A BRAND new train route is launching across the north of the UK this weekend, making some of the country’s best scenery more accessible for Brits.
The Yorkshire Dales is one of the most scenic spots the UK has to offer and a new affordable train route will now make them much easier to explore.
Northern Rail is bringing back its Yorkshire Dales Explorer route, with new services set to depart for the first time tomorrow (Saturday, June 8).
A similar route called the Dales Rail had been cut last summer, with Northern reportedly unable to provide sufficient staff to keep it up and running.
However, the new service, which will run twice on Saturdays, is set to replace the axed route and once again provide links between the destinations on its line.
The train will set off from Rochdale and will travel all the way to Ribblehead.
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En route it will call in at 18 stations, including Manchester Victoria, Salford Crescent, Bolton, Blackburn, Clitheroe, Hellifield, and Settle.
Trains will head out from Rochdale at 7:52am and 2:52pm on Saturdays, while return services will depart from Ribblehead at 11:08am and 6:05pm.
Adult return tickets on the route will cost £25, providing anyone in the area with an affordable route to explore the Dales.
Northern’s regional director Craig Harrop said: “We’re excited to introduce this brand-new service that will allow customers to travel into the heart of the Dales at a reasonable price this summer.
“They can get off the train at Hellifield, Settle, Horton-in-Ribblesdale or Ribblehead if they want to get out and explore the spectacular national park.”
Yorkshire Dales National Park authority member Lizzie Bushby said she was looking forward to seeing the views from the train, as well as having the service open the park to visitors.
She added: “We’re really pleased that Northern is running this service.
“It will provide opportunities for visitors from the North West to visit the National Park this summer.
“The journey itself will be a great experience with amazing views of the National Park, and there will be lots to do when people arrive.”
The journey will take in some of the best train ride in Europe, as declared by travel experts Lonely Planet.
Sun Travel’s favourite train journeys in the world
Sun Travel’s journalists have taken their fare share of train journeys on their travels and here they share their most memorable rail experiences.
Davos to Geneva, Switzerland
“After a ski holiday in Davos, I took the scenic train back to Geneva Airport. The snow-covered mountains and tiny alpine villages that we passed were so beautiful that it felt like a moving picture was playing beyond the glass.” – Caroline McGuire
Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen
“Nothing quite beats the Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest in the world. It hardly feels like you’re whizzing along at speed until you look outside and see the trees a green blur. Make sure to book seat D or E too – as you’ll have the best view of Mount Fuji along the way.” Kara Godfrey
London to Paris by Eurostar
“Those who have never travelled on the Eurostar may wonder what’s so special about a seemingly ordinary train that takes you across the channel. You won’t have to waste a moment and can tick off all the top attractions from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées which are both less than five kilometres from the Gare du Nord.” – Sophie Swietochowski
Glasgow to Fort William by Scotrail
“From mountain landscapes and serene lochs to the wistful moors, I spent my three-hour journey from Glasgow to Fort William gazing out the window. Sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views overlooking Loch Lomond.” – Hope Brotherton
Beijing to Ulaanbatar
“The Trans-Mongolian Express is truly a train journey like no other. It starts amid the chaos of central Beijing before the city’s high-rises give way to crumbling ancient villages and eventually the vast vacant plains of Mongolia, via the Gobi desert. The deep orange sunset seen in the middle of the desert is among the best I’ve witnessed anywhere.” – Ryan Gray
They described the stretch of track running between Settle and Carlisle as the most scenic on the continent.
In their opinion, the scenery that can be seen from the windows on that particular route is by far the best out of any of the other train routes available.
They wrote: “The views from the carriages are pretty much unmatched on the English railway network.
“Passengers can feast their eyes on mile after mile of magnificent Yorkshire Dales and North Pennines scenery, interrupted only by stations so sweet you would expect to find them pictured on a box of biscuits.”
Meanwhile, this sleeper train route visits some of the best beaches in the UK.
And this £5 rail route is one of the most scenic in the country.