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NORTHERN SPAIN - "EXPLORING THE FEVE"
19 April - 26 April 2008 |
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We set out to cover the whole of the FEVE system, including all passenger and freight lines, and to see all the FEVE locomotives. We will start in El Ferrol and end in Leòn, all by special charter train and all hauled by the popular 1500 series diesel locos - six different ones!
The FEVE system is an amazing metre gauge system that runs along the north coast of Spain from El Ferrol in the west to Bilbao in the east and then inland to the city of Leòn, over 1000 kms of lines. The system also has 6 passenger and 7 freight only branch lines. The aim of our special charter train is to cover all the lines (or as many as operational conditions will allow). Along the way we will see some spectacular scenery, stay in the cities of Leòn, Bilbao, Santander, Oviedo and El Ferrol. We also hope to visit all of the FEVE depots.
Our planned itinerary is as follows:
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The above map shows the major routes and not freight lines or minor railways.
El Ferrol is approximately 25 kms north of La Coruna on the west coast.
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SATURDAY 19 APRIL:
There are various options for joining the tour.
Option 1: Leaving Heathrow at 13:05, we fly to La Coruna (via Madrid). Coach transfer to our seafront hotel.
Option 2: Leaving Stansted at 08:00, we fly direct to Santiago de Compostela. Coach transfer to our seafront hotel in La Coruna.
Option 3: There are flights to Madrid from many UK regional airports, including Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Gatwick and Luton. Depending on arrival time you have the choice of the 14:00 daytime train or the 22:30 "Trenhotel" (overnight) train to La Coruna.
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SUNDAY 20 APRIL:
The first of our six day special trains on the FEVE system hauled by a 1501 series locomotive. Leaving El Ferrol our train takes us along the coast through the scenic landscape of the 'Rias Atlas' or 'Upper Estuaries' on to Ribadeo, set majestically at the mouth of the River Eo. We expect to have a break here and then continue into the province of Asturias, our destination being the regional capital of Oviedo for the first of our two-night stay at a fine 5-star hotel directly above the station.
MONDAY 21 APRIL:
Based at Oviedo, today we visit the branch to Laviana, including the small freight line to El Entrego, the docks branch at El Musel and the short passenger branch to San Esteban de Pravia. We also visit the El Berron works and depot, returning to Oviedo for our overnight stay.
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TUESDAY 22 APRIL:
Leaving Oviedo we first visit the long 50 km branch to Collanzo before returning to Oviedo and a visit to the Asturias Railway Museum and running line, rejoining our special FEVE train to head east to Ribadesella, where we visit another normally freight- only docks branch. overnight in Ribadesella, a busy fishing port on an estuary at the foot of the mountains.
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WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL:
This morning we continue east to the city of Santander, where we visit the branch to Lierganes and the freight-only line to the docks at Raos. Depot visit. Overnight in Santander
THURSDAY 24 APRIL:
After breakfast there will be free time in Santander. We rejoin our special train (hopefully now with 2 x 1501 locomotives) and head west into the beautiful Basque region and the capital city of Bilbao, a modern, bustling city where the river reaches the sea. We visit the freight-only branch to Lutxana and the freight-only "cross-city" line which connects the FEVE system to the Eskotren system. Hopefully there will be time for a visit to the famous Guggenheim Museum. |
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FRIDAY 25 APRIL:
A long day today, but also the best, as we travel the length of the scenic La Robla line - definitely one of Europe's great railway journeys! We start off with a different pair of 1501 locomotives on the front of our train. On our route south-west we visit the freight-only branches to Velilla and La Robla. We also change locomotives at Cistierna before our evening arrival at the fine city of Leòn for our overnight stay. En route we will have depot visits to Balmesada and Cistierna. Leòn is a town full of history, with an important old quarter situated around the 13th century cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the Collegiate church of San Isidoro and the magnificent Parador of San Marcos, with its Spanish Plateresque facade. If you have not visited Leòn before then we suggest spending an extra night or two here, which we can arrange as a supplement to the main tour.
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SATURDAY 26 APRIL:
There are various options for return to the UK:
Option 1: We take the 11:40 Talgo train to Madrid Chamartin (arriving 15:40) for our coach transfer to the airport, where we take the 18:30 British Airways flight back to Heathrow.
Option 2: Road transfer to Valladolid for the 11:15 Ryanair flight to Stansted.
Option 3: For early afternoon flights to Madrid, take the 07:10 regional train (arriving 11:28) or the 11:40 Talgo train (arriving 15:40).
We will have a coach 'shadowing' our train, which will transfer our luggage between the hotels. The special train should feature 5 or 6 different 1501 series locomotives. |
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| HOLIDAY PRICES (per person): |
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| Full 7-night holiday from Heathrow in shared room |
£999 |
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Price includes: |
| Full 7-night holiday from Stansted in shared room |
£939 |
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All trains and excursions as listed in the itinerary. |
| Full 7-night holiday from La Corona to Leòn in sh rm |
£839 |
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Good quality hotel accommodation with breakfast each morning. |
| 6 days special trains only (no accomm or transfers) |
£539 |
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Services of our tour guides in Spain (holiday is fully escorted). |
| Single room supplement - £25 per night |
£175 |
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Travel from the UK.* |
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* Direct flights operate from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. Prices from £70 return. Overland travel via Eurostar (from St Pancras) approximately £380 return with sleeper. |
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Recommended Flights:
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Airline |
Flight |
Depart |
Arrive |
| British Airways |
BA0464 |
Heathrow |
13:05 |
Madrid |
16:30 |
| Iberian Airways |
IB522 |
Madrid |
18:10 |
La Coruna |
19:20 |
| British Airways |
BA0461 |
Madrid |
18:30 |
Heathrow |
19:50 |
| Ryanair |
FR8378 |
Stansted |
08:00 |
Santiago de Compostela |
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| Ryanair |
FR3125 |
Valladolid |
11:15 |
Stansted |
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| EasyJet |
EZY5475 |
Gatwick |
07:45 |
Madrid |
11:15 |
| EasyJet |
EZY2201 |
Luton |
06:45 |
Madrid |
10:15 |
| EasyJet |
EZY6033 |
Bristol |
16:20 |
Madrid |
19:35 |
| EasyJet |
EZY6863 |
Edinburgh |
14:10 |
Madrid |
16:10 |
| EasyJet |
EZY7101 |
Liverpool |
13:15 |
Madrid |
16:45 | | |
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Culture and Customs:
As the tour takes place abroad, accommodation, transport, safety precautions, food content/presentation and mannerisms may be different from those to which you are used. This is what makes a holiday different, but, if you have any concerns, please contact us to discuss them or talk to others who have may have travelled to the various regions covered by our tours.
Health and Safety:
While aboard the train, getting on and off, walking around depots or taking lineside photographs, you are advised to wear suitable footwear and clothing, and to keep a careful watch for moving rolling stock, points, rails and uneven ground. Always adhere to instructions given by railway staff or guides if so directed. EE Railtours will not be held responsible for any accident caused by a tour participant's own negligence.
Disabled Facilities:
We regret that, due to the lack of disabled facilities on trains and the nature of the tour in general, it is unsuitable for wheelchair users or the physically infirm.
Please note:
This tour runs in conjunction with PTG Tours.
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