Roses Battle by Steam plus Settle & Carlisle Line 2025

Duration

8 Days

Departure Dates

8th September 2025

Prices from

£1,299 Per person

Celebrate the steam and rail heritage of the north country with our very own 'Battle of the Roses' tour based at an iconic railway hotel. Journey on the fabulous Settle & Carlisle Line, experience steam nostalgia with fantastic Yorkshire and Lancashire steam and heritage railways every day, visit the fascinating Bury Transport Museum, and indulge in a distillery tour and tasting. You are sure to come up smelling of roses!

Overview
Itinerary
Further Information
Departure Dates
Useful Resources

Bradford ©Shutterstock

8 days from £1,299

DEPARTS

Monday 12 May 2025

Monday 16 June 2025

Monday 8 September 2025

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Experience England’s greatest railway journey – the Settle & Carlisle Line
Journey through the Yorkshire Dales on the Embsay & Bolton Railway
Indulge in a tour and tasting at the Black Sheep Brewery
Travel from Bury on the scenic East Lancashire Railway
Visit the fascinating Bury Transport Museum
Steam across the North Yorkshire Moors to Whitby
Enjoy free time in Whitby with its abbey, port, and the best fish & chips in Yorkshire!
Descend into history at the National Coal Mining Museum
Discover Middleton Railway, the world’s oldest continuously working railway
Ride the unique Keighley & Worth Valley Steam Railway
Stay at Bradford’s iconic Midland Hotel

Also included in your Tour Fare:

7 nights’ bed, breakfast & evening meal
Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager

DAY 1

Journey from your home station to Bradford and, on arrival, we will make our way to the Midland Hotel, our base for the next seven nights. We enjoy free time to explore our new surroundings before meeting for our first evening meal together.

DAY 2

Today, we enjoy a fabulous trip to the Dales as we visit the lovingly restored Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway for a journey through stunning Yorkshire scenery along the former Skipton-Ilkley Line, which was built in 1888. We spend some time at Bolton Abbey before making our way to Shipley for a fascinating tour and tasting at the excellent Black Sheep Brewery.

B, D

DAY 3

After breakfast this morning, we take the scenic journey across the Pennines to Bury and, on arrival, we board our wonderfully restored steam locomotive for a day of journeys through the Irwell Valley on the East Lancashire Railway. We enjoy free time in Bury to visit the superb Bury Transport Museum packed with historic vehicles of every shape and size or the famous Bury Market before making our way back to the hotel in time for our evening meal together.

B, D

DAY 4

Today, we will transfer by coach to Pickering where we board the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for a stunningly diverse journey in heritage carriages to the coast. Steaming across heather moorland landscapes, we pass by Goathland Station which featured as Aidensfield in Heartbeat, before descending to Whitby, a picturesque fishing port framed by its famous abbey. Stroll the quirky, narrow streets in search of Whitby Jet, climb the steps to reach the abbey, or simply enjoy some of the finest fish and chips in Yorkshire before we make the return journey.

B, D

DAY 5

Today, we experience the iconic Settle & Carlisle Line. This great journey climbs up through the Yorkshire Dales from Settle crossing the Ribblehead Viaduct, an engineering marvel spanning Batty Moss, and passing Dent, the highest mainline station in England at 1,150 ft. After the summit at Ais Gill, we speed along the Eden Valley to the border city of Carlisle where we enjoy free time to explore before making the return journey.

B, D

DAY 6

After breakfast today, we head south to the National Coal Mining Museum where we descend 140m underground to discover the history of coal mining through the centuries and learn of the people and communities at the heart of the industry. Afterwards, we visit Middleton Railway, a former colliery line near Leeds and the world's oldest continuously working railway that became the pioneer standard-gauge preserved line operated purely by volunteers.

B, D

DAY 7

Today, we travel by train to visit the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, a unique 5-mile branch line railway set in the heart of Yorkshire where you can ride to your heart's content with your day rover ticket. Journey through countryside made familiar through film, The Railway Children, or perhaps take a break to alight at the Brontë heritage town of Haworth with its cobbled main street and curio shops. We return to Bradford in time for our final evening meal together.

B, D

DAY 8

After breakfast, we bid farewell to Bradford and make our way to the station for our homeward journeys.

*Important Note: Whilst the arrangements for all described steam train travel are in place, we do reserve the right to make substitutions should it be deemed necessary for whatever reason.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner

HOTEL

Midland Hotel, Bradford

Nestled in the heart of Bradford, the Midland Hotel is rich with history and magnificent architecture furnished with grand high ceilings and glittering chandeliers. The comfortable bedrooms provide an en-suite bathroom, a hairdryer, flat-screen TV, free Wi-Fi, and tea/coffee making facilities.

