Some train trips are about getting somewhere. Others are the day out in themselves. Britain has a handful of railway journeys so good that the view from the window is the whole point, and most of them work beautifully with children. You get comfort, a table for the snacks, and a landscape that keeps changing just often enough to hold a young attention span. No car sickness, no "are we nearly there yet" from the back seat, just a proper adventure with tea available halfway.
Here are the journeys worth planning a day around, with rough timings and where to sit for the best view.
The journeys
The Dawlish sea wall, Devon
This is the one that turns children into railway fans. Leaving Exeter St Davids and heading south, the line drops down to the coast and runs right along the top of the beach through Dawlish and Teignmouth, with the waves breaking a few feet from the glass. On a breezy day the spray reaches the windows and everyone squeals. Sit on the left for the sea. The whole stretch takes about half an hour, and if you carry on towards Plymouth you cross Brunel's great iron bridge at Saltash.
The West Highland Line, Scotland
Glasgow to Mallaig is often named the most scenic railway in the country, and it earns it. The line runs along Loch Lomond, out across the wide empty peat of Rannoch Moor where the track floats on brushwood and ash, then over the curving Glenfinnan Viaduct that film fans will know at once. It's a long day, so many families break it at Fort William and take the steam-hauled Jacobite for the final, finest stretch to the coast. Sit on the left after Fort William for the viaduct and the islands beyond.
The Settle to Carlisle Railway
This is the great Victorian engineering line, built by hand across some of the wildest country in England. It climbs through the Yorkshire Dales over a string of tall stone viaducts, the finest of them Ribblehead, whose twenty-four arches stride right across the moor. The line runs for 73 miles and the full trip takes around an hour and three-quarters, ending at Carlisle, a border city with plenty of railway history of its own.
The Cumbrian Coast Line
The line from Carlisle down to Barrow hugs the edge of the Lake District where the fells drop to the Irish Sea. It's slower and quieter than the main lines, which is half the charm, and there are sandy stops along the way where you can break the trip for a paddle and an ice cream.
A fast and fun main line run
Not every great journey is a slow one. Children often love the sheer speed of a modern express, and there's a thrill in watching the countryside blur past at 125 miles an hour. An Avanti Class 390 Pendolino leans into the bends on the West Coast Main Line, while an LNER Azuma races up the East Coast Main Line to Edinburgh. For something they'll never forget, the Caledonian Sleeper turns the trip into a night's adventure, tucking everyone into a bunk in London and rolling back the blind on the Highlands at breakfast.
Tips for train days with kids
A little planning makes all the difference. Reserve seats so you get a table and the right side for the view. Under-fives travel free, and if you're buying tickets for older children too, a Family & Friends Railcard takes a third off adult fares and 60% off children's, which soon pays for itself on a long scenic run. Pack a snack bag and a small activity for the flatter sections. Best of all, give everyone a mission, whether that's counting viaducts, reading off station names or being first to spot the next train coming the other way. A job to do is what turns a long ride into a good memory.
If your family plays My Train Adventure, these routes double as a collecting trip. Ride the real West Coast Main Line and you're passing through a whole string of stations that each have their own card, and you can check the full run in our guide to the West Coast Main Line stations.
