Some train journeys are about getting there; a handful are worth taking for their own sake. Britain has a remarkable number of these, lines that thread through mountains, along cliffs and across great estuaries, where the view from the window is the whole point. You do not need a special excursion; ordinary scheduled trains run most of them, so a normal ticket buys a first-class view.
The great Scottish lines
Scotland holds the crown for scenic railways. The West Highland Line from Glasgow to Mallaig is justly famous, crossing the curved Glenfinnan Viaduct made familiar by films and running on through wild moor and mountain to the sea. The Kyle of Lochalsh line and the far-northern routes to Wick and Thurso run through equally empty, beautiful country, with the sense of travelling to the very edge of the map.
South of the border
- The Settle to Carlisle line crosses the Pennines on great stone viaducts, a Victorian marvel through the Yorkshire Dales.
- The Cumbrian Coast line skirts the sea with the Lakeland fells inland, quiet and underrated.
- In the south-west, the run along the sea wall at Dawlish in Devon, where the railway hugs the shore, is a brief, thrilling classic, and the branch lines of Cornwall and Wales offer more.
Riding them well
Check which side of the train has the best views for your direction of travel, and try to pick a clear day, though even rain and mist have their own drama in the hills. Some lines are sparsely served, so plan around the timetable and consider breaking the journey to explore a town or a walk along the way.
The beauty of these journeys is their simplicity: no driving, no parking, just a seat by the window and the country unspooling past. In an age of rushing everywhere, taking the slow, scenic train on purpose is a small act of good sense. Britain's finest lines turn the act of travelling into the highlight of the trip.