The Lakes, Settle to Carlisle Railway and the Devil's Porrid

This wonderful tour showcases some of the most spectacular landscapes of both the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales.

The highlight of this popular tour is a journey on the Settle to Carlisle Railway, arguably the most scenic railway route in the United Kingdom. It is widely held to be one of the best constructed and engineered railway lines in England and is rightly considered to be a masterpiece of Victorian engineering.Monday: We depart the Travel Centre this morning and make our way to Cumbria with a stop for lunch. We aim to arrive at the hotel late afternoon.

Tuesday: We depart the hotel today and head for Pooley Bridge, the pretty Lakeland village, where we take a short walk to board the Steamer for a cruise on Ullswater. This 60-minute cruise takes us to Glenridding Pier. We stop in the pretty town of Keswick, before heading to The Lakes Distillery, England’s largest distillery. We enjoy a guided tour with tasting of whiskey, gin and vodka.

Wednesday: This morning we visit the award winning Devil’s Porridge Museum where the majority of the munitions were produced during WWI by an army of women determined to do their bit for the war effort. In the afternoon we visit Hexham, with the opportunity to see some of Hadrian’s Wall.

Thursday: Today we take a spectacular train journey along the famous Settle to Carlisle Railway with its towering viaducts, bridges, long deep tunnels and lovingly kept station gardens. This 2 hour journey travels through 72 miles of unspoilt countryside where we enjoy breathtaking scenery through the Yorkshire Dales, passing over the world-famous Ribblehead Viaduct.

Friday: We bid a fond farewell to the hotel staff as we head back to Hugglescote this morning, arriving back late afternoon.Gretna Hall Hotel
Built in 1710 and steeped in history, the hotel is located just a 10-minute walk from the Gretna Retail Outlet and Gretna town centre, and just 500 yards from the famous Blacksmiths visitor attraction.
All 97 bedrooms are en suite with tea/coffee making facilities, television, and hair dryer. The modern restaurant is bright and stylish and there is a comfortable bar with cosy seating and an outside seating area.

Hotels
• Gretna Hall Hotel (Gretna Green) - View Information