Chiltern Hills & Thames Valley Steam 2026

Duration

6 Days

Departure Dates

2nd April 2026

Prices from

£995 Per person

Full steam ahead on this action-packed tour in the beautiful Chiltern Hills featuring no less than ten heritage railways including steam, narrow-gauge, and miniature railways. Steam nostalgia on unique and charming lines, explore locomotive collections at fascinating museums, and visit the quirky Fancott Arms.

Overview
Itinerary
Further Information
Departure Dates
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Bekonscot Model Village ©Henry Allum

6 days from £995

DEPARTS

Thursday 2 April 2026

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Enjoy a special evening opening at Bekonscot Model Village
Steam on the standard-gauge Swindon & Cricklade Railway
Discover engineering genius at STEAM
Ride behind steam on the Watercress Line through beautiful countryside
Discover the impressive engineering sheds at Ropley Station
Explore the historic buildings at the Rural Life Centre
Steam nostalgia on the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway
Visit Didcot Railway Centre and its extensive locomotive collection
Journey on the delightful, narrow-gauge Leighton Buzzard Railway
Enjoy unlimited miniature steam rides at The Fancott Arms
Steam on the charming Ruislip Lido Railway

Also included in your Tour Fare:

5 nights’ bed & breakfast plus 1 evening meal
Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager

DAY 1

Journey from your home station to Gerrards Cross and, on arrival, we will make our way to the Ethorpe Hotel, our hotel for the next five nights. After checking in, we transfer the short distance by rail to Beaconsfield for a private evening visit to Bekonscot Model Village, the world's oldest model village, including a tour of the extensive Gauge 1 Model Railway, rides on the unique narrow-gauge light railway, and an evening buffet meal.

DAY 2

After breakfast this morning, our coach takes us to the Swindon & Cricklade Railway for a scenic steam-hauled journey on Wiltshire's only standard-gauge heritage railway. Afterwards, we continue to STEAM in Swindon, the Museum of the Great Western Railway where we learn the story of the men and women who built, operated, and travelled on this remarkable railway. We will discover the engineering genius of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and get up close to iconic GWR locomotives.

DAY 3

Today, we visit the Mid-Hants Railway for a ride behind two different steam locomotives along the Watercress Line through beautiful Hampshire countryside to Alresford. We return as far as Ropley Station for a behind the scenes look at their restoration programme in the impressive engineering sheds plus time to explore the miniature railway. After our visit, we continue to the Rural Life Centre at nearby Tilford with time for lunch before looking around their re-located historic building and enjoying steam-hauled journeys on the Old Kiln Light Railway.

DAY 4

This morning, we travel by road to the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway for a nostalgic ride behind steam through beautiful scenery along the base of Bledlow Ridge. On our return, we transfer to Didcot Railway Centre where we explore their large collection of Great Western Railway locomotives, carriages, wagons, and artefacts plus steam action over their short line with brilliant photo opportunities.

DAY 5

After breakfast this morning, we travel by coach to the Leighton Buzzard Railway for a ride behind steam on the delightful, narrow-gauge line featuring sharp curves, steep gradients, and a long stretch of roadside running. We continue our day at The Fancott Arms which, unusually, has its own steam worked miniature railway in the grounds and we can enjoy unlimited rides between a pint!

DAY 6

Today, our coach transfers us to the charming Ruislip Lido Railway where we have a special opening for our group, and we enjoy a steam-hauled journey around the lake and through the ancient Ruislip Woods on Britain's longest 12inch gauge railway. After our visit, we make our way to the station in time 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

Ethorpe Hotel, Gerrards Cross

Sitting in the heart of Gerrards Cross in the beautiful Chilterns, the characterful Ethorpe Hotel offers a traditional pub and restaurant serving fresh, classic British cuisine and refreshing drinks plus a relaxing garden. 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: Marylebone	N/A	£1,025
Greater London	£1,029	£1,025
South of England	£1,105	£1,069
East Anglia	£1,099	£1,059
South West	£1,235	£1,149
Heart of England	£1,109	£1,055
Midlands	£1,255	£1,109
Yorkshire	£1,215	£1,115
North East	£1,259	£1,139
North West	£1,305	£1,145
South Wales	£1,205	£1,129
North Wales	£1,305	£1,145
Scotland	£1,289	£1,155
Join & Leave at Hotel	£995
Single Traveller Supplement	£340
Deposit	£100

*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.

5 nights’ bed & breakfast plus 1 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
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Ethorpe Hotel, Gerrards Cross

Bekonscot Model Village

Swindon & Cricklade Railway

STEAM Museum

Mid Hants Railway

Rural Life Centre

Old Kiln Light Railway

Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway

Didcot Railway Centre

Leighton Buzzard Railway

The Fancott Arms

Ruislip Lido Railway

Bekonscot Light Railway ©Henry Allum

STEAM, Swindon ©Shutterstock

Mid Hants Railway1 ©Shutterstock

Mid Hants Railway2 ©Henry Allum

Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway ©Henry Allum

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