A Day on the Wensleydale Railway

On Wednesday 6th of September it was my Dad's 60th Birthday, so being the dutiful daughter that I am I took they day off work so that we could spend the day together. My Sister is currently on Maternity Leave and my Brother in Law also managed to get away from work for the day and with my Parents newly retired we had a rare opportunity to spend the whole day out celebrating my Dad on his 60th Birthday together.

We had a bit of a tough time deciding on what we would do during the day as we have done quite a few of the local attractions near by to us. We had originally discussed going to Northumberlandia but this was quite far away from where we live and as we had plans for the evening for a meal with some of our family friends we thought it best to stay slightly more local. So instead we decided on the Wensleydale Railway which is much closer to where we live and also something we haven't done before.

The Wensleydale Railway is a volunteer run vintage railway running between Leeming Bar, just outside Northallerton to Redmire in the Yorkshire Dales. As well as running steam trains they also re-purpose old diesel trains and basically any vintage trains that they can get hold of are used.  We weren't lucky to be attending on a day when the Steam Trains are running but if you check the website they will have the dates advertised there subject to change because as im told steam trains arent always reliable but that just adds to their charm.

 As we were queuing up to get on the train there was a carriage being set up for afternoon tea which looked amazing and my Mum got talking to one of the volunteers and they say the afternoon tea train ride is very popular and books up months in advance so if this sounds like something you would like to do bear that in mind.  Also when we arrived there was a coach load of people arrived so we did worry that we may not get a seat for the five of us and my 3 month old nephew, but luckily there were more than enough seats to accommodate everyone and we settled in nicely. We had brought with us a little picnic to eat on our journey which felt very civilised and with the gorgeous scenery racing past it was a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.



We only had time to go as far as Leyburn a small dales market town on the line as we needed to get back home in enough time to get ready for our evening meal out with friends. When we arrived in Leyburn we took a steady walk into the town and had a cup of tea and a biscuit then a little wander around the shops before heading back to the station for our journey back to Leeming.

We all had a really lovely time and it was so nice too see parts of the local countryside you wouldn't normally get to see as it runs through some remote parts of the dales. All the staff and volunteers were very friendly and clearly passionate about the Wensleydale Railway. The Wensleydale Railway run themed events on the train throughout the year such as Gin Tasting, Hog Roast and Jazz Evenings and at Christmas they do Journeys where Santa joins passengers for some festive fun!

Travel Inspiration - My Parents

There is no doubt about it, I get my desire to travel from my Mum and Dad! I have been travelling with them in some way shape or form since I was born and the places we have been to and experiences we have had are ones I'll never forget!

Both my parents grew up in families with little money and so were not able to travel widely and they both decided to join the Army when they were able to as a chance to travel and see the world which they have done by the bucket load since. Some of my earliest memories are of me, my mum and dad and sister piling into a car and going away whether that was to visit our family who live all over the UK or to Europe. One of my first holidays that I can remember was the four of us hoping on a ferry over to France to visit Disneyland Paris and also a caravan stop just South of Paris. We took games and had BBQ's it was so much fun.

When I was 6 my Dad was posted to Rinteln in Germany for three years and as a family we used this as a springboard to Europe travelling to Austria and Italy for summers away. I remember we went to Venice in the middle of Julys blistering heat and it was in the hotel pool that I found the confidence to swim with no armbands! Another holiday saw us travel to Austria with our caravan and we visited all the sites from the film the Sound of Music a family fave, me and my sister recreated the scene where the Von Trapp kids danced around a water fountain singing our heads off was such a laugh for us all.

When I was 12 my Dad reconnected with an old army friend of his that he lost touch with when he and his family moved out to Australia. This was in the early days of the internet and it was pure fluke that they made contact again. About a year after they found each other again our family flew out to Australia to spend 3 weeks with my dads friend and his kids and we all got on famously. Had my dad not reconnected with his friend I don't think I would have had such an amazing opportunity to travel so far at that age. My dad and his friend are still in contact now and his family have been out to see us and my mum and dad have gone back to Australia a second time.

Since myself and my sister have grown up my Mum and Dad have had a whole new lease on life heading abroad at least twice a year for holidays and trips away they always make sure they have a trip planned so they always come home to something to look forward to, a mantra I try to implement myself. They have been to so many different countries its unreal and so inspiring I want to see and experience as much of the world as my parents have and that is why they will always be my travel inspiration!

Who is your travel inspiration? Why do they inspire you to travel? Please let me know in the comments section.

Family Day Out ~ The Forbidden Corner

A few weeks ago now my Sister had her Sister-in-Law, Brother-in-Law and two Nephews up for the weekend and as we all had the day off Saturday we (Mummy and Daddy Lines included) decided to have a day out at The Forbidden Corner in Middleham near Leyburn North Yorkshire.

On the Bank Holiday Monday there was a parade in Richmond (my hometown) and in the gardens they had stalls and face painting etc. My Mum had purchased some raffle tickets from one of the stalls and then we set off home for a chilled afternoon. Whilst we were just sitting down to eat our evening meal we had a call and I think this happens to most people as soon as you sit down to eat the phone goes! Very annoying, but on this occasion this call wasn’t so bad, it was one of the raffle organisers calling to say that we had won a family ticket for The Forbidden Corner!

We had booked to go for 13:00 so we decided to take a picnic with us and have some lunch before we went in. The picnic area is in a small little wood with picnic benches spread out in small openings dotted around which is something different and luckily for us the weather was nice so it was a nice little place to enjoy our food.

Once we had filled our faces with tasty sandwiches and cakes we made our way in to the park its self and we had a fun filled afternoon making our way around making sure that we found everything that was on the leaflet that we were given at the start. There is plenty to see and a few surprises on the way.

If you are looking for a fun family day out then The Forbidden Corner is perfect as it’s just as much fun for adults as it is for the kids, no chance of getting bored while the kids are having a scream. Every time I’ve been they have added something new so if you have been before its worth checking out again especially if your looking for something to do during the upcoming summer holidays!