Why now is the time to plan your Great British staycation
The British Isles are an incredible holiday destination – but those of us who live here all too often overlook our own archipelago, preferring to jet off overseas in search of adventure.
But adventure is right on our doorstep, with medieval castles to explore, mountains to climb and sandy beaches to stroll along. We have soaring peaks and rolling hills, tranquil lakes and dramatic coastline, unique wildlife and a superbly rich history.
Sometimes all we really need is a guide to get us out there, and that's where Great Rail Journeys comes in. Join one of its escorted group tours and you'll hit all the highlights and uncover hidden gems, travel on heritage and steam railways as well as ferries and coaches to reach the most beautiful parts of Britain, from the Isles of Scilly in the far south to Shetland in the far north. The only question is, where do you want to go first?
Paradise islands
With one of the mildest climates in the British Isles, and the kind of beaches you could be tricked into thinking were Caribbean, the Isles of Scilly feel like paradise. Visit on Great Rail Journeys' Sensational Isles of Scilly tour and you'll explore this serene archipelago at a laid-back pace, travelling from London by train before taking the ferry to the main island of St Mary's, your base for the week.
You'll set sail on day trips to the smaller isles, including Tresco, to wander the subtropical gardens of Tresco Abbey, and St Agnes, to take in Bronze Age sites, the lighthouse and a pint in Britain's most south-westerly pub. There's also time for seal spotting, beach combing and boutique shopping, plus plenty of local lobster.
The glorious north-west
Combine show-stopping peaks and tranquil waters in the Lake District with the sweeping hills of the Yorkshire Dales on Great Rail Journeys' Lakes and Dales by Rail itinerary. Based in the picturesque Cumbrian village of Wetheral you will ride on two heritage railways.
First is the Lakeside and Haverthwaite steam train, which brings you to Lake Windermere for a cruise across to charming Bowness, where you'll visit Beatrix Potter's home.
The next day you board the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, one of the oldest in England, before finishing your tour on the Settle to Carlisle railway through the Yorkshire Dales and across the Ribblehead Viaduct to the market town of Skipton, with its medieval castle.
Scenic north Wales
North Wales has some of the most jaw-dropping scenery in Britain, and Great Rail Journeys' Railways and Castles of Wales tour, based in Llandudno, hits all the highlights.
You'll take the historic Ffestiniog Railway from the coast into Snowdonia to visit the Italianate town of Portmeirion, inspired by Portofino, then board the Snowdon Mountain Railway to the summit of Wales's highest mountain and enjoy guided tours of Caernarfon Castle and Conwy Castle.
In your free time you can also discover the Victorian seaside resort of Llandudno, taking in Wales's longest pier, enjoying an ice cream on the promenade and riding the Great Orme Tramway up to the summit of the limestone headland for panoramic coastal views.
Island-hop in the northern isles
To the far north of Scotland, Orkney and Shetland offer a tempting mix of incredible ancient sites, breathtaking coastal scenery and bountiful wildlife. On Great Rail Journeys' Orkney and the Shetland Isles tour you'll hop between the two archipelagos, taking in the very best of each.
That includes Orkney's astonishingly well-preserved Neolithic village of Skara Brae, the vast stone circle at the Ring of Brodgar and the ornate chapel that was built by Italian prisoners of war, as well as Shetland's ancient volcanoes, unspoiled beaches and unique wildlife – Shetland ponies included. Your itinerary features one night each in Edinburgh and Inverness, a tour of Aberdeen and a stop at John O'Groats, as well as two nights in a comfortable cabin on Northlink ferries as you journey to and from the northern isles.
Highland adventures
Starting and finishing in Scotland's beautiful capital city, Great Rail Journeys' Edinburgh, Fort William and The West Highlands itinerary takes in some of the country's most recognisable sights. Your tour includes a journey on the West Highland Line Jacobite steam train, which crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous by the Harry Potter films, as well as a ferry journey to the island of Mull to explore the pretty port town of Tobermory. You'll also cruise Loch Linnhe for glorious views of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, and visit the Caledonian Canal where you'll find Neptune's Staircase, the longest staircase lock in Scotland. There's a night at either end in Edinburgh, with a traditional Scottish banquet included; you can also tour the castle and stroll the Royal Mile.
