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Riding on the Settle to Carlisle railway gives spectacular views of the scenery through which the line passes, but is not the best way to appreciate the magnificent structures of the line itself. To do that, you need to look at the line, which means you need to be off it. If you are prepared to walk, you can see much more than if you are confined to a car.
In August 1989, egged on by my (then) 12 year old daughter, I walked from Carlisle to Settle with her and her brother. I wanted to get pictures of the line and its surrounding scenery, and we also wanted to include some hill walking. The children all walked up their first (small) mountain at 3 years old, so we were all seasoned fell walkers. The pictures here give a few glimpses of the country we walked through.
The northern part of the walk is through farmland in the Eden valley. Cows were no surprise, but the topiary by the road side was unexpected. So too was the quaint old AA road sign. Further south, the terrain becomes more mountainous, and we climbed Mallerstang Edge, which gave us dramatic views, including the railway across the valley, way below us. The geology alternates between gritstone, which supports coarse grass and peat, and limestone, where the thinner soil is more fertile, the grass greener, and there are occasional lime kilns. It was damp and misty on the day we walked the 'Coal Road' from Garsdale over to Dent, and the picture here is a reminder that Pennine weather is not always sunny. The picture taken on Blea Moor is from directly above the famous tunnel, looking towards Dentdale, with the railway sweeping round the edge of the hillside.
Click on images for a larger version.
All material Copyright © 1986 John Harrison.
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