Steam in England's Beautiful Shires

DAY 1

Journey from your home station to Birmingham and, on arrival, we will make our way to the Holiday Inn 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 2

This morning, we travel by rail to Kidderminster for a scenic steam excursion on the Severn Valley Railway through 16-miles of beautiful countryside closely following the River Severn to Bridgnorth. Here, we enjoy free time in this charming, historic town and you can explore its independent shops, relax at the quaint cafés, or take a ride on England's oldest and steepest inland funicular railway. Afterwards, we continue by steam to Highley for a visit to The Engine House Visitor Centre, home to fascinating railway exhibits and heritage locomotives, before retracing our steps back to Birmingham.

DAY 3

Today, we will experience the iconic Shakespeare Express, a fantastic steam-hauled journey through the Warwickshire countryside to Stratford-upon-Avon. Sit back and savour the nostalgic sight, sound, and atmosphere of mainline steam travel to the historic birthplace of William Shakespeare. On arrival in Stratford, we enjoy time at leisure in this beautiful market town on the banks of the River Avon and you may wish to visit Shakespeare's birthplace, explore hidden gems and iconic buildings, stroll the quaint side streets with unique shops, or discover the open parklands along the river before we return behind steam to Birmingham.

DAY 4

After breakfast this morning, we board our coach and transfer to Cheltenham Racecourse for our nostalgic steam journey aboard the heritage Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway through spectacular Cotswold scenery, passing rolling hills, wooded landscapes, and charming rural stations to Broadway. We enjoy a little free time in this picturesque Cotswold village before departing to Toddington Narrow-Gauge Railway where an enjoyable visit includes a ride over their half mile line together with access to the locomotive shed, signal box, and impressive garden railway. Afterwards, we return by coach to Birmingham for our final evening at leisure.

DAY 5

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

*Important Note: The Shakespeare Express operating dates have not been confirmed for 2027 at the time of tour compilation. We do reserve the right to make substitutions and changes to the itinerary should it be deemed necessary for whatever reason.

*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, D=Dinner