Back to Northumberland

It's not a Rubbish Train!

Today was a boy's day out on the train. Every so often, Northern Rail to special offers on rover tickets, so Tom and I got one each and headed north. Nik dropped us off at Ribblehead to get the train to Carlisle, which eventually turned up 35 minutes late (signal failure at Hellifield). Not ideal given the less than plentiful range of activities at Ribblehead.

Fortunately, we got a set of 4 seats and a table to ourselves, so we set about doing Tom's homework, which he did very well. To be fair to the driver, the train fairly rattled along all the way to Carlisle, where we met my translator friend Kim and her two sons (aged 6 and 8). They hadn't been to any of our favourite eateries, so the five of us toddled along the road to Hell Below and Co., where we went upstairs and had lunch in the cinema style seats (the boys’ choice), which made conversation between Kim and myself quite difficult as we had three bobbing chattering heads between us. The food and service were as excellent as always, and Tom and I over-ordered, as I'd forgotten how generous the portions are. I'd assumed Tom would get two mini sausage rolls, but they were huge, so he needed help. The things I do for my son...

Lobster car - not impressed apparently

After lunch, Kim took her boys shopping for shoes, and Tom and I decided to continue our rail odyssey as far as Hexham, along the Hadrian's wall line. The scenery on the way was really very beautiful, up there with the Settle-Carlisle line, but for some unknown reason, Northern Rail had decided to use a "Rubbish Train" (an ancient Pacer) for one of their express services, meaning that we basically spent 40 minutes riding a kangaroo. Unbelievably bouncy and noisy. The windows are also so high that Tom can't see out unless he kneels or stands on the seats. The sooner they get rid of them the better.

Tea and a bun

We had about an hour to kill in Hexham, so we went to the nearest supermarket (Waitrose no less) to buy our tea for the journey home. This didn't take long, so we had a quick tea and a bun (as we do) in a nearby café and then wandered back to the station. The return train to Carlisle arrived bang on time, which was fortunate given how short our connection was, but we still had time to see a couple of Pendolinos and Voyagers before we set off South. Tom did the rest of his homework before wolfing down his prawn sandwiches and fruit, and Mummy was there waiting at Ribblehead when we arrived.
All in all, a nice day out, but next time Northern Rail do a similar offer, I think we need to take advantage on a Saturday, not a Sunday, as we'd be able to go much further.