Skipton by Train 15th May 2017

A bargain ticket price and a ride on the train along the famous Settle-Carlisle Railway attracted 16 of us to go to Skipton for the day. An early start meant those travelling by train from Gretna to Carlisle had to be at the station by 8am! Unfortunately the weather was not in our favour and it was rather a wet and miserable day but we were determined to enjoy ourselves.
The guard on the train was very surprised to see so many people getting on at Gretna - we must have given their takings a boost for the day! Others chose to go by bus to Carlisle where we then all met up for the big adventure. There was time to get tickets, drinks etc and as the train was already in the station we found our seats in plenty of time - whether they were facing forwards or backwards - for the two hour journey.
As we were a group booking we had asked if a guide could be on the train to give us information along the way. The Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company as a public and private sector partnership supports, promotes and helps develop the line. Many improvements have taken place since the threat of closure in the 1980's and Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line work closely with railway authorities to ensure a successful future. Volunteers from the "Friends" are present on many of the scheduled trains but also undertake activities such as gardening, painting etc at the stations along the way. Waiting shelters and station facilities are constantly being improved at many of the stations and from what we saw they are a credit to the volunteers.

Appleby 

We were told that Ais Gill summit  is the highest point of the line at 1169 feet. The guide told us about the area we were passing through and the origin of the place names. He was very informative and friendly.    

Garsdale 

Dent

Dent is the highest mainline station in England at 1150 feet and the village is famous for its cobbled main street.

Horton-in-Ribblesdale

Settle

and finally ... Skipton.

Unfortunately the scenery on the way to Skipton was hidden under thick cloud or behind the rain but I am including photos here from a previous journey  - just so you can see what we missed!!

Once we arrived at Skipton everyone was free to do as they pleased. There were a few market stalls to browse but Skipton also has quite a variety of shops - including award-winning Pie shops!

Must give a mention here to Bizzie Lizzie's - we had eaten here on a previous visit and mentioned this to fellow travellers today (hoping they were still in business and still good!)
No worries!  The fish and chips were freshly cooked to order and as delicious as we remembered.

Skipton also has a castle, which is worth a visit, and the Leeds-Liverpool canal runs through the town too -  offering boat trips.

Several members considered a trip on the canal but timings didn't quite fit so that may have to wait for another day. A short walk along the side of the canal was possible however to see the boats moored there. Some of them are very well-looked after and colourful, with a variety of names!

All too soon it was time to return to the station. The friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line has reserved seats on the train for our group so we had a comfortable journey back to Carlisle where everyone agreed that despite the weather they had enjoyed the trip.