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Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

rand

ours

ail

–

onders

DAY 1

For those booking rail travel with us, we arrive in

Telford for the transfer to our hotel for two nights, the

Best Western Valley Hotel, a Georgian listed building

with a riverside setting within the

Ironbridge UNESCO

World Heritage site

. After an

orientation walk with

a local guide

we enjoy our first dinner together. (D)

DAY 2

Continuing our tour of Ironbridge, we visit

Blists Hill,

a recreated Victorian town

and time capsule of a

bygone age. We follow this with a

steam excursion on

the Severn Valley Railway

. Preservation of this historic

full-size standard gauge line began in 1965 and we take

the scenic 16 mile route closely following the River

Severn from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster. (B,D)

There are said to be ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’ and on this great railway

holiday we visit six! Our grand tour begins at the very heart of the industrial

revolution at a hotel within the Ironbridge World Heritage site, then explores the

masterpieces of Victorian engineering with boat trips and steam trains galore.

Ironbridge Gorge

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

★

Begin our tour at a hotel within the Ironbridge

Gorge UNESCO World Heritage site

★

Visit Blists Hill Victorian Village and tour

Ironbridge

★

Steam on the Severn Valley Railway

★

Get to know Chester on a River Dee cruise

★

Anderton Boat Lift, marvel of Victorian

engineering

★

Masterpiece of the canals, breathtaking

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

★

Llangollen Steam Railway nostalgia

★

Cruise along the Manchester Ship Canal,

viewing Barton Swing Aqueduct

★

Steam excursion on the East Lancashire Railway

★

Visit Burnley Weavers’ Triangle and walk part of

Burnley Embankment

★

Boat trip into Standedge Tunnel, the longest,

deepest and highest canal tunnel in Britain

★

Steam on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway

★

Visit Saltaire, another UNESCO World Heritage

site

★

Walk the canal lock staircase at Bingley Five

Rise Locks

Fares

From

£1230

DAY 3

Departing Telford by train, we arrive in

Chester

where

our hotel is the lovely Queen Hotel, convenient for the

railway station. We take an afternoon

stroll along the

ancient City Walls to the Dee for a river cruise

and

charming views of the town from the water, returning

through Chester’s attractive city centre. (B,D)

DAY 4

We coach across the border to the

Llangollen Canal

for a breathtaking aerial cruise across the first of our

‘Six Wonders’, the spectacular

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

Crossing 126ft above the River Dee, it is the highest

and longest aqueduct in Britain and a World Heritage

site. We continue by road to

Llangollen

with time

to look around the delightful town before a thrilling

return

steam train ride

along the beautiful

Dee Valley

to Corwen

. (B,D)

Cruising the Manchester Ship Canal

Also included in your Tour Fare:

★

Dinner every evening

★

Rail travel & seat reservations from your Home

Station to Tour Base (Standard or First Class)

★

Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager

DAY 5

This morning we join one of the scheduled

Mersey

Ferries Manchester Ship Canal cruises

, the mighty

waterway that brought ocean-going freighters from

around the world into the heart of the city. The route

passes lofty railway flyover bridges, locks and swing

bridges on a breathtaking scale, as well as the second

of our ‘Six Wonders’, the

Barton Swing Aqueduct

(B,D)

DAY 6

The third of our ‘Six Wonders’ is the

Anderton Boat

Lift

where after taking refreshments we trace the

history of canal carrying and engineering, taking the

boat trip to descend the lift and cruising the

River

Weaver

. We than make our way to Bury for a steam

journey on the

East Lancashire Railway

, alongside the

River Irwell. After this, we make our way to the Best

Western Oaks Hotel in Burnley for one night. (B,D)