200 years of rail: all aboard the UK's most riveting train journeys

The UK is toasting 200 years of train travel. From steam rides to commuter lines, you'll find scores of riveting rail adventures here.

1. TEES VALLEY LINE: The window scenery is pleasant enough - the rolling countryside where County Durham meets North Yorkshire - but it's the heritage that makes this line a draw for rail enthusiasts. On September 27, 1825, the Stockton and Darlington Railway was launched as Britain's first steam-hauled public railway. Carrying people, flour and coal, it ceased running four decades later, but a chunk of the original route now forms part of the Tees Valley Line, which has regular services between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn. Events and exhibitions marking the bicentenary of train travel are taking place at stations on this line and across Britain in 2025 under the Railway 200 banner.

2. NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS RAILWAY: While you'll rub shoulders with more locals than tourists on Tees Valley trains, it's a different story on this volunteer-run railway threading through the heather-strewn landscapes of the North York Moors National Park. Steam and diesel locomotives connect the market town of Pickering with Whitby, an atmospheric fishing port with a ruined clifftop abbey that was a backdrop in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Expect carriages steeped in bygone charm, ticket inspectors in vintage attire and well-kept stations with retro signage and potted plants, including Goathland, a sleepy village where the 1960s-set TV drama, Heartbeat, was shot. Buy a day rover ticket and you can hop on and hop off wherever you like.

3. FFESTINIOG RAILWAY: Wales is blessed with antique lines and this is the world's oldest narrow-gauge railway, unveiled in 1832 to transport slate from the mountain quarries of Snowdonia (Eryri in Welsh). Steam up from the harbour at Porthmadog to the former mining hub of Blaenau Ffestiniog and you can go trampolining in old slate caverns and zip line over denuded quarries. Porthmadog is also a terminus for the Welsh Highland Railway, which snakes through Snowdonia to Caernarfon, a royal town dominated by a medieval castle.

4. EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY: Santa specials, Thomas the Tank Engine-inspired days and Agatha Christie-style murder mystery nights are among the quirky themed rides on this reborn Victorian railway, which clickety-clacks beyond the urban sprawl of Greater Manchester to Lancashire's rugged rural uplands. Some stations, like Bury Bolton Street, have watering holes on the platforms, serving real ales and pub food. Other noteworthy stops include Ramsbottom, which has trendy gastropubs and a riverside art trail, and Rawtenstall, home to Mr Fitzpatrick's, Britain's last traditional temperance bar, founded in the 1890s to offer healthy alternatives to the hard-drinking Lancashire mill workers.

5. WEST HIGHLAND LINE: Mountains, lochs, moors and pine forests grip your attention on this route, which showcases some of Scotland's wildest scenery and crosses the Glenfinnan viaduct, a 21-arched wonder of engineering that starred in the Harry Potter movies. From Glasgow, there are usually three daily West Highland Line trains to Mallaig, a port with ferries to isles like Skye, Muck and Rum. To break up the five-and-a-bit-hour rail journey, you could stop in the outdoorsy town of Fort William and scale Ben Nevis, Britain's highest summit (1345 metres). Between early April and late October, Fort William-Mallaig return trips are offered on the Jacobite steam train, which resembles the Hogwarts Express.

6. WEST SOMERSET RAILWAY: The promise of fish and chips and salty-aired seafront strolls attract passengers on this, Britain's longest standard-gauge heritage railway, chugging 36 kilometres from the village of Bishops Lydeard to the coastal town of Minehead. The line opened in 1862 - a year before the London Underground - and was quickly revived by rail buffs after its closure in the 1970s. You could have lunch in Minehead or book one of the railway's "catering specials" and enjoy cream tea or Somerset cheeses and ciders as the train trundles past the Quantock Hills, which was designated England's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1956.

7. SETTLE-CARLISLE RAILWAY: The epic Ribblehead Viaduct - with its 24 arches - is a dramatic feature on a line meandering by the sheep pastures, serpentine stone walls and windswept peaks of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Occasional steam locomotives navigate this railway, but most trains are standard commuter services linking Leeds and Carlisle, where the ancient Romans built a fort and the remains of Hadrian's Wall stud that Cumbrian city's outskirts. Potential stops on this line include Settle, a railway junction town with scenic walks on the doorstep and a quaint little centre with cafes, pubs and shops.

9. BLUEBELL RAILWAY: Another magnet for photographers and production crews, the Bluebell Railway choo-choos gently through the Sussex countryside north of Brighton. It's arguably at its best in April and May when bluebells spring up, carpeting the woodlands beside the track. However, from steam galas to beer festivals, there's usually enough going on at other times of the year to make this railway a fun day out. Enhancing its appeal are the stations flaunting different period decor. Horsted Keynes, for example, evokes the early 20th century and stood in for the fictional Downton station in Downton Abbey.

10. NORTHERN BELLE: Champagne and caviar are served on this high-end affair which excels in themed day trips to horse racing meetings, flower shows, arts festivals and Christmas markets. Edinburgh and Bath are two favourite destinations for the Northern Belle, which has departures from Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and other stations in England's North and Midlands. Some services are hauled by steam engines, others by diesel locomotives, but on all journeys passengers can savour the British scenery and flavours while riding, wining and dining on glamorous, 1930s-style Pullman carriages.