Introduction: Rail Britannia! Who is this book for? A lot of people..., How to use this book, Ben's top ten rail journeys Chapter 1 The Glorious East Coast Main Line to Scotland King's Cross to York: record breakers, York to Edinburgh: to the world's first railway, Edinburgh to Aberdeen: Firth to last Chapter 2 Scotland: Rails to Romance and Beauty The basic layout, Glasgow and Edinburgh termini, Planning ahead in Scotland, The West Highland Line: Glasgow-Crianlarich-Fort William-Mallaig and the Oban branch: the iron road to the isles, The Highland Main Line: Inverness to Glasgow (and Edinburgh), Britain's first new domestic line for many decades, the fascinating Borders Railway, Seaside excursions: two great days out from Scotland's two big cities, The Great North of Scotland Railway: Inverness to Aberdeen, The Skye Railway: the very strange story of 'the most beautiful line in Europe', The intriguing Far North Line: from Inverness to Wick and Thurso put into sharp focus Chapter 3 The North of England: Chuffing 'eck, That's Grand! Midlands mentions, The North of England: overview and recommended lines, The wonderful Settle & Carlisle Railway: don't Settle for anything less! Leeds to Lancaster and Morecambe: a useful connector, brief encounters and a great comedian, The Cumbrian Coast Line: right round the Lake District, The Lake District by train? What are those words worth?! No missing Lincs in Lincolnshire: Nottingham to Skegness - the Jolly Fisherman Line seen in a fresh perspective Chapter 4 Great Western: God's Wonderful Railway The GWR: trunk, branches and twigs, Keeping great company: the GWR's great history, London to Penzance: best of the West, The Berks & Hants route: Kennet Valley and Vale of Pewsey, The GWR strikes north: expanded detail on the lovely Cotswolds, Golden Valley and Banbury, West Country branches: Devon and Cornwall's cream, Wessex lines: undiluted Old England at her best, The GWR route into South Wales: branch lines to Dai for. New ways to Oxford - the first new route linking London to a major British city for almost 100 years Chapter 5 Wales Rails Fire-breathing dragons: & going for a spin with the best connected, Welsh rare bits and best bits, North Wales and the Marches: a fantastic circular route or splendid separate days out, The Heart of Wales Line: Shrewsbury to Swansea, a real rural rail survivor Chapter 6 East Anglia: A Circular Tour to See the Best of This Unique Region Bargain Anglia, Hitchin to Cambridge: teetotal recall, dozy crossing keepers and snooty dons, The Breckland Line: Cambridge to Norwich - islands in the Fen to blasted heath, Really recommended for the ride, Norwich-Lowestoft: Queen of the Lot, The lovely East Suffolk Line: Lowestoft to Ipswich (for London): swinging stuff, London Liverpool Street to Norwich via the Great Eastern Main Line (plus fabulous branches) Chapter 7 South Western from Waterloo: Take Me to the Sunshine Waterloo: welcome to Britain's biggest and busiest station, Waterloo to Woking: another Britain's busiest, Woking to Southampton: Martians to maritime, Southampton to Weymouth: the New Forest and two Hardys' Wessex, The Portsmouth Direct Line: Woking to Pompey, ups and Downs, Waterloo to Exeter: the West of England Main Line Chapter 8 South and Southeast: From Dirty Weekends to Bo Peep The Brighton Line: premier holiday route, London Victoria to Brighton: what to look out for from Thames to Channel, Brighton Line Branches, Brighton-Hastings-Ashford: towns, gowns and Downs, Hastings Direct and the Kent Coast: catch the 1066 Chapter 9 Britain's 'Secret Railways' Manchester to Glossop and Hadfield, The Welsh Valleys: Merthyr and branches, The Ebbw Vale line: Film stars and a phoenix, Vale of Glamorgan: Where you can find coastal beauty, a TV hit, a vital scrap of history and forgotten disaster, London's new Orbital Railway: Outer Circle Line or rail M25? Appendix 1 The Inside Track A window-gazer's guide to 'rail things': stuff to look out for on your journey, Train trivia. Appendix 2 Useful Information Books on railways: read between the lines, Steamy affairs: best historic and preserved railways. Index