Ffestiniog Travel

Friday 7 September to Saturday 15 September 2012

This tour offers a charming mix of rail travel, river cruises, renowned gardens and stunning scenery. It is an ideal way to discover the beauty of the English Riviera - at a relaxing and leisurely pace.

Day 1   Welcome to Exeter

Arrive at the Mercure Southgate Hotel in Exeter for a 2-night stay . At the welcome dinner our tour leader will update you on our travel plans and offer advice on how to spend your free time.

Day 2   North Devon Coast

We take the lovely Tarka Line train to Barnstaple followed by a coach drive to Woody Bay to join the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway. Enjoy a return journey to Killington Lane near Parracombe before travelling on to Lynton and Lynmouth. There will be plenty of time to explore this delightful area but do make sure you ride on the water operated funicular railway. We retrace our steps to Barnstaple and Exeter.

Day 3   Launceston and Bodmin

Although normally closed on a Sunday, our tour gets to travel on the railway line to Okehampton where a coach will take us across Dartmoor to Launceston and the vintage transport and agricultural museum. Here we take a ride on a steam railway, hauled by a Victorian locomotive from the Welsh mountains. We transfer to Lanhydrock Hotel near Bodmin for a 2-night stay.

Day 4   The Eden Project

We travel on the Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway to Bodmin Parkway via the unusual route of Boscarne Junction. Our coach will take us to the awe-inspiring Eden Project where you can enjoy the afternoon at your leisure.

Day 5   Eastbound

Morning departure by train to Plymouth via Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge, high above the Tamar River, for a 2-night stay at the Duke of Cornwall Hotel. There will be time to use your First Great Western (FGW) Travel Pass to go over the Hemerdon and Rattery Banks to Totnes for a return ride on the South Devon Railway to Buckfastleigh (not included in the tour price). Alternatively stay in Plymouth and explore the historic sites.

Day 6   Dartmoor and the Tamar Valley

Our coach takes us to the western edge of Dartmoor before visiting the World Heritage Site museum at Morwellham Quay on the banks of the River Tamar. It boasts an impressive Victorian Quayside and a narrow gauge railway that takes you deep inside the Queen Charlotte Copper mine. The afternoon is spent at the beautiful gardens at Cotehele before we take the Tamar Valley railway over the stupendous Calstock Viaduct back to Plymouth.

Day 7   To the Riviera

We take the train to Torquay, crossing Dainton Bank. Here we stay at the Best Western Livermead Hotel for 2 nights. The remainder of the day is free for you to explore this pretty seaside town.

Day 8   The “Round Robin”

Enjoy a scenic journey as we travel by scheduled service from Torquay to Paignton continuing by steam train to Kingswear. Later we catch the ferry to Dartmouth for a boat cruise along the river to Totnes, passing such beautiful villages as Dittisham and Galmpton - of Agatha Christie fame. There will be time to explore Totnes before boarding a FGW service train back to Torquay. You can choose how you spend your time during your visits to Dartmouth and Totnes. Please bear in mind that the River Dart is tidal all the way up to Totnes so we just might have to undertake this day’s tour in the reverse direction.

Day 9   Homeward bound.

Farewell to the English Riviera as you make your own way home.