The Fellsman

Big day today. Grandpa turned 70 earlier this year, and we all thought he'd like a steam train ride to celebrate it. Fortunately, The Fellsman runs every Wednesday during the summer over the Settle and Carlisle line. Very handy.

Today was another very hot and sunny day, and we were apparently fortunate to be hauled by a steam locomotive - in prolonged dry spells, they have to switch to Diesel engines because of the risk of fire.

Anyway, Grandpa, Tom, Auntie Jude and yours truly drove the 10 miles or so to Long Preston, the last pick-up point before the train heads into the Dales. The platform was pretty crowded with travellers - it is a very popular activity.

Appleby

The train arrived bang on time, a class 8F freight locomotive pulling 12 coaches, with a class 37 Diesel engine on the back providing electricity. We had seats in coach E, about 2 steps walk to the buffet counter. It felt a bit odd pounding through Settle at speed, as regular trains always stop there. The Dales looked wonderful in the blazing sunshine, with photographers sporting expensive cameras and tripods in almost every field as we sped north through Horton, Ribblehead, Dent, Garsdale... Just south of Garsdale, we spotted a field of highland cattle, all of whom studiously ignored the sight of a steam train at full chat. Mind you, most of the sheep we saw fled in terror.

Seemingly in no time, we were at Appleby, where the train stopped for about 15 minutes to take on water. Some passengers got off here, to take a trip on a vintage charabanc followed by a cruise on Ullswater, which I'm sure was equally pleasant today. There was a guy selling ice creams on the platform, and he must have done a roaring trade today. The temperature was close to 30°C, almost unheard for this part of the world. A certain young man took something of a shine to the peach & mango flavour, and demolished almost a whole tub by himself.

Carlisle

Once the water tank was full, we set off again for the pleasant roll through the Eden Valley to Carlisle, where we arrived a good 10 minutes early. The long train and steep gradients seemed to prove no trouble at all for the engine (or was the diesel at the back giving us a sneaky push?).

Luckily, it was lunchtime, so we headed straight to Eaten By Monsters, a quirky American style diner that we'd been to (and enjoyed) on a previous visit. It didn't disappoint this time either, and we all enjoyed a good meal. We had a bit of time to kill before the return journey, so we had a stroll round Carlisle's (rather disappointing and formulaic) shops before heading back to the station. Someone enjoyed 20 minutes or so of watching the wide variety of trains that pass through Carlisle (Pendolinos, Voyagers, blue trains, purple trains, freight trains ...), before our train rolled into the platform. There was a brief delay while they couldn't get the steam engine coupled to the coaches. They got it sorted fairly quickly, though, and a violent lurch signified that we were on our way.

Garsdale

I think the train must have been sitting out in the sun, as it was absolutely roasting on board. We opened all the windows, bought bottles of water from the buffet, and more peach & mango ice cream from the guy at Appleby, but we still sat there and boiled all the way to Long Preston. We got yakking to the people in the seats opposite ours, a nice couple of couples from Dorset, who'd picked absolutely the right week to have a holiday in Yorkshire, having been enticed to visit it by Le Tour de France.

We waved goodbye to the train at Long Preston, where the platform wasn't even close to long enough to accommodate such a large train, and then headed back to Ingleton, to regale Mummy with tales of our adventure. It was a grand day out, and I hope it did justice to Grandpa's milestone.