Historic steam engine Sir Nigel Gresley will travel to Chester this week hauling a Christmas market special.

The A4 class locomotive will travel from Colchester, reaching Chester at 2.19pm on Friday 13 December.

Organised by Steam Dreams, the 'East Anglia to Chester Christmas Market' special is completely sold out - with tickets starting at £175.

After bringing passengers from East Anglia to Cheshire, the excursion will depart Chester again at 6.04pm.

The website said: "This unique tour offers a fascinating cross country adventure as we traverse England, travelling past a rich tapestry of intertwined rivers, canals and fields to visit the historic city of Chester where modern life is inextricably linked with its past.

"The city's handsome Tudor-and-Victorian heart is the perfect setting for its magical Christmas Market.

"Our train will stop at stations across East Anglia to pick up passengers before crossing the East Coast Main Line at Peterborough, where our steam locomotive joins us.

"We steam across the heart of the Midlands to Nuneaton where we join the West Coast Main Line and enjoy a fast run through Staffordshire.

"We pass beautiful countryside as the railway traverses more rural parts of Cheshire before arriving in the lovely city of Chester, where the Tudor streets come alive with festive splendour."

Built in 1937, 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley spent most of its working life at the King's Cross depot, hauling expresses to York, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Fellow A4 class Mallard set the world speed record for steam of 126mph.

Sir Nigel Gresley has been part of the Steam Dreams fleet since 2008.

See the website here.

(Header image by David Dixon via Geograph.org.uk)