The Railway Touring Company · Escorted tour

English Lake District - June 2026

English Lake District - June 2026, a rail journey with The Railway Touring Company

Discover the English Lake District by vintage motor vessel, steam train and steam yacht on this feature-packed six-day holiday to Cumbria, based at a waterfront hotel in Bowness-on-Windermere.

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.

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

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