North Yorkshire Moors Railway

June 2009

When I thought of a visit to the Yorkshire Moors, I envisioned Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights) and Sherlock Holmes (Hounds of the Baskervilles) in the dark and dreary moors, haunted by fierce winds and shadows.  Still, I was intrigued by the opportunity to take the privately-run vintage North Yorkshire Moors Railway from Pickering to the coastal town of Whitby.  While this used to be a popular railway route for steam engines connecting the coast to inland, it was dropped after the nationalization of the railways to save costs.  It has now been made into a historic rail line, popular with tourists, train enthusiasts, and anyone wanting a great ride through beautiful countryside.

I could only get to Pickering by bus from York and the hours of the NYM railway are limited, so I had to plan carefully to fit it into my itinerary.  The rail station was a walkable distance from the bus stop, though it was more challenging lugging my luggage.  Whereas many just do it as a day trip and enjoy getting off at the various stops to explore the quaint towns,  I planned an overnight stay at Whitby before heading north through Middleborough and Darlington to Newcastle-upon-Tyne.  For a couple of stops, I shared the car with autistic young adults and their chaperones out on an excursion.  They reminded me of some of the delightful challenged students that I have worked with.

What fun it was to enter the old station and wait with the station master for the steam engine to arrive!  Of course, there were plenty of Thomas the Tank Engine toys and model train sets to look over  until the train showed up.  As we chugged along, I was surprised by the varied green and lush landscapes of pine forests, twisted shrub-trees, hills of purple heather, and green meadows with sheep.   The old stations and trains have been a favorite for movies and t.v. series like Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, and the Goathland station was the original Hogsmeade in the Harry Potter movie, The Sorcerer's Stone.  Great adventure!
Click on link for slideshow:
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Music: Parry, An English Suite: Frolic, Spirit of England
More information:  www.nymr.co.uk