Step back in time for carol singing in Windsor and Christmas shopping in Westfield by steam train
With Christmas just around the corner why not enjoy a bit of nostalgia and board a steam train with Steam Dreams Rail Co and get transported back in time and enjoy a special day excursion from North Kent and Ashford to London and Windsor on Tuesday 3rd December 2019.
The train will pick up and set down passengers at the following nine Kent railway stations: Borough Green & Wrotham, Maidstone East, Charing, Ashford International (Kent), Folkestone West, Canterbury East, Faversham, Rainham (Kent) and Bromley South.
You will then head to the Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd’s Bush in West London, ending up in Windsor for a carol service in Windsor Parish Church in the shadow of historic Windsor Castle.
The train carriages will be decorated in traditional seasonal style to get you in the festive mood so you can make the most of your time on board.
Fares start from £89 in Premium Standard, where picnics are welcome, and complimentary tea and coffee will be available throughout the journey. Hot and cold food and drinks can also be purchased from staff and served at your table. Alternatively it costs £139 in First Class, £189 in Premier Dining or for an altogether more stylish and memorable journey, you could opt for a Pullman carriage and enjoy a welcome glass of champagne, cooked breakfast or brunch followed by canapés and a four-course dinner and half bottle of wine on your return journey, all for £249 per person.
The excursion takes in a circular tour of Kent including the White Cliffs of Dover, pulled by the B1 Class locomotive ‘Mayflower’ which is painted in its original British Rail apple green livery.
61306 Mayflower is one of two surviving B1 Class locomotives that was built for the London & North Eastern Railway, designed to be a mixed traffic locomotive hauling passenger trains and freight traffic. Consequently, she has a powerful engine capable of going pretty much anywhere in the country. For more information on Mayflower and what to expect on board, you can read about our train journey on board Mayflower this summer, which took us on a memorable and nostalgic journey through the Surrey Hills.
The Christmas steam excursion will leave Borough Green & Wrotham at 8:15am, returning at 8:20pm that evening. You can take a look at the Steam Dreams website for all the station halts and timings.
Other special steam tours in December include Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire to Winchester on Thursday 12th December 2019 with pick up and return from the following stations: Chinnor, Princes Risborough, Bicester Village and Oxford Parkway.
On Sunday 15th December 2019 there is a special London to Oxford and Stratford Carols tour, with pick up and return from the following stations: London Waterloo, Ealing Broadway, West Brompton, Clapham Junction, Staines, Ascot, Reading and Oxford.
There will also be a 20th Anniversary Special tour on Tuesday 17th December, departing from Waterloo, transporting you down to Salisbury Christmas Market in Pullman Style at £269 per person, which includes a fabulous Champagne breakfast to set you up for the day ahead and then you will round off your day off with a three-course dinner with canapés and a half bottle of wine on the journey home.
To book one of these special Christmas tours by steam train please call +44 (0)1483 209888 between the hours of 9:00am and 5:30pm on weekdays and for more information please visit www.steamdreams.co.uk
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor-in-Chief of Our Man On The Ground, a member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photographs courtesy of The Steam Dreams Rail Co and by Simon Burrell
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