FARES

Fare Region	First*	Standard
London: Kings Cross	£1,515	£1,425
Greater London	£1,529	£1,435
South of England	£1,575	£1,455
East Anglia	£1,589	£1,465
South West	£1,645	£1,489
Heart of England	£1,575	£1,455
Midlands	£1,499	£1,405
Yorkshire	£1,439	£1,385
North East	£1,515	£1,425
North West	N/A	£1,385
South Wales	£1,635	£1,469
North Wales	£1,559	£1,449
Scotland	£1,509	£1,425
Join & Leave at Hotel	£1,319
Single Traveller Supplement	£200
Deposit	£130

*Please Note: Some local and regional train services are Standard Class seating only and First Class ticket holders will travel in standard class accommodation for these sections of their journey.

£20 tour discount for holders of National Railcards

7 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

Important – Please select the number of passengers before proceeding to ‘Book Now’

Number of passengers:

Date	From Price	Book Now	Callback
8th September 2025	£1,299 Per person	Book Now	Callback

Can't see a date that suits you? Please register your interest for additional departures on this tour.

Register interest

Enter your details to receive updates on upcoming departure dates for the Roses Battle by Steam plus Settle & Carlisle Line 2025 rail tour.

Midland Hotel, Bradford

Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway

Black Sheep Brewery

East Lancashire Railway

Bury Transport Museum

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Settle-Carlisle Line

National Coal Mining Museum

Middleton Railway

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway

Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway1 ©Shutterstock

Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway2 ©EBASR

Bolton Abbey ©Shutterstock

East Lancashire Railway ©Richard Fox

Bury Transport Museum ©BTM

North Yorkshire Railway ©Shutterstock

Goathland Station ©Shutterstock

Whitby ©Shutterstock

Settle & Carlisle Line ©iStock

Dent Station ©Shutterstock

National Coal Mining Museum ©Shutterstock

Middleton Railway ©Shutterstock

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway ©Shutterstock

South East Steam Spectacular 2025

Full steam ahead on this action-packed tour to Kent featuring two major steam events, the magnificent "Giants of Steam" event at Bluebell Railway and the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Steam Gala. Steam nostalgia on three other historic steam lines including an exclusive charter, a depot visit, narrow-gauge railways, run-bys, and fantastic photo opportunities. Explore heritage and beauty on this fantastic celebration of steam.

5 Days 16/10/2025 from £849

North West Steam Adventure 2026

Experience an action-packed steam tour in the North West featuring the fantastic "Autumn Steam Gala" event at Ribble Railway. Enjoy nostalgic journeys on five heritage railways plus an exclusive vintage tram charter, a relaxing cruise on Lake Windermere, fascinating museum visits, and free time in Blackpool to explore the famous illuminations.

5 Days 24/09/2026 from £875

North East Steam 2026

Experience a remarkable steam tour to Newcastle to explore the home of five steam railways. Enjoy a scenic steam journey on the oldest existing railway at Tanfield, ride the narrow-gauge line at South Tynedale, and discover the birthplace of railways at the Locomotion Museum. Visit the incredible Living Museum at Beamish plus the iconic Angel of the North on this nostalgic tour.

6 Days 21/05/2026 from £1,079

Norfolk Steam 2025

Experience the glorious sights, smells, and sounds of the steam age on this nostalgic tour to Norfolk. Visit five fantastic steam railways, enjoy picturesque steam journeys including the famed Poppy Line, experience two steam festivals, and discover the magnificent Bressingham Steam & Gardens.

5 Days 28/08/2025 from £975

Roses Battle by Steam plus Settle & Carlisle Line 2026

Celebrate the steam and rail heritage of the north country with our very own 'Battle of the Roses' tour based at an iconic railway hotel. Journey on the fabulous Settle & Carlisle Line, steam nostalgia on fantastic heritage railways, visit fascinating museums, and indulge in a distillery tour and tasting. You are sure to come up smelling of roses!

8 Days Choice of Dates from £1,359

Kent & Sussex Steam Explorer 2026

Explore the glorious sights, smells, and sounds of the steam age on this action-packed tour featuring the fantastic "Road & Rails" event at the Kent & East Sussex Railway. Journey on a further seven heritage railways including exclusive steam charters, a depot visit, fantastic locomotive collections, and charming miniature railways.

5 Days 28/05/2026 from £995

What our customers say

Sounds like the holiday for you?

View Dates and Book

Why Book with Railtrail

Railtrail Tours is a family firm with an ethos of honesty and integrity. Our passion for delivering quality escorted holidays by rail at great value fares along with consistently excellent customer service has stood us in good stead for over 40 years – Big on Quality, Small Enough to Care

Unique Experiences

Our tours are unique to us, created by our team of rail travel experts who each have a lifetime of knowledge and experience in the rail holiday industry

Financial Protection

Railtrail Tours are members of ABTOT and ATOL, meaning you can relax knowing that you are fully protected when booking any holiday with us.

Loyalty Rewards

For every pound spent you will receive Loyalty Points on return from your holiday, which can then be used as a discount on future bookings.

Award Winning Team

We were proudly awarded Silver at the British Travel Awards for ‘Best Small Travel Company for Rail Holidays’ in 2024.

More about us

Destinations

Tour Types