Steam Railways in Yorkshire with Lawrence & Netty

Steam Railways in Yorkshire 

As the old steam train pulled into the station we could see the clouds of steam. We boarded the train at Embsay, and with the station master blowing his whistle we were off. Feeling relaxed, we stared out of the window to views of lush green fields and hills that went on for miles.

 At the station we had a good look around the platform and at the various other trains, before continuing our adventure through the moors. 

  

A wonderful day was spent at  Goathland, right in the middle of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, where we learnt that many of the Harry Potter films were filmed here. After our train ride we then went into the village which is also famous for the TV programme Heartbeat. We loved posing for photos with the cars that they used in tv show and the iconic places that featured, including Scripp’s garage.  

 

We took in the fresh sea air at the seaside town of Whitby as we looked at the little sailing boats in the harbour and the other holiday makers having fun crabbing. 

We then treated ourselves to a tasty ice cream in the glorious sunshine.

 All aboard for our journey from Whitby to Pickering where we enjoyed a 2 hour journey through more breath-taking scenery. 

A great morning was spent at the Wensleydale Creamery which is the only maker of the famous Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese. We took our seats as we watched a cheese making demonstration and we were surprised at how much effort and work goes into making it. Luckily for us at the end we got to sample some of the delicious, creamy cheese. Everyone was keen to have their pictures taken with the cheese loving characters Wallace and Gromit, too. 

A BBQ feast was great way to spend the evening and we all did a great job in helping to prepare it. There was lots of fun and laughter as we were joined by our lovely friends Steve and Michaela. 

 
We set off for a day in York and to the National Railway museum. The museum was huge and housed so many steam trains, modern trains and carriages both old and new. We listened to a talk on the Royal Family’s very own train and we were able to view the magnificent carriages inside with its very own bedrooms and bathrooms. We saw the flying Scotsman and also the Mallard, which was the fastest train back in its day. 

Once again we took our seats in an old carriage and showed our tickets to the ticket master and we were soon off, heading towards Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters. We visited The Brontë Parsonage Museum which is the former home of the world's most famous literary family and the place where Charlotte, Emily and Anne wrote some of the greatest novels in the English Language.

We stopped at Argarth Falls, where the Robin Hood movie was filmed. Truly stunning and so tranquil as we stood and watched the waterfalls cascading down the hillside. It was the perfect spot to sit and enjoy our picnic lunch. 

  

Our favourite place to eat was at Billy Bob’s ice cream factory which is a 1950’s themed diner famous for their deserts. We sat in booths and listened to the great music of the 50’s where we enjoyed an American feast, finished off by the most incredible ice cream sundae’s! 

Royal Norfolk County Show with Midi & Netty

Royal Norfolk County Show

We took our front row seats at the main arena for day 1 at the Royal Norfolk County show. There was so much to see and we didn’t hang around. First we saw the enormous Shire Horses,who were so elegant given their size parade around the arena. We managed to stroke them too.  

 A thrilling horse jumping show had us on the edge of our seats as we watched them leap over the huge jumps and fences. 

 There were so many great stalls for us to browse amongst with lots of local produce and home made arts and crafts. A highlight of the day was meeting Boycie, from the hit TV show, Only Fools and Horses. 

 We had huge smiles on our faces as we watched the dog agility show. Watching these clever little animals weave in and out of poles and leap over jumps was amazing. They were so well trained. 

 

 Walking around the show we came across all kinds of farm machinery including huge tractors, combine harvesters, vintage cars and bikes.

 The Norfolk show is a real hands on experience and everyone enjoyed being able to stoke and pet these lovely animals. 

     

The 'Best in Show' parade was great to watch as the  cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, the shire horse and Suffolk punch entered the arena all hoping to win a rosette from the critical eye of the judges. 

 The grand finale of the RAF Falcon Parachute display took our breath away! What a sight it was to see as the parachutes fell from the sky and land right in front of us. Definitely something we will never forget.

 All aboard the Bure Valley Steam Railway for trip Aylsham and back. The countryside views were spectacular and we were lucky enough to have a chat and have a few pictures taken with the train driver.

We boarded the Wroxham Broads Boat Tour for an afternoon on the river. Feeling relaxed on the wonderful riverboat tour of the Norfolk broads we watched the wildlife in their natural habitat, along with some multi-million pound houses which we all dreamed of living in! 

 

We spent the morning at  Redwings Horse and Donkey Sanctuary which was situated just down the road from us. We spent time stroking and talking to the lovely four-legged residents who had been rescued by this wonderful charity, set in such beautiful grounds. 

 We loved our evenings spent together chatting about our day. Midi cooked up a feast on the BBQ with help from his able assistants. 

 Making the most of this beautiful summers day, we took a leisurely stroll down to the river to admire the stunning view, through the woodland paths. 

 A lovely morning was spent at Merridale Model Village full of wonderful miniature scenes. We couldn't believe how lifelike they were and all the intricate detail that must go into creating them. One of our favourite sights was a man proposing on the bridge. 

We enjoyed an exciting game of bowling, which some of us had never played before. We soon picked it up and were pretty impressed with how good we were! After a high scoring game, Neil was crowned champion. We gave him a huge cheer for his great effort.