The Flying Scotsman 2023: how to see the famous steam train on its centenary tour near Peterborough

The famous Flying Scotsman steam train celebrated its 100-year anniversary on Friday (February 24) – and is now embarking on a centenary tour across the UK.

The Flying Scotsman, which operated between Scotland and England’s capital cities, Edinburgh and London, first entered service in February 1923.

Designed by chief engineer Nigel Gresley and built at Doncaster’s London North Eastern Railway works, the express passenger train is now owned by the National Railway Museum.

To celebrate reaching the historic milestone, The Flying Scotsman will be part of an unmissable programme – travelling the length and breadth of the UK where enthusiasts and spectators can catch catch a glimpse of the famous train on the tracks.

So, just where will The Flying Scotsman be and when and how can you get tickets? Here’s everything you need to know.

What events will be happening to mark the Flying Scotsman centenary?

Visitors to the National Railway Museum will be able to discover new stories about Flying Scotsman in their special centenary exhibition.

Guests will travel through time and share the engine’s greatest moments in a brand-new cutting-edge VR experience also, so they can feel what it was like to travel on one of those maiden journeys.

An exhibition, called Flying Scotsman: 100 Years, 100 Voices, will also be on display. It will showcase documents, photographs and stories from the museum’s archives as well as from a recent public call-out. All tell a story of people whose lives have been impacted by the locomotive.

Where will The Flying Scotsman be visiting?

Here is the full programme of where the Flying Scotsman will be visiting, including excursions, day trips and month long visits to heritage railways.

Scheduled dates may be subject to change and new events will be announced throughout the year.

We’ll update this article with any new information we receive throughout the year.

Below is the current schedule for events, correct at the time of publishing on Monday 23 January.

The closest excursion to Peterborough is the Great Yarmouth Flyer.

[London Kings Cross – Hertford North – Stevenage – Cambridge – Ely – Norwich - Great Yarmouth – Wensum Curve – Ely – Cambridge – Stevenage – Hertford North – London Kings Cross]

The Railway Museum says the Great Yarmouth Flyer ‘provides a rare opportunity to travel behind Flying Scotsman along its former LNER route out of King’s Cross before it heads into the rural landscapes of the Fens and Norfolk with a seaside destination of Great Yarmouth’.

March 1 – 25 – Flying Scotsman at East Lancashire Railway

April 1 – 23 – Flying Scotsman on display at the National Railway Museum, York

April 30 – Flying Scotsman excursion at Royal Duchy, from Bristol Temple Meads, Yatton and Taunton to Devon and Cornwall.

May 1 – 24 – Flying Scotsman to spend a month at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway on heritage workings

June 7 – Flying Scotsman excursion at Cardiff Express through the Thames Valley and along the river Severn

June 10 – Flying Scotsman excursion in Chesireman, from London to Chester and back again.

June 17 – Flying Scotsman excursion to Portsmouth Flyer, from London to Portsmouth and back.

June 21 – Flying Scotsman excursion to Salisbury Express, from London to Salisbury and back.

June 30 – July 4 – return excursion along the East Coast Main Line between London, York and Edinburgh

June 24 – Flying Scotsman excursion to Great Yarmouth, from London to Yarmouth and back again.

July 9, August 6 and September 10 – The Waverley excursion along the Settle to Carlisle line via York, Leeds, Keighley and Skipton

August 24 - September 3 – Flying Scotsman at Bluebell Railway in East Sussex.

September 10 – Flying Scotsman excursion to Waverley, travelling on the Settle & Carlisle Railway, one of the most famous railway routes in Britain

October 14 – The Hadrian excursion along the Settle to Carlisle line via York and Leeds

December 16 – Flying Scotsman to spend two weeks in light steam at Locomotion in Darlington

How can I get tickets to the Flying Scotsman centenary events?

For more information about any of these events, and to get tickets to the ones you are interested in, you can visit the National Railway Museum website.

You can also sign up to the Flying Scotsman newsletter for more details straight to your email inbox.