An underrated island
The Isle of Man is often overlooked as a holiday destination today, but during the Victorian era this small isle in the Irish Sea was hugely popular for its pristine coastal scenery and beautiful sandy beaches.
Join Great Rail Journeys' Vintage Railways of the Isle of Man to discover why the island is so special, taking the horse-drawn tram along the promenade in stately capital Douglas, travelling through idyllic countryside on the Isle of Man Steam Railway and boarding the UK's only electric mountain railway to the summit of Snaefell.
On a clear day it's possible to see England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man from up here, and legend has it that you can also see the kingdoms of Neptune and Heaven. You'll also tour some of the island's famous TT racing circuit on a coach and poke around in the dungeons and towers of Peel's 11th-century castle.
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Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A path-building technique borrowed from the Romans has been used to rebuild a route on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). It's underpinned by hundreds of sheep fleeces which act as a base on which the path 'floats'. As the method is particularly good for crossing boggy areas, it was selected for the footpath in Cwm Llan on the south-eastern flanks of Yr Wyddfa. Nearby runs the popular but demanding Watkin Path to the mountain's summit. A 60-metre section of footpath was constructed, half of which used fleeces. The fleeces were taken from Welsh Mountain sheep grazed by the National Trust's Hafod Y Llan farm nearby, and flown to the site by helicopter. 'There were about 200-300 fleeces used, given to us for free from the farm,' said Ifan Parry, National Trust Cymru area ranger in Eryri (Snowdonia). 'Sadly, the price of wool is extremely low in the UK and it costs more to shear the sheep than you get from selling the wool.' From Bronze Age times, people have used a variety of natural methods for crossing wet ground including bundles of willow and hazel, woven hessian and flat stones. Traces of these techniques can still be found in submerged sections off the Welsh coast. Wool provides a good medium as it is durable and has good compressional strength. 'This sheep wool fleece technique in paths was used by the Romans,' said Ifan. 'Now, we tend to use this technique in wet boggy ground through peatland. 'The wool acts like a membrane to separate the path stone from the peat so it doesn't sink. It's a more eco-friendly alternative to using plastic membranes." Sign up now for the latest news on the North Wales Live Whatsapp community (Image: BMC) Ifan added: 'Once the wool is in and sealed, the peat is an anoxic environment so it won't rot – it will stay intact, acting like a barrier between the path and the peat. 'We try not to disrupt the peatland, so the wool allows water to flow through it underneath the path, preventing the surrounding peatland from drying out.' Fleeces were also used by Menter Môn to create bog-proof paths on Anglesey at Aberlleiniog Castle, near Penmon, and Rhos Llaniestyn, near Llanddona. It was part of the enterprise body's 'Made with Wool' project, which aims to find alternative uses for the versatile but under-valued fibre. In Cwm Llan, the 'walking on wool' path was laid over two days by British Mountaineering Council (BMC) volunteers and the National Trust's footpath team in Eryri. The work was for the BMC's latest 'Get Stuck In' event, part of the Mend Our Mountains campaign. Over the past two years, the initiative has seen volunteers clock up almost 500 man-hours of work in Eryri. Between them, they repaired more than 520 metres of footpath, laid 187 stepping stones and cleared five helicopter bags full of plastic tree guards. BMC hill walking rep Steve Charles said 30 metres of the "sheep" path were built just using stone – the other 30 metres used fleeces. 'Fleeces are used to build paths through boggy areas where stones would just sink into the mud,' he added. (Image: BMC) A trench was dug through peat about 1-2ft deep and the fleeces laid on at the bottom at least two bales deep. Larger stones were then used to weigh down the fleeces with aggregate added on top for the walking surface. Using wool does have drawbacks, said Ifan. 'Work-wise, fleece is easier in a way than stone-pitching or stepping stones because it's a lighter material and a less technical method that takes less time, skill and experience,' he said. 'But in other ways, it's harder than building a path with stone. Without a digger or a large group of people, it's quite a time-consuming task because of the sheer amount of material that needs to be dug out and then filled back in. 'The BMC Get Stuck In volunteers really helped us with this project and we did a lot more work than we thought we would do. Top job!' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox With 10.5m visitor nights spent in Eryri in 2023-24, and more than 600,000 people climbing Yr Wyddfa every year, the national park's 1,497 miles of footpaths are seeing more footfall than ever before. It's left the BMC warning of a 'nightmarish downward spiral of footpath degradation', compounded by more extreme weather as the climate changes. One idea for combating these pressures is to appoint an apprentice ranger at the National Trust's Eryri footpath team. Fundraising for the two-year role is being led by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust. So far £14,000 has been raised and another £53,000 is needed – there's more detail here. Find the weather forecast where you live
