Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway
Date of visit: 31st August 2006
I visited the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway when I spent a few days in the Lake District after the August Bank Holiday weekend. It was fun getting to the railway. I based myself in Ambleside while in the Lake District and the most direct route is by going over Hardknott Pass. The road over the pass is regarded by many as the most challenging in England with gradients of 25-30% in places. Seeing as I was feeling brave that day I decided to give it a go but, after the first tough gradient and an inadvertent wrong turn decided that discretion was the better part of valour and went the long way to Ravenglass via the coastal road.
Ravenglass Station
There is a more than ample car park at Ravenglass Station and it's also a very short walk from the main railway network's station at Ravenglass meaning that access to the railway is a lot easier than some preserved railways for those without cars.
Situated at the end of the car park nearest to the main entrance is a very nice museum which tells the history of the railway from when it was an industrial railway and also has some nicely made model railways of the line - although none of them were running when I visited. The Ticket Office is situated at the other end of the car park and is also where the main shop for the railway is located.
After I bought my ticket I made my way out onto the station platform. There is a turntable for running around the locos once a train comes in and, on the far platform from the ticket office, a cafe, a garden with tables and all the other amenities. One word about the cafe - it was quite impressive. There was a good range of food, was very clean, very well priced and the apple pie I had was one of the nicest apple pies I've had and I do like my apple pie!
The train was longer than I thought it would be considering that the train would be travelling up a mountain and was pulled by the railway's River Kite locomotive. After a short wait the train set off. At this point it needs to be mentioned that a number of stations on the line appear to be request stops as the train went through a number of stations without stopping. The route was incredibly picturesque as you would expect for a railway set in the Lake District. This made the journey up to Dalegarth very enjoyable indeed and I took a lot of pictures with my camera but, unfortunately, most of them were too blurred.
Dalegarth Station
The train terminated at Dalegarth Station. As with Ravenglass, there was a turntable at the far end so that the loco could be run around and attached to the other end of the train for the return journey. This took long enough to give ample time to enjoy the scenery. Scafell mountain and, behind that, England's largest mountain Scafell Pike can both be seen. Dalegarth station itself is very nice. There is a stream running underneath the line at the entrance to the station which enhances the visual effect no end and there is a shop and restaurant though I couldn't tell you what they are like having indulged myself at Ravenglass' cafe. There are a couple of pubs close by should anyone wish to linger at Dalegarth and catch a later train back down the line but I decided not to stay as I'm unable to drink anyway even if I wasn't driving!
On the trip back, I got off at Irton Road to take a few pictures of this station as the train had to wait a short time to allow a train going up to Dalegarth to pass. Irton Road is one of the larger stations on the line so I couldn't pass the opportunity by to take some photos. Again, the scenery at this station is quite stunning and makes a journey on this line all the more memorable.
Once back at Ravenglass I took the time to enjoy the station some more as I didn't have that much time to do so after having had a meal in the cafe before the outward journey. The station itself is well maintained and it's clear that a lot of time and effort go into the appearance. I especially liked the hanging baskets - a nice touch. I also took the time to have a look at the signal box, sidings and engine sheds. I would have liked to get a look inside the signal box but the people operating it looked quite busy and I didn't want to disturb them.
All in all, visiting the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway was a highly enjoyable experience and one I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a day out on a preserved railway.
Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway gallery (coming soon)
Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway website (external link)
