Train enthusiasts can secure a spot on the Flying Scotsman for its long-awaited return into service next year.

Flying Scotsman - A Life in Steam

Flying Scotsman - A Life in Steam

Travellers are being offered the opportunity to book their place on one of several trips to be made in January, which will form part of the steam train's final testing process before its official inaugural trip from Kings Cross to York in February.

The Flying Scotsman rose to worldwide fame in the 1930s, when it became the first locomotive to break the 100mph mark, and its restoration has been the focus of a 10-year project costing £4.2 million.

The Scotsman will chug along several different spectacular routes around Britain. The first journey of 2016, over the weekends of January 9/10 and 16/17, will follow the heritage line of the East Lancashire Railway, before the train embarks on a bigger outing, travelling from Manchester to Carlisle on January 23. On its return, the Flying Scotsman will climb to the highest railway summit in England, at Ais Gill, and cross the picturesque viaduct at Ribblehead.

"The journey up to Ais Gill will be extremely challenging and will certainly put the train through its paces," said Catherine Farrell on behalf of the owners of the Flying Scotsman, the National Railway Museum.

"Passengers on board will be able to enjoy wonderful views - and be taking part in a bit of the history of this remarkable comeback story."

Tickets for the Manchester-Carlisle run, which The Railway Touring Company calls the Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express, have already gone on sale, and start at £95.

Steam train aficionados will have plenty of opportunities to ride the train during the course of 2016, but enthusiasts can also admire the Flying Scotsman at the National Railway Museum in York where it will be displayed when taking a break from the tracks.

For more details, click here.

Flying Scotsman - A Life in Steam