Sunday 25 October

The Shakespeare Express is Vintage Trains’ flagship journey, and nothing else on the British railway matches it: a genuine mainline steam locomotive, running at full speed through the Warwickshire countryside, starting in the town where William Shakespeare was born. This service is built around the journey itself. You travel out behind a working steam locomotive, pause briefly in Birmingham to see the engine up close, then head straight back.

Tickets start from £27 per person. Child and family tickets available.

What’s included in every ticket:

• A steam-hauled round trip from Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham and back, on the national mainline behind a fully restored locomotive
• A run through the Warwickshire countryside on the Shakespeare Line, one of England’s most distinctive stretches of railway
• A short stop in Birmingham with time to see the locomotive up close, before the return journey
• Comfortable seating with picture windows and a buffet car on board

First Class includes a Sunday lunch and is brought to your seat on the way out, with afternoon tea served on the return.