Days out by train

A day out is better when the journey is part of it. No parking, no motorway, and the children get to watch the countryside go by instead of the car in front. This page is where to start: the main line that gets you there, a heritage railway that is the day out, and twenty city guides planned from the station platform.

The East Coast main line: King’s Cross to Scotland

An LNER Azuma at London King's Cross
Photo: 800209 LNER Azuma at Kings Cross by SavageKieran, CC BY-SA 4.0

The East Coast main line runs north from London King’s Cross through Peterborough, Doncaster and York to Darlington, Durham, Newcastle and Edinburgh, with LNER trains branching off to Leeds, Harrogate, Lincoln, Hull, Middlesbrough, Aberdeen and Inverness.

Five of our free-days-out cities sit right on it: York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

To plan the journey, the LNER Route Guide is an independent guide to every LNER route and station: what is near each stop, how the fares and Advance tickets work, which Railcards help, and how to claim Delay Repay if the train runs late.

Explore the LNER Route Guide →

Heritage steam: the North Yorkshire Moors Railway

A train from Grosmont arriving at Goathland on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Photo: Train from Grosmont arrives at Goathland Station – geograph.org.uk – 5368658 by Russel Wills, CC BY-SA 2.0

Some railways aren’t the way to the day out, they are the day out. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs twenty-four miles of heritage steam and diesel line from Pickering through Newton Dale to Levisham, Goathland and Grosmont, and on to the sea at Whitby. Goathland will look familiar to Harry Potter fans: it was Hogsmeade station in the first film.

You don’t need a car to get there. The Esk Valley line from Middlesbrough runs to Grosmont and Whitby, and the Coastliner bus from Leeds and York stops at Pickering and Goathland.

Stations, dining trains, special events and visitor information are all on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway guide.

Plan a day on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway →

Free days out, city by city

Twenty city guides, each starting with what is free and ending with the walk from the station:

All twenty guides in one place →

Book your train

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