Drive into the past: 10 of Britain's most nostalgic adventures

Hankering for the good old days when 99s actually cost 99p and holidays weren't complete without a stick of rock? Then here are some of the best nostalgic adventures you can have around Britain.

1. Scotch steam

From April to October, the Jacobite steam train chugs through some of Scotland’s most spectacular highland scenery from Mallaig, passing Ben Nevis and Loch Eil and crossing the Glenfinnan viaduct. This round-trip journey, along with other classic rail excursions including the Strathspey steam railway and the Kyle Line – which operates from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh – feature in a Scottish programme of UK heritage tours offered by Great Rail Journeys.

Highland Adventure 2020 from £675 for four nights half board, including all rail and coach transfers. Great Rail Journeys (greatrail.com).

2. Streamlined style

Manufactured in the United States in the Thirties, the Airstream, with its rounded shape and shiny aluminium plating, is instantly recognisable. Vintage Vacations, which has a campsite near Ryde on the Isle of Wight, offers more than a dozen of these caravans sleeping two, four or six. Original features are combined with new cookers and electric fan heaters, plus hot water showers and bathroom sinks. Lavatories are not installed on trailers (there’s a shared block on site) but chemical lavatories can be hired at extra cost.

Two-berth Airstream from £60 per night including hot water showers and sink. Chemical lavatory £25. Vintage Vacations (vintagevacations.co.uk).

3. Craft cottage

North Street in the village of Cromford on the southern edge of the Peak District National Park is home to a terrace of 30 three-storey grit stone houses which were built for cotton mill workers in 1771 by owner Richard Arkwright. They are the first example of purpose-built housing for factory workers and the reinforced attics were used for framework knitting to supplement their incomes. Now they are part of a World Heritage site and No 10 is available for holiday lets through The Landmark Trust, who have added a few home comforts.

10 North Street (sleeping up to four people) from £217 for four nights. self-catering. Landmark Trust (landmarktrust.org.uk).

4. Rural rides

Glory Days Bikes specialises in iconic Seventies and Eighties British bikes with steel tube frames and solid leather saddles made by names such as Raleigh, Dawes and Claud Butler. Based in the Peak District, it rents out bikes and offers free delivery within a 10-mile (16km) radius of Bakewell. The hire charge also includes handlebar bags, panniers and guides. Guided itineraries are also available.

Bike hire from £40 for 24 hours including delivery and accessories. Self-catering cottages with cycle storage are available through Peak Venues (peakvenues.co.uk).

5. Vintage motors

Jaguar E-Types, Alfa Romeos, Morris Minors and Triumph Stags are among the classic cars available to rent from Vintage Classics based in Melksham, Wiltshire. Available for 24-hour periods with flexible start times, the cars come with maps and suggestions (included in the price) for scenic routes through the West Country, the Cotswolds and Wales, plus a 200-mile (320km)-per-day allowance and breakdown cover. A picnic basket, blanket and umbrella are included.

Classic car hire from £415 for three days including insurance for one driver. Vintage Classics (vintage-classics.co.uk). Stay at The Old Bell Hotel in Malmesbury (telegraph.co.uk/tt-the-old-bell-hotel) with rooms from £120.

6. Cutter cruise

Wood-built pilot cutters with gaff-rig sails and long bowsprits were a familiar site around British shores in the late 19th century. Used to guide larger vessels in and out of ports or transport light cargo, they were light, fast, highly seaworthy and easy to manoeuvre. Tall ship specialist Classic Sailing offers breaks from Falmouth on the 46ft cutter Agnes (sleeping six passengers and two crew) for a voyage along the south Cornwall coast under sail. No previous sailing experience is necessary but participants are expected to help with crewing.

Taster weekend in Cornwall from £375 for two nights, including full board and landing fees. Classic Sailing (classic-sailing.co.uk).

7. Beetle mania

Retro chic doesn’t come much groovier than a Volkswagen Type 2 camper van tour of the back roads and coastal corners of Norfolk and Suffolk. Retro Campers Norfolk has a fleet of six for hire in Weybourne on the north Norfolk coast. All have refurbished interiors and are named after hit songs from the Sixties and Seventies: Wild Thing, sleeping two, is the most basic; Maggie May and Penny Lane, sleeping up to four, have fitted hobs, sink, fridge and extra hammock or roof beds.

Camper van hire from £395 for a three-night weekend break with insurance cover. Retro Campers Norfolk (retrocampersnorfolk.co.uk).

8. Horse-drawn holidays

No previous experience is required to hire a horse-drawn caravan for relaxed ambling along idyllic country lanes in Wiltshire. White Horse Gypsy Caravans offers two horse-drawn touring vehicles, each sleeping up to four people, from May to the end of September. The price includes pre-trip instruction and a groom available to help at all times. Basic cooking facilities are provided but overnight stops are in the grounds of local pubs where meals are available.

Three-night breaks from £520. White Horse Gypsy Caravans (whitehorsegypsycaravans.co.uk).

9. Tight squeeze

Opened in 1777, the Trent and Mersey Canal was the UK’s first long-distance waterway for transporting pottery, salt and coal along a 93-mile (149km) stretch from the River Mersey near Runcorn to the River Trent in Derbyshire. Drifters Boating Holidays offers narrowboat trips along this old route. Originally designed to fit through locks measuring 7ft by 70ft, these traditionally painted vessels have comfortable, well-equipped interiors and depart from a base at Great Haywood for gentle forays through the peaceful Staffordshire countryside.

Narrowboat hire from £730 for seven nights based on two people sharing. Drifters (drifters.co.uk).

10. Shepherd’s delight

Spartan huts on wheels were traditionally used by shepherds tending sheep in remote rural areas. Not much bigger than a garden shed and often made of corrugated iron, they would be equipped with a simple stove for heat and cooking, and little else. Contemporary glamping versions are also located in rural spots but come with hot tubs, fitted kitchens and feather duvets. Canopy and Stars has a collection of 81 individually inspected shepherd’s huts, mostly located in the UK.

Shepherd’s hut from £70 per night, self-catering based on two sharing. Canopy and Stars (canopyandstars.co.uk).