North Yorkshire Moors Railway

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We surprise my brother today by singing happy birthday and presenting him with various gifts and cards. He’s surprised because his birthday is actually tomorrow! However as we are due to head home tomorrow it seems a bit mean not to celebrate today.

Dad is really keen to take a trip on a steam train today and manages to persuade me to join him. I’m reluctant at first as I would rather have stayed in York today. However I relent and decided that spending the morning travelling through the North Yorkshire Moors might be quite enjoyable.

We leave York in the rain and head to a town called Pickering to catch the train. We had plenty of time to get there but unfortunately we managed to miss it entirely, ending up stuck in a traffic jam … twice! When we do finally make it to the car park of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, we struggle to find a dry spot for the car before making a dash for the station. Worryingly it’s right next to a tiny brook that is looking very swollen from all the recent rain. On the way we pass the engine shed, full of trains and carriages in various states of repair. Had the weather been better I would probably have taken a look around.

I gallently offered to buy our tickets – and was left speechless by how incredibly expensive they were.  I really regretted offering to pay for both of us! Dad must have realised it was more than I had anticipate and returns the favour by buying us lunch in the station restaurant. It’s basic but perfectly pleasant.

Eventually it’s time to catch our train. A wonderful, polished steam engine draws up and the station master and his assistants have to place box steps below the doors, so that we can easily step up into the rather luxurious carriages. Well luxurious compared with modern carriages anyway. We take up some excellent seats, each ensuring we have a window to take our photographs from. And then with a joyful whistle, we are off!

For me, travelling by steam train is a complete novelty; I’ve only ever travelled this way once or twice in my life. However for dad it is a vivid reminder of his childhood and he positively revels in the sights, sounds and smells. He even appreciates the filthy soot that leaves you feeling grimy and gets into your eyes. I’m actually quite grateful that I don’t have to travel by steam train every day – as romantic as they may seem, they really wouldn’t be very practical.

We are both competing to take photographs of the passing countryside and the train itself. Of course one of the problems with travelling on the train is that getting a picture of it is quite difficult. I find myself waiting for it to go around bends, so that I can look ahead to the engine. In fact the countryside is also fantastically beautiful. No doubt helped by the fact that the sun is beginning to break though the cloud.

There are a number of stations along the route, perfect for accessing the national park. If you are a real train lover there are even a couple of railway carriages along the route that have been converted into holiday accommodation.

Eventually we reach the end of the line and Grosmont station. You can apparently join the main railway network from here, but you have to pick the right date and time. There were no connections today so we made the most of looking around the station.

All the people who work on the railway line are steam train enthusiasts and give up their time voluntarily. I watched three guys having a tea break dressed in their oily overalls. One looked like a real workman – the oil on his skin was really engrained and even the way he held his cigarette looked authentic. The others clearly had other occupations and my guess would be bank managers. They just didn’t look like they really belonged. However it was clear they were really enjoying themselves.

About an hour after arriving, our train pulled back into the station and we all piled back on. Dad was keen to sit closer to the engine this time. Now we had the full on sooty, gritty, smelly effect. Still that’s nostalgia for you!

The highlight (according to all the steam enthusiasts on board) was the moment when our train passed the other heading towards Pickering. However you really need to know when it’s likely to happen. Needless to say I missed the blooming thing!

We headed back to base after our morning spent on the trains. I took one last bus into York to have a final wander around the city. I also do a little shopping finally managing to navigate my way to a specific shop. It’s the first time I’ve actually managed to do this since arriving so I’m really quite pleased with myself. Typically I leave it to the last day before finally getting my bearings.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this trip and spending some time getting to know a different part of my own country. It’s embarrassing how few British cities I’ve visited in my 37 years, assuming I can’t count cities travelled through by train without alighting! There really are too many places I want to visit in the world and nowhere near enough time to do it all in. Ah well, I’ll have to start planning for next year!