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The Railway Touring Company · Escorted tour

English Lake District - August 2026

Six-day Lake District loop from London by rail, steam train, and vintage boats

Illustration of English Lake District - August 2026

The Railway Touring Company's six-day escorted tour celebrates the English Lake District by rail, steam train, vintage boat, and coach. You depart London Euston in First Class comfort aboard an Avanti Pendolino, arriving at Oxenholme for a short coach transfer to Bowness-on-Windermere, where you stay at The Macdonald Hotel for all five nights. The itinerary unfolds around lake cruises on restored vessels: the Swan, built in 1938, carries you across Windermere; the Gondola, a Victorian steam yacht from 1859, sails Coniston Water; and the Tern, a 1891 motor yacht, heads north toward Ambleside and beyond to Ullswater. You ride two heritage railways: the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway (the former Furness Railway branch from 1869) and the narrow-gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, a seven-mile run through the Eskdale Valley. Visits to Hill Top House (Beatrix Potter's home), Muncaster Castle, and a 400-year-old pub in Coniston fill the days. A Tour Manager guides throughout; all transfers and reservations are arranged, and five dinners are provided at the hotel.

What to know before you look closer

  • The ground-only option (GBP 1485) excludes First Class rail travel from London Euston; you join and depart at Windermere instead.
  • One lunch and several dinners are own arrangement (the Lakeland Motor Museum lunch on day 2; restaurants on some evenings are not named in the itinerary).

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Bowness-on-Windermere

    First Class rail travel to Oxenholme, coach transfer to Windermere

    Holiday begins in the First-Class lounge at London Euston before boarding a morning Avanti Trains Pendolino service to Oxenholme in the Lake District (125mph along the West Coast Main Line). Short coach transfer to Bowness-on-Windermere; leisure time to explore before dinner at The Macdonald Hotel.

  2. Day 2railovernight: Bowness-on-Windermere

    Lake Windermere cruise; Steam train on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway

    After breakfast, board the vintage motor vessel 'Swan' (built by Vickers in 1938) for a forty-minute cruise to Lakeside at the southern end of Lake Windermere. Connecting steam train on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway (former Furness Railway branch, opened 1869) to Haverthwaite, with time to visit the engine shed. Coach transfer to the Lakeland Motor Museum for lunch (own arrangement), then return by steam train to Lakeside and ship to Bowness. Dine at The Macdonald Hotel.

  3. Day 3overnight: Bowness-on-Windermere

    Steam boat cruise on Coniston Water; Hill Top House

    Cruise on Coniston Water aboard the restored Victorian steam yacht 'Gondola' (launched 1859, now cared for by the National Trust). Lunch at 'The Black Bull' in Coniston, a 400-year-old pub. Coach transfer to Hill Top House, the former home of Beatrix Potter. Return to Bowness for dinner.

  4. Day 4overnight: Bowness-on-Windermere

    Scenic cruises on Lake Windermere and Ullswater

    Morning cruise on the classic motor vessel 'Tern' (built 1891 as a steam yacht, converted to diesel 1956) from Bowness to Ambleside. Coach onward to Grasmere (coffee stop), then Keswick via Dunmail Raise and Thirlmere, with lunch at a nearby restaurant. Coach to Pooley Bridge for an afternoon cruise on an Ullswater 'Steamer', past the Aira Force waterfall to Glenridding. Return by coach to Bowness for dinner.

  5. Day 5railovernight: Bowness-on-Windermere

    Steam train on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway; Visit to Muncaster Castle

    Coach to Ravenglass, terminus of the 15-inch gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway ('La'al Ratty'), which runs 7 miles to Dalegarth Station near Boot in the Eskdale Valley. Travel the full length of the line and back. Coach transfer to Muncaster Castle for the afternoon, then back to Windermere; dinner at the hotel.

  6. Day 6rail

    Homeward bound

    After breakfast, coach transfer to Oxenholme Lake District for the return to London Euston in First-Class comfort aboard an Avanti Pendolino train.

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 2Board the vintage motor vessel Swan, built by Vickers in 1938, for a forty-minute cruise to Lakeside, then connect by steam train on the former Furness Railway branch.
  • Day 3Cruise Coniston Water aboard the Gondola, a restored Victorian steam yacht launched in 1859, then lunch at the 400-year-old Black Bull pub in Coniston.
  • Day 4Travel on the classic motor vessel Tern, built in 1891 and converted to diesel in 1956, from Bowness to Ambleside, then on an Ullswater Steamer past Aira Force waterfall.
  • Day 5Ride the full seven-mile length of the 15-inch narrow-gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway (La'al Ratty) from Ravenglass to Dalegarth near Boot, then visit Muncaster Castle.

Included

  • First Class rail travel from London Euston to Oxenholme Lake District and return by Avanti Pendolino trains
  • Coach transfer from Oxenholme to Windermere and Windermere to Oxenholme
  • 5 nights Half Board hotel accommodation
  • 2 lunches
  • All rail and boat trips as detailed in the itinerary
  • Travel on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
  • All seat reservations and transfers
  • The services of a Tour Manager

Questions travellers ask

Is rail travel included?
Yes. The full package (GBP 1695) includes First Class rail travel on the Avanti Pendolino from London Euston to Oxenholme and return, plus all heritage railway and boat journeys listed in the itinerary. A ground-only option (GBP 1485) excludes the mainline train fare.
Is this an escorted tour?
Yes. The Railway Touring Company provides a Tour Manager throughout the six days.
Where is the hotel?
The Macdonald Hotel in Bowness-on-Windermere. You stay there for all five nights.
Which trains and boats are included?
The Avanti Pendolino mainline trains (London Euston to Oxenholme); the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway steam train; the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway 15-inch narrow-gauge train; and cruises on the vintage motor vessels Swan and Tern, the Ullswater Steamer, and the Victorian steam yacht Gondola.
What meals are included?
Five nights half-board accommodation (breakfast and dinner at the hotel), plus two lunches. Other meals are your own arrangement.
When does the tour run?
August 2026 is the advertised departure month; only one date is listed at GBP 1695 per person.

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