In Hog Heaven on the rails between Settle and Carlisle

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Friday 26th June
In Hog Heaven on the rails between Settle and Carlisle
We seemed to have saved some of the trips that we had thought about taking during our time in Settle, way before we left home on this adventure.
And today we would be immersing ourselves in part of railway history in England as we rode the historic and very scenic line between Settle and Carlisle.
Whilst we wouldn’t be riding in a carriage pulled by a steam engine that does periodically happen on this line we would still be travelling over numerous viaducts and through tunnels built through some of the most difficult country that the railway goes in England.
After the very full day on the road yesterday it would be relaxing sitting back and letting someone else do the driving taking us where and when we wanted to travel today.
So we made for the 9.48am train that had started its journey in Leeds about 35 miles away.The journey to Carlisle near the Scottish border would take an hour and forty minutes according to the timetable.
The line is clearly not really one that commuters use to any great extent as our fellow passengers waiting on the up platform were all either there for the same purpose we were,to take in the scenery or as in some cases were walkers to be transported to stations from where they could take another of the many hikes across the North Yorkshire dales.
The four car diesel electric train arrived right on time and we took seats where there was a large window to give us good views of the territory we would be travelling through.
The first part of the journey was a steady climb up the valley we had driven previously to the Ribblehead Viaduct.The powerful engines of the train making seemingly light work of the incline.We were very impressed by the lack of track noise that was audible inside the carriage.
The train stopped at Horton-in-Ribblesdale where the station was a smaller replica of the one at Settle.On our drive up the valley the other day we had not visited this station sited above the collection of houses that made up the small village.
Then it was onto the stop at Ribblehead just before the mighty viaduct.The ride across the viaduct was at relatively slow speed as the train crosses it very soon after leaving the station so it gave ample time for photos and video .
The line then heads into the hills and the longest tunnel to take it through and run along the top of a hill with commanding views out over and down valleys into the distance.This was probably the most scenic section of the route.Far below us you could make out farmhouses and outbuildings that had narrow country tracks leading to them from main roads that weren’t evident in what we could see.So these farms had a look of a very isolated existence about them.
The countryside started to level out more as the first hour of the journey passed although the train passed through several small tunnels with one as short as 98 yards.It seemed odd that a tunnel of that short length was needed whereas in NZ it would probably have been a cutting in the hillside that would have been made to carry the track.
The flatter countryside meant more animals in the paddocks mainly sheep but some dairy cows as well.Where we have seen dairy cows the herds have been small in number and the milking sheds not really evident amongst the farm buildings as they would be in NZ.In fact we haven’t seen anything that looks like a milk tanker at any of the farms or on the roads.
At each station the train stopped at people got on and off and almost all seemed to be either hikers or train enthusiasts .Aside from the return tickets we had purchased for the trip you could buy a “rover”ticket which for an extra 5 quid you could get on and off the trains that ran during the day as often as you liked.This gave you the opportunity to explore some of the small villages or take a short walk where the train stopped.
The stations on the line were all beautifully maintained and in some of the yards the signal box which would have been an important part of the operation of the line had also been fully maintained with all the levers etc to switch the rails and operate the signals for the section of the line before the next signalbox took over.
One of the neat little extras on the train was a “trolley service”which had started from the stop at Settle.There we had noticed,before we boarded the train,the ticket seller and a woman smartly dressed in a different railway uniform,pushing a trolley loaded up with thermos of tea and coffee as well as scones,soft drinks,chippies etc etc along the platform ready for when the train arrived in from Leeds.
During the journey the “trolley dolly”came through the car selling her wares several times.She made a good number of sales mainly to the train enthusiasts.
Eventually the outskirts of Carlisle came into view and the rail line joined the main western line that runs between London and Glasgow through Carlisle.
The station platforms,all six of them,are built in an arc or curve which gave symmetry to the station building and glass that covered the platforms from one to the other.Our train rolled into platform 6 away from the two main lines running through the centre of the station.
We had heard that there wasn’t a lot to see in Carlisle but that didn’t matter as we had come to ride the rails.So we checked over the timetable and decided we would return on the 2pm service giving us two and a half hours to explore the city close to the station.
With the station close to the main street we headed off to take in Carlisle Castle,at least from the outside as we didn’t have enough time to do a tour.
Carlisle had always been a town that the marauding Scots from the north thought should have been part of Scotland and the town was the target of many attacks in the early years before the United Kingdom was formed.
The castle wasn’t that photogenic so we went in search of some lunch and as it had been a while since our last McD’s we sought out the Golden Arches which weren’t hard to spot in the main pedestrian mall.
With our batteries recharged after lunch we did some window shopping as it had been some time since we had been in such a large town with high street shops and a mall.Not that there was anything in particular that attracted us and anyway we have no room in the suitcases for any more clothes.
To one side of the pedestrian mall was Carlisle Cathedral so we swung by to take it in.A small cathedral by the standards of the others we have visited on this adventure it still had its own charm in the layout and stained glass windows.Whilst the cathedral wasn’t that old,built around the 1500’s there were remains of other buildings that been on the site previously that dated back to the 1100’s that been part of a monestary.
Time had come to head back to the station and join the train for the return trip home.
Before we boarded a Virgin express electric powered train from Glasgow to London pulled into the #1 platform.The train was very sleek in appearance starting from the engine was aerodynamic in design and clearly built for high speeds.With dark tinted windows it was impossible to see much of the inside of the carriages but what you could see they looked quite luxourious,well at least the first class did.
We sat on the other side of the carriage on the return journey taking in more close hand what we didn’t see on the way up to Carlisle.This time the pattern at each stop was more people getting on that off as hikers who had had enough for the day were returning to their base.
One of the things we hadn’t particulary noticed on the way to Carlisle was the highest point on the line at just under 1000 feet.Now while that doesn’t sound that impressive to the altitudes other railways around the world get up to it is the highest main line in the UK.
We arrived back in Settle right on time with a heap of video of the journey.
Another “must do”could now be ticked off our list and added to the excellent memories of our adventure.
Before we finished with Friday we had one more pub to visit and have a beer in so before we trotted down to the chippie for tea we had a quiet pint of a Skipton made beer at the Talbot Arms across the road from our home.Then it was time to join the queue out the door at the other chippie in town for a fillet of Haddock and chips(no mushy peas,thanks)and home for another two episodes of Coro St.!!!

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Photos

Settle Railway Station
The down line platform to Leeds

Comments

[Rin]

While the first class on Virgin trains might look comfy, the cattle class certainly aren't! I can attest to that from my journey from Nottingham to London on a Virgin train with a dead-rigid seat that was bolt upright and didn't recline at all... And a nite of chips and haddock along with two episodes of Coro? You guys really are living the *English life* aren't ya? :-)