A friend is doing research for a book today in the National Archives and she just sent me this snippet from British Railways documents of 1959.
"The All-line Rail Rover Ticket is one of British Railways latest holiday touring bargains. This "Go as You like" ticket, introduced this year for the first time, permits almost unrestricted travel by rail throughout England, Wales and Scotland and on Scottish Clyde and Loch Lomond steamers for any seven consecutive days between March 1 and October 31. At £15 second class and £22. 10s [£22.50] first class with reductions for families, this facility offers an unique opportunity, particularly for overseas visitors, to see Britain at a reasonably cheap rate"
[£15 is worth £340 in today's money.]
Then even more interesting, on the same page-
"Scottish Lochs Cruise- The Scottish Lochs Cruise- a 9 day trip from Heysham Harbour to the Scottish Lochs and Western Isles in the T.S.S, "Duke of Lancaster" was inaugurated this Autumn by the London Midland Region".
This wasn't cruising in it's modern sense but was basically a CalMac ferry for 9 days and 8 nights- until quite recently CalMac did do overnight berths- I did those a couple of times. I'd love to turn the clock back 65 years and do this trip!!
[ an interesting part of British Railways history when they ran ferries and even holiday cruises to as far as Norway and Spain- anyone who takes the train to Conwy will see the abandoned TSS Duke of Lancaster beached at Mostyn, even today. She has been there since 1979].