Railway Day Trips: 160 classic train journeys around Britain. Julian Holland
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The historic Gunwharf Quay at Portsmouth is dominated by the modern 560-ft-high Spinnaker Tower.
BASINGSTOKE TO SALISBURY
Our journey westwards from Basingstoke to Salisbury follows the same route as the celebrated ‘Atlantic Coast Express’ which ran between London Waterloo and seaside resorts in North Devon and North Cornwall until 1964. The magnificent Bulleid ‘Merchant Navy’ Pacifics which once thundered along the track with their trainloads of holidaymakers are now just a distant memory. Today’s travellers are carried in air-conditioned comfort in South West Trains’ diesel multiple units with trains stopping at the intermediate stations of Overton, Whitchurch, Andover and Grateley. At Andover the remaining stub of the long-closed Midland & South Western Junction Railway can be seen trailing in from the north – this little-used branch line still serves the MOD Depot at Tidworth.
The entire journey is through rolling Hampshire and Wiltshire farmland, with the last 6 miles following the valley of the River Bourne through the quaint-sounding villages of the Winterbournes. On the approach to Salisbury, trains take the northern curve of the triangular Tunnel Junction before entering Fisherton Tunnel and arriving at the city’s busy junction station. Salisbury’s attractions are but a short walk from here.
DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS
Salisbury cathedral with its 404-ft-high spire and oldest working clock in the world; 14th-century city walls and their five gates; ancient market at Poultry Cross; ghost tours; landscaped water meadows alongside the River Avon
FREQUENCY OF TRAINS
2 per hour (Mon-Sat)
1 per hour (Sun)
36 MILES 40 MINUTES
NUMBER OF CHANGES: 0
New-build Class ‘A1’ 4-6-2 No. 60163 ‘Tornado’ speeds across Hurstbourne Viaduct on the Basingstoke to Salisbury line with an enthusiasts’ special train in 2009.
The beautiful Gothic nave in Salisbury Cathedral.
READING TO GUILDFORD
Diesel trains for the North Downs Line leave Reading’s sparkling new modern station in an easterly direction, immediately diverging from the former GWR main line to Paddington, to head off along the former South Eastern & Chatham Railway’s cross-country route to Guildford. Until the 1960s this was also the route taken by inter-regional holiday and excursion trains from the West Midlands to South Coast resorts. After calling at the intermediate stations of Earley, Winnersh Triangle and Winnersh, trains arrive at the market town of Wokingham, where the electrified line to Virginia Water and Waterloo branches off to the east.
From Wokingham the North Downs Line heads southeast to Crowthorne (home of Broadmoor Hospital), Sandhurst (home to the Royal Military Academy), Blackwater and Farnborough North. Immediately south of the latter the railway dives under the Waterloo to Basingstoke main line before calling at North Camp station. Passengers wishing to change trains here for the Alton or Ascot lines have a ½-mile walk to Ash Vale station – no interchange station was provided despite the lines crossing south of North Camp. From here the railway turns eastward through Ash and Wanborough stations before arriving at Guildford’s busy 7-platform junction station.
DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS
Guildford Castle; Tuesday farmers’ market; Friday and Saturday street market; historic High Street; art gallery; National Trust boat trips along Wey Navigation; Guildford Lido (May-Sept); Yvonne Arnaud Theatre; Electric Theatre; modern cathedral
FREQUENCY OF TRAINS
2 per hour (Mon-Sat)
1 per hour (Sun)
25¾ MILES 45 MINUTES
NUMBER OF CHANGES: 0
This ornate 17th-century clock on the wall of the Guildhall is a well-known landmark in Guildford’s High Street.
GUILDFORD TO HAYLING ISLAND
This day trip starts with a railway journey along the former London & South Western Railway’s Portsmouth-direct main line from Guildford, cutting through the North Downs to the historic towns of Godalming and Haslemere en route before crossing into the heathlands of Hampshire just to the west of Liphook. Continuing in a southwesterly direction the railway passes through Liss (once the junction for the Longmoor Military Railway) to arrive at the pretty market town of Petersfield. South of here the railway soon dives under the South Downs National Park through Buriton Tunnel to reach the summit of the line and then descends through the Queen Elizabeth Country Park to reach Rowlands Castle station. The Fountain Inn in the village, run by guitarist Herbie Armstrong, is famous for its live music evenings. Havant station is soon reached and it is here that we leave the train to join the railway path for the 4½-mile level walk to Hayling Island.
Very popular with day trippers in the summer months, the Hayling Island branch line became an early victim of Dr Beeching’s Axe when it closed in November 1963. Since then it has been reopened as a footpath and cycleway, although a diversion via the road bridge at Langstone is now necessary as the wooden railway lifting bridge that once crossed the harbour was demolished soon after the line’s closure. South of here, the railway path, known as the Hayling Billy Trail, closely follows the east shore of Langstone Harbour – internationally recognized as a nature reserve for its abundant wildlife – before reaching the site of Hayling Island station. Here, the former goods shed is now a theatre, and Hayling’s seafront delights are but a short walk away.
DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS
Hayling Billy Trail railway path; beach; funfair; narrow-gauge Hayling Seaside Railway; passenger ferry West Hayling to Fort Cumberland
FREQUENCY OF TRAINS
3 per hour (Mon-Sat)
2 per hour (Sun)
36¼ MILES (TRAIN) + 4½ MILES (ON FOOT) 2½ HOURS
NUMBER OF CHANGES: 1
(Havant)
The remains of a railway signal marks the beginning of the Hayling Billy Trail along the east shore of Langstone Harbour to Hayling Island.
PORTSMOUTH TO HAVENSTREET
Despite its short length, this trip includes a journey in a catamaran ferry across the Solent, a short ride in an old London Underground train and a trip along a steam railway. Wight Link catamarans for Ryde depart from Portsmouth Harbour close to the national rail network station of the same