Steam Railways in Yorkshire
We headed to York to whet our appetites for some steam train fun starting with a visit to the amazing National Railway Museum. When we arrived, we made our way to the main terminal hall and onto the platforms which now house several beautiful old steam trains including Queen Victoria’s personal locomotive. We marvelled at the exquisitely decorated carriages which include her sitting room, bedroom and even royal bathroom!
Over on the next platform we were able to check out a much more modern train in the form of the first intercity train. Then, we headed next door to the great hall which houses an enormous collection of trains from very old steam locomotives to the very modern Eurostar and Japanese Bullet.
The sun was shinning as we set off to Pickering to take a ride on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. As we walked onto the platform it was like stepping back in time or onto a movie set as it looked as though nothing had changed in decades. Our train soon came puffing its way in and we boarded one of the lovingly restored carriages and took our seats. The whistle blew and before we knew it, we had left Pickering station travelling through the moorland with its rolling hills, stone walls and babbling brooks. 
We disembarked at Goathland station which some movie fans may know as Hogsmeade Station. This station featured in the first Harry Potter film The Philosopher’s Stone. We waved our train goodbye as it chuffed off to Whitby and we headed up the hill into Goathland village. This village is also very famous as a fictional TV village called Aidensfield from the hit show Heartbeat.
Our first stop was Scripp's Garage which now serves a gift shop so we had a little look around and bought a few little bits and stopped for a few photo opportunities outside this iconic building.
A day was spent in the town of Skipton where we got to see the sights from an alternative mode of transport- a canal boat! We jumped aboard Rosie, a comfortable little cruiser that was just right for our little group. We were taken on a journey on the Liverpool and Leeds waving at the other boats as we passed. It felt very relaxing bobbing along the waterway and we loved looking out for any wildlife that we could spot.
A must do was an open top bus tour of York so we could learn about some of its fascinating history. Once on board we headed for the top deck to get the best view of what was being described on the audio commentary. We learned lots about York’s castle and city walls and many other interesting structures and buildings. 
After the tour ended, we found a great medieval pub part of which used to be the jail called The Hole in the Wall where we stopped to have some lunch before continuing our explorations. We worked our way around some of York’s many narrow streets which are lined with quirky shops the best being found in the famous shambles which reminded us a lot of Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter movies.
A feel friendly games of bowling was enjoyed where there were plenty of strikes and at points the competition was to close to call!
A fabulous was spent making the long journey by steam train all the way from Skipton to Carlisle! We found our seats, and started chugging our way through mile after mile of green hills as far as the eye could see. We were treated to some spectacular views of the Yorkshire Dales on one side and the peaks of the Peak District in the distance on the other side. 
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