All aboard the Moors Railway

Things to do in Yorkshire

Tuesday, 29, Jun 2010 11:41

Take a step back in time on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and discover the beauty of Yorkshire's moorlands with Travelbite.co.uk's Simon Willmore.

The train whistles, bumps and clunks its way through the countryside, the occasional 'toot' of the steam engine still startling me each time the driver pulls the cord.

As a self-confessed (or should that be proclaimed?) Midlander, I've seen little of England further north than Birmingham. Therefore my only real knowledge of the Yorkshire Moors comes from Emily Bronte and Cathy and Heathcliff - and when I say 'knowledge' I obviously mean recollection of a fictional story.

I had woken that morning expecting thick, unforgiving fog laying close over barren, rocky outcrops that cut jagged stony daggers into cold, harsh moorland. I don't really know why, seeing as it is June and the weather forecast said it was going to be 23 degrees and sunny.

The image of a desolate Heathcliff fighting his way through the relentless wind and trampling over dense brown bracken couldn't feel further away, as we cruise leisurely past lush green forest including 30-foot trees - vegetation and climate more fitting to the Amazon rainforest than Wuthering Heights.

However, despite the challenges to my expectations, the setting of the novel is rather similar to the time period I find myself in now. I'm sat on board the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, which was built in the early 1830s, only 20 years after the events in Bronte's story. An experience billed as a 'step back in time', the train itself is a Victorian-era steamer, and the stations have been maintained to look as they did in the early 1900s. The most modern thing in sight is my cup of instant Kenco.

All the original posters and adverts are still visible too; the onboard public conveniences are labeled 'Lavatories' and my fellow travellers and I honestly cannot remember the last time we saw that word in writing. As for the adverts - the types printed on metal sheets - there are some interesting concoctions on offer. One sign promotes the less-than-appealing 'Andrew's Liver Salt' and I don't struggle to see why that business went bust.

All of a sudden, the Amazonian trees fade from sight and we are in 'classic English village' territory - the type of vista that I imagine one would see covered in snow on a traditional Christmas card. Even the view from the train fits in with the concept of taking a step back in time.

I take in the surrounding landscape as we rumble and roll our way from Pickering to Whitby. I can see rolling hills, quaint brick cottages and men in peaked caps sitting by the riverside with their fishing line, waiting patiently for the next bite. For somewhere that's less than three hours away from London, it's a real contrast to the highways, high speed and high-rise structures of the capital.

The journey itself is quite a change from my normal day-to-day commute, too - if I look out of the window on the Jubilee Line tube to Canary Wharf, the highlight of the journey is probably that strange metallic wall cladding in Westminster station. In stark comparison, I've always thought visiting that place is like looking into the future. Who knows, maybe Yorkshire will one day be seeing shiny metal walls as well.

The steam engine sputters and growls as we slow down upon arrival at Goathling - Heartbeat Country as it is both marketed and known affectionately by locals, after the long-running ITV series. The first sight as I get off the train is a signpost to a 'Tea Room' and I again wonder when I last saw that phrase. We leave the station and stroll lazily up the hill to the town centre, the slower pace of life seeming to have got to us already. I notice that the mess lining the pavement is different here compared to normal, and we soon see why.

Just up the road are two sheep, just meandering around on the pavement and village green. They wander around at the roadside, like a couple of old men putting the world to rights and chewing the fat - as they chew the grass.

Two minutes later and there are three more sheep, grazing on a patch dangerously close to a bus stop. My instincts assure me that they can't be waiting for the 320 to Levisham, but I am still so blind-sided by the sheer volume of sheep poo on the road outside the post office that I don't really know what to think anymore.

Fans of the Heartbeat series will no doubt recognize the sights and backdrop of the famous village of Aidensfield, the fictional TV village based on the Constable books by local author Nicholas Rhea. Scripps Garage still has a classic 1960's Ford Anglia Panda parked on the forecourt. I abuse the photo opportunity, even though I have never watched the programme - I figure it may be a good claim to fame next time I am speaking to my grandparents.

A purchase of Heartbeat Country fudge (they really have jumped on the bandwagon in terms of tourism), and a few more moments of imagining living here - it's so old-fashioned / isolated / peaceful here, there isn't even mobile phone signal - and its time to get back to the train station.

I check my pockets for my old-style, typewritten, train ticket and cross the tracks - walking along the wooden platform over the rails rather than needing to climb stairs as is normally the way nowadays. Every last detail seems to have been taken into account; apart from the cup of instant coffee, which I am very glad of given the early morning start. Everything here fits the authentic historic atmosphere of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

I really do feel like I have taken a step back in time. It's been a wonderful trip. But I can't wait to get back and check my messages. Sad, isn't it?

Simon Willmore

Simon stayed at the Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa in the picturesque market town of Helmsley on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors.

Read a travel feature about the beautiful Peak District by Lewis Bazley.

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