It’s wet in Eskdale
Rainy Ravenglass
10 July 2024
For the second time this year, we’re using
the 08.09 Avanti train from Crewe to get to
Carlisle, and again enjoying breakfast in
first class to compensate for a very early
awakening. In February we then headed of
down the S&C - today, it’s the Cumbrian
Coast, and the weather forecast isn’t
great...
At Ravenglass, we’re going to change into a train running
on the 15”-gauge tracks of the ‘Ratty’, up into Eskdale
and back. At Dalegarth it’s not really raining, it’s just
very damp - it’s certainly not going to prevent us taking
a few photos. On the return journey the damp has
become drizzle - not easy to get a shot from the train.
Back in Ravenglass, the drizzle has turned to rain, and
after a look around the excellent museum, we have a
choice of trains for our onward journey to Barrow - the
first would cause us an hour’s wait for the Manchester
train at Barrow; the second meant we could could spend
that time in the Ratty Arms. (I think the decision is
what’s known as a ‘no brainer’).
Geoff’s Rail Diaries
The later train connects with a Barrow -
Manchester Airport service. At Manchester,
we have just enough time to buy coffee
and cake for the last part of our journey
before it arrives - a TfW service to Cardiff.
It’s away on time and before long we’re
back to where we started, after a most
enjoyable, if slightly soggy day out.
(If our route seems eccentric, that’s because we were
using a Northern Rail £10 rover - but there’s no quick
way to get from Crewe to Carlisle on Northern trains.
Nor is there a direct Northern service between Preston
and Crewe. We could have used a Northern ‘stopper’
from Manchester to Crewe, but with a very tight
connection, we’d guessed correctly that we’d probably
miss it - the TfW option was well worth the extra fare)
Link: Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
