UK RAIL TOUR - THE COTSWOLD LION - Saturday 16th October 2021 [Peterborough - Worcester]

THE COTSWOLD LION
 - Saturday 16th October 2021

This tour to the Cotswolds and the medieval City of Worcester, featuring off train options to visit the Gloucester Warwickshire Railway or the Elgar Birthplace Museum is now scheduled to run on Saturday 16 October 2021.

The rolling Cotswold hills, thatched medieval villages and churches built of distinctive local yellow limestone make for an unforgettable scenic backdrop from the train window. This tour includes both lines that pass through this delightful part of the country, travelling outward via Oxford and the bucolic Cotswold Line and returning home by way of the ‘Golden Valley’, the name for the line through Stroud and Kemble, coined by Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII, while on a train along this picturesque route in 1909. One option is to travel along the third Cotswold rail route also, the preserved Gloucester Warwickshire Railway, now running from Cheltenham to Broadway.

At our destination, Worcester, the River Severn flanks the city centre. The fine cathedral dates from the 12th century; much of it is Norman, and the foundations are older still. King John, of evil repute, lies buried in the crypt. Worcester is famed for its porcelain. The Museum of Royal Worcester, standing on the former factory site, contains the finest collection of Worcester Porcelain in the world and has recently undergone a £1.7 million refurbishment.

The city boasts a notable collection of medieval and Tudor buildings centred upon Cornmarket, Friar Street and New Street. Here you will also find a great range of shops, cafes and historic inns, and Saturday is market day too. The walk from Worcester Shrub Hill Station to the city takes about twelve minutes and you have over four hours in which to explore.

There is a wide range of joining stations, stretching all the way from Peterborough into the capital. Our train runs via the North London Line, then via the Great Western main line. We pass by the ‘dreaming spires’ of Oxford before continuing through the peaceful Cotswolds, through Charlbury and Evesham to reach Worcester Shrub Hill late morning.

After our sightseeing break our return route is via Cheltenham. We glimpse Gloucester Cathedral then divert south-east through the idyllic Golden Valley, rejoining our outward route at Didcot.

THE GLOUCESTER WARWICKSHIRE RAILWAY: On this option you leave our train at Evesham for the nine-mile transfer to Toddington, headquarters of the Gloucester Warwickshire Railway. This is a fourteen mile standard gauge preserved steam railway running from Broadway through the Cotswold Hills via Toddington to Cheltenham Racecourse. A ‘rover’ ticket is included in this option and with three trains in the operating circuit there will be lots of scope for designing your afternoon itinerary. Broadway station is just a ten minute level walk from the picture-postcard village of Broadway. At the end of the afternoon, the bus transfer is from Cheltenham Racecourse station to the main line station at Cheltenham Spa. This option includes bus transfer from Evesham to Toddington and from Cheltenham Racecourse to Cheltenham Spa, plus freedom of all Gloucester Warwickshire Railway train services during the afternoon.

ELGAR BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM: We are offering an optional visit to Elgar’s birthplace museum, just three miles from Worcester. The collections include manuscripts, scores, programmes and other items connected with Elgar’s music; family photographs; items from his travels and with his hobbies including golf and cycling; personal possessions; awards and honours, and film of his later years. It is a touching testimony to England’s finest composer. The supplement includes coach transfer from Worcester Shrub Hill. A reduced price is available for National Trust members.

Approximate trains times