How much does it cost?

From £809 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $1,093 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.

Is the train travel included?

Yes, rail travel from your home station to Lydney is included, along with three named heritage steam railways during the tour: the Brecon Mountain Railway, the Dean Forest Railway, and the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.

Is it escorted or independent?

Escorted, with an experienced Railtrail Tour Manager.

What hotel is included?

Four nights at Bells Hotel in Coleford.

Two departures are listed, in May and October 2026.

What is not included?

The evidence lists a £30 supplement for the May departure; no single traveler supplement is listed, as the single fare matches the standard from-price of £809.

Railtrail Tours · Escorted tour

Forest of Dean Steam & The Wye Valley 2026

Five-day escorted rail tour riding three heritage steam railways

Railtrail Tours runs this five-day, four-night escorted tour based at Bells Hotel in Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, with a Tour Manager leading the group throughout. After travelling by rail from your home station to Lydney on day 1, the days combine coach transfers with three named heritage railways: the narrow-gauge Brecon Mountain Railway past Pontsticill Reservoir on day 2, the Dean Forest Railway through woodland between Lydney Junction and Parkend on day 3, and the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway through Cotswold scenery to Broadway on day 4. The tour also visits the historic market town of Abergavenny, the riverside town of Ross-on-Wye, and Gloucester Docks' National Waterways Museum. Activity level is listed as Moderate, with free time to explore towns on foot rather than any hiking. Based at a single hotel for the whole stay, the trip suits travellers who want a relaxed base for sampling several English and Welsh heritage railways.

What to know before you look closer

A £30 supplement applies to the May departure.
Only two departures are listed, for May and October 2026.
The transfers to Abergavenny on day 2 and to Norchard and Ross-on-Wye on day 3 are made by coach rather than train; the train rides are the three named heritage lines plus the outbound and return journeys.

Day by day

Day 1overnight: Bells Hotel, Coleford
Home Station to Coleford
Journey from your home station to Lydney and, on arrival, we transfer to Coleford and make our way to the Bells Hotel, our hotel for the next four nights. We enjoy free time to explore our new surroundings before meeting for our first evening meal together.
Day 2railovernight: Bells Hotel, Coleford
Abergavenny & Brecon Mountain Railway
After breakfast this morning, we travel by coach over the Welsh border to Abergavenny where we enjoy free time to wander around this historic market town discovering lovely scenery and boutique shops before enjoying lunch at leisure. In the afternoon, we will continue along a scenic route to Pant for a return steam journey on the narrow-gauge Brecon Mountain Railway, formerly part of the Brecon & Merthyr Railway. Our journey will take us through Pontsticill along the full length of the reservoir before climbing to Torpantau, high in the Brecon Beacons, stopping at Pontsticill Reservoir on the return.
Day 3railovernight: Bells Hotel, Coleford
Dean Forest Railway & Symonds Yat
Today, our coach will take us to nearby Norchard for our visit to the heritage Dean Forest Railway including a private tour of the restoration shed. We will then board our train for a nine-mile return steam journey through beautiful woodland travelling south to Lydney Junction and north to Parkend with stops at both ends of the line. Afterwards, we travel by road to Ross-on-Wye where there will be free time to enjoy lunch before our afternoon boat trip on the River Wye from the beautiful Symonds Yat.
Day 4railovernight: Bells Hotel, Coleford
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway & Gloucester Docks
This morning, we travel to Cheltenham Racecourse for our nostalgic steam journey through spectacular Cotswold scenery aboard the heritage Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway to Broadway. We enjoy a little free time in this picturesque Cotswold village before we depart to the most inland port in the country, Gloucester Docks, to visit the National Waterways Museum which tells the story of the 200-year history of the docks and the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. Here, we enjoy a boat tour discovering the stories of the communities that lived and continue to thrive here before returning to Coleford by coach for our final evening meal together.
Day 5
Homeward Journey
After breakfast, we bid farewell to Coleford and transfer to Lydney for our homeward journeys.

The moments this trip is built around

Day 2A return steam journey on the narrow-gauge Brecon Mountain Railway passes Pontsticill Reservoir on the way to Torpantau.
Day 3A nine-mile return steam journey on the Dean Forest Railway runs through woodland between Lydney Junction and Parkend, after a private tour of the restoration shed at Norchard.
Day 4The heritage Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway runs a nostalgic steam journey through Cotswold scenery from Cheltenham Racecourse to the village of Broadway.

Included

4 nights bed, breakfast & evening meal
Rail travel & seat reservations from your Home Station to Tour Base (Standard or First Class)
Rail & coach travel, with transfers as described
All excursions & admissions as detailed
Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager

Questions travellers ask

How much does it cost?: From £809 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $1,093 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.
Is the train travel included?: Yes, rail travel from your home station to Lydney is included, along with three named heritage steam railways during the tour: the Brecon Mountain Railway, the Dean Forest Railway, and the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.
Is it escorted or independent?: Escorted, with an experienced Railtrail Tour Manager.
What hotel is included?: Four nights at Bells Hotel in Coleford.
When does it run?: Two departures are listed, in May and October 2026.
What is not included?: The evidence lists a £30 supplement for the May departure; no single traveler supplement is listed, as the single fare matches the standard from-price of £809.