Holiday special: Vroomwithaview

COACH holidays take some beating for value for money and this year tour firms have put together packages to please everyone from steam railway buffs to flamenco fans

And here's a selection of some of the great offers that will have you counting the days until you hop on board, sit back and just relax...

Wallace Arnold (0845 756 6665; www.wallacearnold.com) have a special getaway deal for steam railway enthusiasts.

Their Great Little Trains of Wales adventure gives you the chance to explore Snowdonia on historic trains. You travel on the Welsh Highland Railway from Caernarfon to Dinas before continuing on to Porthmadog.

From here there's a ride on the world's oldest independent railway, the Ffestiniog, heading through Snowdonia's National Park to Blaenau. Next is a full- day visit to Llandudno that includes a journey on the Llanberis Lake Railway, while the final excursion takes in the impressive scenery on the Talyllyn Railway from Tywyn. Prices start from pounds 369 and include six nights' dinner, bed and breakfast and en-suite accommodation,

You don't even have to travel by coach to enjoy a coach-style escorted holiday. Travelsphere Holidays (0800 191418/www. travelsphere.co.uk) offer train-based packages throughout Europe from pounds 225 per person. The choice includes a five-day break to Provence staying in the walled city of Avignon from pounds 349, travelling by Eurostar and TGV. They also offer a seven-day break exploring the Harz Mountains of Germany from pounds 569. Yu can follow the trail of the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul on a 13- day rail and air holiday from pounds 1,195.

LEGER Holidays (0845 130 7007/ www.leger.co.uk) offer short breaks with entry to top events in Britain. This includes the Edinburgh Tattoo in August with a three-day break including two-nights' bed and breakfast hotel accommodation, entry tickets and coach transport for pounds 149. There are also four and six-day tours of Southern Ireland in July, August, September and October. Prices start at pounds 239 for five nights' half-board hotel accommodation, ferry crossings, coach transport and visits to Lough Derg, Limerick, Bunratty Castle, the Rock of Cashel, Tipperary and Thurles. The Ring of Kerry tour leaving on September 8 and October 20 costs pounds 259. It includes four nights' half-board hotel accommodation, coach transport, ferry crossings and excursions to Cork, Glengarriff and the Beara Peninsula; the Ring of Kerry and Killarney.

Meanwhile, Shearings (01942 824 824/www.shearingsholidays.com) have seven-day packages to Northern Ireland with the chance to explore the Causeway coastline, including the famous Giant's Causeway and Old Bushmills, the oldest whiskey distillery in the world. There are visits to Newry and Belfast too. Prices start from pounds 299 per person including hotel accommodation and dinner and breakfast.

ARCHERS Direct (0870 751 2000/www.archers direct.co.uk) have a package that lets you discover Tuscany at your leisure. The first night is spent in Venice with the rest of the holiday based in the spa town of Montecatini, in three or four-star hotels. Included excursions range from a full day sightseeing with local guide in Florence and Venice and half-day trips to Pisa and Lucca, famous for its churches and medieval fortifications. Prices for the eight-day tour start at pounds 479 (July and August). An extra week can be spent on Lake Garda or in Lido di Esolo from pounds 64.

The eight-day Ireland Explorer tour costs from pounds 409 with highlights including Dublin, Waterford, Blarney, the Ring of Kerry, Glendalough, Avoca (famous as TV's Ballykissangel), the Dingle Peninsula and Limerick. Flights are from 10 UK airports and prices include accommodation in twin-bedded rooms with seven breakfasts and three dinners.

COSMOS Tourama (0870 264 6012 or website at www.cosmostourama.co.uk) say their eight-day Romantic Andalucia package is their second most popular tour (just after Venice- Florence-Rome). It costs pounds 505 and promises the very essence of Spain, with whitewashed villages, fragrant orange trees, tapas, flowing Rioja and, of course, flamenco.

Highlights include Malaga, Santa Fe where the Moors signed the surrender of Granada to Queen Isabella in 1491, the superb Alhambra and gardens of Granada, a wine bodega visit in Montilla, plus visits to Gibraltar, Seville and Cordoba.

Flights are from Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle, East Midlands or Glasgow and departures are available right up until the end of December.

Cosmos Tourama has also introduced two new Italian Leisurely tours, which allow passengers to stay in just one or two locations with coach excursions.

Leisurely Tuscan Hills (eight-days based in Lucca) costs pounds 745 and Leisurely Naples and Gargano (eight days based in The Gargano) from pounds 595.HIGH TIMES: The Leaning Tower of Pisa

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