The stalwart Scillonian III ferry, which connects Penzance to the Isles of Scilly and is renowned for offering a bumpy ride, will soon retire after nearly 50 years in service. The ship, built in Devon, will be replaced by a newer vessel made in Vietnam.
Fortunately, there are many other quirky journeys you can take in Britain, from the Cairngorm Funicular to London’s Mail Rail, via the Beaulieu Monorail and the Reedham Chain Ferry. Here are 15 journeys you can still (and really must) make on British transport.
1. Board the last British hovercraft
The golden age of this curious amphibious vehicle, when the likes of Hoverlloyd and Seaspeed competed on cross-Channel routes, has faded into the past. But there is one survivor. Not only is the Hovertravel route from Portsmouth to Ryde the last remaining British hovercraft, it is also the world’s longest continually operating commercial hovercraft route.
There’s a nice display of old photos and fun stories at the terminal in Southsea, but the real treat is the 10-minute crossing over the Solent, the fastest way to reach the Isle of Wight.
2. Ride Britain’s most scenic bus route
The Northern DalesBus 830, is not your typical bus route. It is perhaps the most beautiful in Britain, and the only way of crossing the Yorkshire Dales National Park by public transport. It makes its 40-mile journey from Richmond to Ribblehead, right through Postman Pat country, just once a week (on Sundays) and only during the warmer months.
After featuring in a BBC4 special in 2016, All Aboard! The Country Bus, it experienced a surge in popularity. Combine a ride with a journey on the lauded Settle-Carlisle railway line, which stops at Ribblehead Station.
3. Tackle the world’s longest pier, by train
Walking to the end of Southend Pier, the world’s longest at 1.33 miles, is no trifling matter. Especially when the wind is blowing hard off the Thames Estuary. No wonder then that various trams and trains have worked the route on and off for over 130 years.
Today, the diesel cars built by Severn Lamb in Warwickshire trundle to the end of the pier, delivering a memorable highlight for visitors to the classic seaside town. But, frustratingly, a broken electric train has been stuck in situ for two years.
4. Time travel on the world’s last sea-going paddle steamer
The mighty Waverley is a sight to behold. This 80-year-old sea-going paddle steamer, the last in operation, is straight out of a bygone age, offering slow travel in a fast-paced world.
The Waverley provides services along the south coast of England, in the Bristol Channel, and between Liverpool and Llandudno, but is most at home in the waters of Scotland and its final sailing of 2026 will be from Glasgow along the Clyde coast.
5. Ride a BSA Motorcycle
Not many people know about the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull and even fewer know that you need not just look at the vintage bikes, you can ride them around the grounds too. Get onboard a BSA that was made famous by being built in Peaky Blinders country, Small Heath – just a couple of miles up the road from this Midlands museum.
6. Sail the world’s oldest shipping company to the Isle of Man
The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is the oldest continually operating passenger shipping company in the world, and has been ferrying goods and people across the Irish Sea since 1830. Their ships and fast “SeaCats” head from Heysham and Liverpool’s historic docks into the harbour at Douglas. But, as with the Scillonian III, it can be a choppy journey.
7. Land on the beach at Barra
For a real bucket-list experience, no British domestic flight comes close to the hop from Glasgow to Barra. The Loganair Twin Otter proffers an hour of scenic flying across Scotland and then dives down to land on the beach. Look out for otters and sea eagles and you can take a bracing plunge in the sea right next to the airport, and then warm up at what might be the world’s most scenic airport café.
8. Take the Stansted automated people mover one last time
There will be disappointed faces in the Stansted Airport departure lounge as the days of a fun journey to the gate by the automated CX-100 people mover are almost over.
The clock is ticking on these 35-year-old workhorses as the airport has decided that we now need to schlep to the gates at Satellite 1 and 2. Services end around March 2027; after that, try the new Luton DART instead.
9. Revel in the world’s oldest continuously operating railway
The Middleton Railway is not as well known as many others in Britain, but it has a long and important history that can be traced all the way back to 1758.
Variously a wagonway and freight route, it pioneered steam engines and today offers fascinating trips back in time on the outskirts of Leeds.
10. Hail a heritage bus in an MOD danger zone
For one day a year in August, the tiny village of Imber is opened to the public. Its residents were told to leave during the Second World War, and were never permitted to return after it became a military training site. The icing on the cake is the open-top vintage London buses that trundle over Salisbury Plain from Warminster, ferrying visitors in.
11. Cruise on the MS Oldenburg to Lundy
This historic ship putters across the Bristol Channel to allow walkers and twitchers to stop off in Lundy (journeys run until October 29).
The MS Oldenburg is a steady ship in high waves and can always be trusted to reach the island and its important bird colonies. The ship began her life way back in 1958 shuttling around the Frisian Islands but now spends her days in Bideford. The Landmark Trust has a clutch of self-catering properties on Lundy.
12. Take a heritage train to work
As part of a test project this autumn (until November), heritage commuter trains are running on the Severn Valley Railway and for the first time you can buy tickets direct from Birmingham to Bewdley with a change at Kidderminster. The Class 101 diesel units that are used date from the 1950s.
13. The new and old lines of Wales
South Wales Metro’s brand-new tram-train network heads up The Valleys and into Cardiff Bay. Meanwhile, the Great Little Trains of Wales, 12 steam railways in scenic parts of the country, are a joy for trainspotters, kids and anyone who likes the hills. Combine the two. Pack Welsh cakes for the journey on the rack and pinion railway up Snowdon, or enjoy the slate scenery of the Ffestiniog Railway.
14. Indulge on the Britannic Explorer
The newest luxury sleeper train to depart from London is an exercise in OTT elegance that’s about as far from an ironing board seat, a Gregg’s takeaway tea and a box of yum yums as you can get. Fine dining, exquisite bedrooms and itineraries taking in Wales, the Lake District and Cornwall make Belmond’s Britannic Explorer a once-in-a-lifetime journey. Departs from London Victoria.
15. Classic Northern trams of the past and present
The National Tramway Museum in Crich is the perfect day out for tram fans, who can ride on some classic versions decked out in their former local authority transport company colours. Nearby Sheffield almost commissioned a futuristic “Minitram” monorail system, but got a Supertram instead. Ride it to the brand new Magna stop to explore the fascinating industrial heritage of the Don Valley.
