Day 19: Pardon me boys, is this the Settle-Carlisle choo-choo?

And indeed it was!  But we only did the Appleby-Settle leg, a very pleasant train ride, mostly through the Yorkshire Dales - the most exquisite, hilly, emerald green country-side with thousands of sheep and baby lambs gambolling about.  This was our major outing for today as the weather was again rubbish, bitterly cold with constant rain.  I reckon Appleby Railway Station (which won Britain's best small station award in 2003 and must surely be oop for another one soon) is the coldest place this side of the North Pole. In fact, the two ladies' toilets each have a heater in them.  I would have liked to linger longer in my cubicle, but our train was coming... 

 It took about an hour to drive to Appleby this morning. Sooddenly we were back in Yorkshire.  It's easy to forget how small this sceptred isle is.  I will leave Mr Geoffy to talk about our train trip and also our afternoon outing to the Backbarrow car museum.  Both fairly blokey outings but I did enjoy them. 

Tomorrow I'm taking Geoff to look at a gallery of 1970s Holly Hobby wallpaper designs, and also the Bobbin museum.  Then there's the "Getting the Most out of Your Thermomix" demo that I have signed him up for on Tuesday.....





Meanwhile, as I have nowt else to report, this pic looks to the left up our lane. It may look okay but it's a-small-car-and-a-half wide and is two way, with three hair pin bends.  Also, one of our neighbours up the lane drives a Porsche Boxster. Hoping not to collide with anyone but particularly him!

This pic looks down the lane, with our parking spot on the left and part of our cubby on the right with the bin out the front. We saw our neighbours had put their bins out, so we dutifully did too, with God knows whose rubbish. Felt like locals!

Our neighbours at No 2 Fern Cottages have an old working dog called Ray and a foster (rescue) Greyhound who we have met but whose name we didn't catch. Needless to say, we like our neighbours. 












And finally from me, a pic of our car space.    When Geoff reverses out, I have to patrol the street, directing traffic.  Most people are terribly polite and give me a wave, stifling their sniggers with a broad grin.

Handing over to Casey Jones now.  xxx 











The Settle to Carlisle railway is one of the gems of the north west of England.  It first opened in 1869 and provided many years of yeoman service, including during two world wars, but by the 1970s was under threat of closure at the hands of the dreaded economic rationalists.  But due to local opposition to the closure (bless them), it was announced in 1989 that the line had been reprieved.  It's now a viable commuter line and also a major attraction for tourists like us.  The southern point is at Settle:

The town itself doesn't seem like any great shakes, although we only saw a few blocks around the station, and had a cuppa and cakes and scones at the local tea rooms.  Ordinary, but cheap.  The main function of the town is the railway.  Oh, and here's the restored signal box, equally charming;

Heading north, the major attraction is undoubtedly the 'world famous' Ribblehead viaduct (104 feet high; 440 yards long; 24 arches; built between 1870 and 1875).

The more observant among you will be wondering how we managed to get this shot from the train.  OK, we admit it, we cheated; this one is from the net.  The fact is that about the only place you can't get a decent shot of the viaduct is from the train itself.  The area around it was overrun by hikers and sundry others, arriving by train, car or bus.  It's a certified tourist must.

Anyway, if you like trains, green and pleasant scenery and sheep, this is definitely the trip for you.  Particularly if you had other things in mind that depend on fine weather. 

This arvo's attraction was the Lakeland motor museum, which turned out to be only about 10 minutes from our cubby.

We rated it an excellent museum.  Doesn't seem to have a theme.  I think the curator's strategy has been to gather together anything they can (be it British, European or American) and put it on display.  Can't really find fault with that.  Anybody for vintage pedal cars?  I love em meself.

 

I'm sure you can pick a jeep, a Jaguar XK140 and an Austin A40.  So, today was pretty much a Boy's Own train and vintage auto experience.  What could be better on a wet and wintry North-of-England day?

 

Till tomorrow, grasshoppers...