North Wales Live
5 days ago
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Sheep's wool used to make 'floating Roman footpaths' up Wales' highest mountain
A path-building technique borrowed from the Romans has been used to rebuild a route on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). It's underpinned by hundreds of sheep fleeces which act as a base on which the path 'floats'. As the method is particularly good for crossing boggy areas, it was selected for the footpath in Cwm Llan on the south-eastern flanks of Yr Wyddfa. Nearby runs the popular but demanding Watkin Path to the mountain's summit. A 60-metre section of footpath was constructed, half of which used fleeces. The fleeces were taken from Welsh Mountain sheep grazed by the National Trust's Hafod Y Llan farm nearby, and flown to the site by helicopter. 'There were about 200-300 fleeces used, given to us for free from the farm,' said Ifan Parry, National Trust Cymru area ranger in Eryri (Snowdonia). 'Sadly, the price of wool is extremely low in the UK and it costs more to shear the sheep than you get from selling the wool.' From Bronze Age times, people have used a variety of natural methods for crossing wet ground including bundles of willow and hazel, woven hessian and flat stones. Traces of these techniques can still be found in submerged sections off the Welsh coast. Wool provides a good medium as it is durable and has good compressional strength. 'This sheep wool fleece technique in paths was used by the Romans,' said Ifan. 'Now, we tend to use this technique in wet boggy ground through peatland. 'The wool acts like a membrane to separate the path stone from the peat so it doesn't sink. It's a more eco-friendly alternative to using plastic membranes." Ifan added: 'Once the wool is in and sealed, the peat is an anoxic environment so it won't rot – it will stay intact, acting like a barrier between the path and the peat. 'We try not to disrupt the peatland, so the wool allows water to flow through it underneath the path, preventing the surrounding peatland from drying out.' Fleeces were also used by Menter Môn to create bog-proof paths on Anglesey at Aberlleiniog Castle, near Penmon, and Rhos Llaniestyn, near Llanddona. It was part of the enterprise body's 'Made with Wool' project, which aims to find alternative uses for the versatile but under-valued fibre. In Cwm Llan, the 'walking on wool' path was laid over two days by British Mountaineering Council (BMC) volunteers and the National Trust's footpath team in Eryri. The work was for the BMC's latest 'Get Stuck In' event, part of the Mend Our Mountains campaign. Over the past two years, the initiative has seen volunteers clock up almost 500 man-hours of work in Eryri. Between them, they repaired more than 520 metres of footpath, laid 187 stepping stones and cleared five helicopter bags full of plastic tree guards. BMC hill walking rep Steve Charles said 30 metres of the "sheep" path were built just using stone – the other 30 metres used fleeces. 'Fleeces are used to build paths through boggy areas where stones would just sink into the mud,' he added. A trench was dug through peat about 1-2ft deep and the fleeces laid on at the bottom at least two bales deep. Larger stones were then used to weigh down the fleeces with aggregate added on top for the walking surface. Using wool does have drawbacks, said Ifan. 'Work-wise, fleece is easier in a way than stone-pitching or stepping stones because it's a lighter material and a less technical method that takes less time, skill and experience,' he said. 'But in other ways, it's harder than building a path with stone. Without a digger or a large group of people, it's quite a time-consuming task because of the sheer amount of material that needs to be dug out and then filled back in. 'The BMC Get Stuck In volunteers really helped us with this project and we did a lot more work than we thought we would do. Top job!' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox With 10.5m visitor nights spent in Eryri in 2023-24, and more than 600,000 people climbing Yr Wyddfa every year, the national park's 1,497 miles of footpaths are seeing more footfall than ever before. It's left the BMC warning of a 'nightmarish downward spiral of footpath degradation', compounded by more extreme weather as the climate changes. One idea for combating these pressures is to appoint an apprentice ranger at the National Trust's Eryri footpath team. Fundraising for the two-year role is being led by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust. So far £14,000 has been raised and another £53,000 is needed – there's more detail here.
