Carlisle

We only saw a bare minimum of Carlisle. We rolled into the marvellous train station, dropped our bags at the Left Luggage Office, and headed back out to catch the train to Ribblehead. It was enough of a stop to whet our appetite for later.

Ribblehead

Ribblehead is a tiny whistle stop on the Yorkshire Moors, on the Carlisle to Leeds line. It is best known for the 1876-built Midland Railway viaduct, the longest in all of Britain.

It’s also a very popular place for hiking. One finds lots of cars parked along the road, and the trails run across the vast empty plain.

We arrived as the sun was popping out from between large clouds, creating dramatic views of the viaduct. With a little patience, I even caught a couple trains in good light.

And then there is the Station Inn. This establishment rents rooms, runs a bare-bones hostel for hikers, and has great beverages. The “View from the Loo” is all it should be.

Back to Carlisle

In late afternoon we retraced our route, arriving in Carlisle with only a few minutes to spare before the Left Luggage office closed for the day. Of course, there was no one in the office….an irate passenger on another platform had drawn a crowd, and all the customer staff were dealing with all that. Happily, we found someone who could liberate our bags for us.

It was getting dark as we left the train station.

England was playing a World Series Rugby game that evening, and the main street was shut down for the game festivities. The excitement seemed to be everywhere – the crowds on the street were lively, while a flock of crazed starlings swirled overhead relentlessly.

We had just enough time for a short walk around the downtown, then grabbed a bite in a pub and retired to our hotel. It was a very short visit, but it left quite an impression.

On to Kidderminster

After a good night’s sleep in the Ibis Carlisle Hotel, we were back at the train station and ready to head onwards. In our itinerary, this was a travel day, great for counting sheep from the train, but not noteworthy for touring or tasting.

We encountered an abundance of foamers – sorry, trainwatchers – on the Carlisle station platform. I wondered if this was the norm, but it turned out there were two special trains due in the next two hours. The first – the Northern Belle tour train, the British version of the Simplon Orient Express, made a short pause here before departing for Leeds. The second – a steam special – passed us shortly after we departed. Several interesting and special freight trains passed through the trainshed, and many local and through trains passed through – Carlisle is a busy mainline station. The steam heritage is beautifully recorded on the trainshed wall.

My only complaint with British trainwatchers is that they extend little courtesy to photographers. I initially thought this to be  hostility – with time I realised that they are completely oblivious to others around them. Disciplined photo lines are apparently a North American custom.

The Virgin Pendolino trains are the sexiest on the rails in the UK. They were fun to watch, and very comfortable to ride. Virgin’s service is also wonderful. The electronic loo announcements (“Please do not flush anything – unpaid bills, your ex’s sweaters, your hopes or dreams, down our toilets”) are hilarious.

We boarded a Virgin Pendolino for a fast run down to Wolverhampton. Then, after two quick rides across Birmingham on Midland DMU’s, we arrived in Kidderminster.

Kidderminster is a pretty little town with a great downtown, but I didn’t take any pictures as we explored the street festival. There was coal smoke wafting over the hill…..steam was calling.

It was time for the Gala – Click here for Part 3