VISITORS to York’s National Railway Museum will have the chance to experience the thrill of a steam journey this Easter.

The Class N7 locomotive, which was once a vital link for the Harwich to Hook of Holland ferry route, will be taking visitors on steam rides in the museum’s south yard.

For those escaping York this weekend, the RAC has warned of queues and delays on the roads, with more than 20 million motorists expected to get out over the Easter break.

However, the new multi-million pound improvements to the Hopgrove roundabout on the A64 survived their first real test last night, with traffic continuing to flow freely as the traditional Easter getaway got under way.

High fuel prices are expected to deter many families from travelling over Easter, after the cost of filling an average 55-litre tank with unleaded petrol rose 24 per cent over the past year – from £52.09 in April 2009 to £64.35 now.

Leeds Bradford International Airport is expecting 200,000 passengers to pass through check-out over the Easter holidays, with the top destinations including sun-kissed Malaga and the Costa del Sol.

For those staying in York, a forecaster for MeteoGroup said it would be a case of dodging the showers, with the warmest weather on Monday, when temperatures are expected to reach 13 degrees.

Today, she predicted heavy showers in the afternoon with a small risk of thunder and a maximum temperature of eight degrees.

“Saturday won’t be too bad, with sunny spells and showers and a maximum temperature of nine degrees,” she said.

“On Sunday there will be light showers in the morning, with a risk of a few heavy showers and some hail and thunder in the afternoon, and temperatures reaching ten degrees.

“Temperatures will reach 13 degrees on Monday, with increasing cloud, patchy rain and quite a strong south-westerly wind.”