| > | | | | especially by tourists. |
| At a casual glance it may seem hard to find a link | | | | These days, whatever season you make your |
| between the extreme North West of England with | | | | journey -- spring, summer, autumn, or winter -- you |
| its Lakes, walls and sheep and the Yorkshire Dales on | | | | can count on this beautiful line to offer astounding |
| the other side of the Penines with its historic | | | | views and fun destinations along the way. With |
| cathedrals, walls and er, sheep. Actually, there's a | | | | regular scheduled passenger services each day |
| much better way to get bewteen the Lake District | | | | (meaning no need to book advance tickets), a trip |
| and York, the Settle-Carlisle railway. Great Railway | | | | along the Settle-Carlisle offers a wonderful option for |
| Journeys: The Magnificent Settle to Carlisle | | | | an affordable holiday full of history, heritage and |
| Experience | | | | wonder. |
| Traveling between two of England's most | | | | The railway boasts a number of interesting features, |
| picturesque counties, Cumbria with its Lake District, | | | | including standardized stations built from local |
| and proud Yorkshire, home to kings and princes, may | | | | materials, days out from Hadrian's Wall in Carlisle,the |
| not be high on the commuter list or business agenda, | | | | nearby Lake District, Appleby in Westmorland, Kirkby |
| but thousands of people make the journey every | | | | Stephen in the Eden Valley, picturesque viaducts |
| year for the sheer pleasure of riding along a | | | | including Ribblehead, and Settle's market square - just |
| masterpiece of Victorian can-do spirit, otherwise | | | | to name a few options open to travelers. |
| known as the Settle-Carlisle railway. | | | | Taking a few days to travel the line will offer not |
| Travelling through some of the most beautiful and | | | | only the chance to see more than a few of these |
| stark landscapes in Northern England -- especially if | | | | sights, but also to take in a Lake District hotel stay |
| you're being pulled by one of the numerous steam | | | | at the start of your journey and continue the theme |
| specials -- the 72-mile line which threads its way | | | | with a visit to the National Railway museum in York. |
| through the North Pennines and Yorkshire Dales is a | | | | Historic York's hotels, restaurants, shops and culture |
| testament to our ancestors, especially given the | | | | offer a perfect contrast to the speed and power |
| technological limitations they faced. | | | | and hard-edged engineering of the Settle-Carlisle. |
| In fact, the line is the result of political and | | | | While most railways in the UK are sterile affairs used |
| commercial struggles between private railway owners | | | | for getting from point A to point B, the |
| in the 1860s, with bold and sometimes desperate | | | | Settle-Carlisle railway is one train line which retains its |
| attempts to carve a slice of the lucrative railway | | | | charm and gives us the ability to look into the past |
| traffic between London and Scotland. It's almost | | | | through the eyes of the engineers, travelers and |
| certain that were such a project to be mooted | | | | locals who have used it for so many years. From |
| today, it would be extremely unlikely to ever make it | | | | the Lake District to historic York, the adventurous |
| off the drawing board. | | | | traveler will find more than they can imagine by |
| The line faced closure in the 1980s after rail bosses | | | | simply stopping at each station, getting off the train, |
| claimed it was too costly to keep open, especially | | | | and taking a good look around. |
| the price of maintaining track buildings such as the | | | | Offering a glimpse of history in modern times, the |
| impressive Ribblesdale Viaduct. But a massive public | | | | Settle to Carlisle railway experience makes a great |
| rescue effort and accusations of a dirty tricks | | | | holiday for anyone looking to explore the Northern |
| campaign by line chiefs led to a withdrawl of the | | | | English countryside. |
| shut-down plans and a resurgence in use of the line, | | | | |