avon’s attractive station. From here the railway keeps company with the River Avon and the Kennet & Avon Canal along the winding, wooded valley to Bath. Trains serve Avoncliff station (a request stop), where the canal crosses the river and railway on one of John Rennie’s fine aqueducts, and Freshford en route. Now heading north up the valley, the railway passes under Rennie’s graceful Dundas Aqueduct that carries the canal over river and railway. Bathampton Junction is soon reached, where trains join Brunel’s former broad-gauge Great Western Railway as far as Bath. On the final approach, passengers are treated to fine views across this historic city before the railway crosses the River Avon to deposit visitors at the conveniently located station. From here it is but a short walk into the city centre.

       DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

      Abbey; Roman Baths; Thermae Bath Spa;