vintage

YOU can step back nearly 100 years into the glamourous age of train travel, as a vintage train experience is launching this month.

The London Transport Museum is allowing people to go back in time on 1930s and 1950s carriages.

Choose from single or return journeys along the Metropolitan line which start in Amersham and go to underground stations at either Watford or Harrow-on-the-Hill.

There are two vintage trains to pick from, the first being from the 1930s.

The 1938 stock train has been restored and is made up of four cars with green and red seating and Art Deco light fittings.

This style of train served London on several deep-level tube lines for half a century.

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The second has 1950s British Rail 4TC carriages which will be hauled by Sarah Siddons.

Sarah Siddons is one of the few electric locomotives still in service – and was named after a Welsh actress.

It was used in service on the Metropolitan line until 1961.

One of the rides will go through what’s called the ‘secret’ railway line, that is rarely used called the North Curve.

It’s a section of the Metropolitan line which connects Croxley and Rickmansworth and bypasses Moor Park station, but it doesn’t feature on tube maps.

The event is across two dates only between July 25-26 with single and return journeys available.

Single journeys start from £17 per person for adults and £7 for children.

The event is being run by the London Transport Museum which is set to undergo a £26million makeover by the end of 2030.

A LONDON museum filled with vintage tube carriages, trains and buses is getting a multi-million makeover.

The London Transport Museum opened almost 50 years ago and will be getting an extensive facelift and will be getting additional exhibition space too.

Designs have been revealed for the Covent Garden attraction showing off its new and colourful entranceway.

It will also get an extra 500 square metres of space for galleries, and there will be environmental upgrades too.

The attraction that’s found inside a Victorian flower market will remain open throughout the works, so visitors won’t miss out.

Inside is a huge collection of historic vehicles, including buses, trains, and early tube carriages.

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There are also exhibits on the 200 year history of London’s public transport, like original maps and posters.

The London Transport Museum also organises trips for the public down to the abandoned stations of Aldwych and Down Street.

The attraction is next to Covent Garden market and last year welcomed 450,000 visitors.

The entire project is predicted to cost £26million and is set to be complete before 2030.

Elizabeth McKay, LTM’s director and CEO told the Museum Association: “The capital project is £26m, but the good news is we are more than halfway there.”

Funders for the £26m project include Transport for London (TfL) and Arts Council England.

London Transport Museum Friends charity, is donating £300,000 between now and 2030 to support the redevelopment.

TfL commissioner Andy Lord said: “For more than 200 years, London’s public transport has shaped the capital and improved people’s lives in so many ways, from the world’s first underground railway to the iconic red bus, Oyster card and the Elizabeth line.

“I’m thrilled to support the new plans that showcase our transport heritage and the future of transport in the heart of Covent Garden.”

Visitors need an Annual Pass and a timed entry ticket to visit London Transport Museum in Covent Garden – these start from £22.50.

WITH its flowing red rivers and rocky landscape, this attraction has been described as looking ”more like Mars than Earth’.

The open-air mining park is in the Huelva region of southern Spain and visitors can take a tour onboard a vintage train.

The Rio Tinto Mining Park has over 5,000 years of history and is renowned for having a unique red landscape.

Formerly used for mining, the site is now considered an open-air museum and first opened to the public in 1992.

Through the site runs the Rio Tinto river which is toxic – it’s highly acidic which is why the water has red and orange hues.

Thanks to this, the attraction has earned itself a comparison to the planet Mars.

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It’s appeared in movies like The Heart of Earth, which tells the story of miners working at Rio Tinto in 1888.

The area has also been used by the likes of NASA for space testing as it has an ‘extreme environment’ just like that found on Mars.

One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor that is look “more like Mars than Earth” with another calling it “truly breathtaking.”

Dotted around the site are viewpoints, underground walks to view excavated spaces and there’s a chance to explore its museum too.

Another way to tour the mines is onboard a refurbished mine train.

The Rio Tinto railway itself was built in the late 1800s and once had 186 miles of track.

Now, the tourist railway ride covers just over seven miles of that on its restored railway line inside vintage diesel trains.

From the windows, visitors can look out over the bright red river and rocks.

The train journey is up to two hours long and there’s a chance of a pit stop in the middle before it loops back around.

The park is open daily with day tours that can be up to six hours long.

On Saturdays, there’s a chance to do the ‘Mars on Earth‘ circuit which starts at the Mining Railway Station and heads through the Red Planet-like scenery.

If you want to visit Rio Tinto Mining Park the closest airport is in Seville which is around an hour a half away by car.

A HISTORIC lido with stunning sea views is reopening today, just in time for the good weather.

Located on the edge of a scenic area dubbed the UK’s Costa del Sol, this pool is the perfect place to cool off in the summer sun.

Dating back to the 1930s, Brightlingsea in Essex is one of the last remaining lidos in the area.

The site boasts an Olympic-size outdoor pool, along with a heated toddler pool as well as sun loungers, changing rooms, and a cafe.

Summer sessions will run from 7am until 5pm, with the first three hours allotted for relaxed lane swimming.

Aquacise and “little dipper” sessions for younger swimmers are also available.

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The lido first opened in 1932 as a tidal salt pool, eventually converting to freshwater in the 1970s.

Nowadays, the popular site is run by volunteers who saved it from closure in 2017.

General entry costs £7.50 for adults and £5.50 for children aged two to 18 and seniors over 65.

Toddlers under the age of two can enter for free.

Cheaper rates are available for lane swimming, quiet sessions, and aquacise, with more information available on the lido’s website.

The site will be open from 7.30am until 7.15pm until Monday, August 31.

Brightlingsea is much quieter than its neighbouring towns such as Clacton but is still known for its shingle beach.

The area is perhaps most recognisable for its line of colourful beach huts on the promenade.

One visitor described the area as “very unspoilt, family oriented, beautiful beach. Traditional town back in the 50’s.”

Brightlingsea is on the UK’s Sunshine Coast, which one person said is like “going back in time to seaside holiday of the past.”

Another visitor told The Sun: “I was on the Sunshine Coast of Essex, which is often compared to Spain thanks to it being one of the sunniest, driest spots in the country.

“What I really loved about exploring the Essex seaside is the sheer variety of experiences on one relatively small stretch of coast, bookended by Brightlingsea in the south and Harwich in the north.”