Steam Railways in Yorkshire with Darren, Midi & Marguerite

 Steam Railways in Yorkshire

All aboard Yorkshire’s Great Little steam train at ClaytonWest Station. We sat back and enjoyed the scenic route passing the iconic Emley Moor Transmitting Tower, through ancient Blacker Woods and onwards into the 467m long Shelley Woodhouse Tunnel. 

  

Everyone enjoyed the whistling of the train and the smell of the old steam engine. At Shelley Station we had a chance to watch the engine leave the carriages and turn around on the huge turntable ready to puff down the line and rejoin the carriages at the other end.

We spent our holiday pennies at the weekly market in Masham town square rummaging around all the old DVD's and record collections. 

  

We were taken on a journey through the art of cheese-making and were given the opportunity to watch the master cheese makers at work at the Wensleydale Cheese factory. One of the highlights of everyone’s day was having a photo taken with Wallace and Gromit who became synonymous with Wensleydale cheese. 

                                      

            

   It  was another very exciting day as we awaited the station platform. We could hear the whistles of the train before it came into view and we didn’t waste time, eagerly boarding the train and finding our seats in some of the oldest working carriages in operation today. We were sure that our carriage was featured in the Harry Potter movies! 

    

We reached the seaside town of Scarborough, taking a stroll along the seafront and then took a ride on the Victorian central tramway funicular that links the town centre with South Bay and its harbour. As we approached the top we could see out to sea for miles.

 What an incredible view.

   The sun was shining as we made our way to explore Asygarth Falls. The falls are a triple flight of waterfalls surrounded by woodland. They are famous for being the filming location of the movie-Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. The views were spectacular!

  

We were in heaven, surrounded by chocolate goodies and delicious smells! A visit to Leyburn and the ‘Inspired’ chocolate factory was a brilliant start to our morning. Here, they use fine Belgian chocolate, palm oil free then fuse it together with some Yorkshire flare to produce delectable handmade chocolates. We were able to attend a workshop where we became the finest chocolatiers and we made our very own chocolate pizzas which was great fun! 

It was time to embark on our last steam railway trip of the holiday on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.  Pickering station is a 1930s themed station that will transport you back in time to the steam era. We browsed around the souvenir shop before joining our train on the opposite platform. Once seated in our carriage, the whistle blew, and we were ‘full steam ahead’. What a great afternoon we had being transported back to the steam era whilst enjoying the picturesque views. 

                                 

We love celebrating a birthday on our holidays! After a delicious dinner we surprised George with a birthday with a cake! We hope you made a wish George, when you blew your candles out!  

Wales- Castles, Coast & Steam Trains with Isobel & Gary

                    Wales-Castles, Coast & Steam Trains                                          

   

What incredible views we had on our journey to Wales. We couldn't wait to explore the local area and  get stuck into the activities we had planned.  

        

     

We had a fantastic day at Ludlow Castle, one of the finest medieval ruins in England. Walking through the beautiful castle grounds we saw the ancient houses of the Kings, Queens, Princes and Judges that all used to live here. It gave us a real insight into their lives and the lifestyle of medieval society's. 

    

We explored the old ruins, climbed through the castle walls and pretended to be Knights, fighting off our enemies.

                           

        

We travelled on the Monmouth and Brecon Canal a historical waterway, a fantastic fleet of engineering, built before roads and railways. We went through the canal lock and under some incredible stone bridges, enjoying the wonderful scenery and we tried our best to spot all the different wildlife as we cruised along. Refreshments were provided on board which made it even easier to feel super relaxed in the warm sun.

                               

A fabulous morning was spent at the Magic of Life Butterfly House in the stunning Rheidol Valley. We were greeted by lots of free-flying tropical butterflies of all beautiful shapes and colours and an array of rare and exotic plants. The owner Neil Gale, who is a tropical botanist came and spoke to us and shared lots of information. He was surprised to see one of the largest butterflies sit on our hands and enjoying a short rest on Richards hat! 

    

Today we heading to the National Showcaves Centre. We visited the Cathedral Cave with its colossal cave passageway decorated with thousands of delicate stalactites and beautiful waterfalls, cascading into underground lakes. This cave has unusual formations and a beautiful cavern which is known as "The Dome of St Pauls". We weaved our way through the deep dark tunnels making it out the other side!

     

  We became dinosaur hunters as we walked around the park viewing the huge model dinosaurs. We couldn’t believe the size of them! 

      

All aboard the small train which took us to the Shire Horse Centre & Mr Morgan's Victorian Farm. On arrival we were greeted by the sheep, alpacas and llamas who were quite happily grazing in the field. We were interested to see and learn how farming families lived and worked by the fabulous displays and workshops which had been carefully set up. 

We met the miniature steam railway and enjoyed a journey from Fairbourne Station passing the long sandy beaches, Estuary Halt and Barmouth Ferry Station, admiring the beautiful scenery along the way.

                                             

  

We couldn't visit the seaside without having a tasty ice cream! 

When we weren't out and about, we loved relaxing in the warm, bubbly hot tub that we were lucky enough to enjoy at our cottage.