Oakworth back to Haworth

The Railway Children Walk #4

Our route then took us down to Oakworth Station, which is the focal point for a lot of the 'railway' elements of the Railway Children film. Mr Perks, the station porter who befriends the children, lived in the cottage right beside the level crossing. (Now white painted. The adjacent cottage is a more recent addition.)  

Oakworth Station itself featured in many scenes, most notably the tear-jerking bit where the children's father returns from wrongful imprisonment as a spy, and Bobbie (played by Jenny Agutter) runs to him shouting 'Daddy, my Daddy!'  It always makes me cry! (Watch the clip HERE - oh, do watch it!) 

We walked along Station Road, past Vale Mill, the former cotton spinning mill. The road passes under part of the mill and has some sharp, narrow bends. Vehicles are instructed to 'Hoot!' at the worst corner - which I'm sure is an ongoing delight to those still working in the mill's business units! The steps in my photo lead up and under the railway. 

The attractive row of cottages called Vale Fold Cottages, which I assume once belonged to the mill, also featured in the film, during the 'paper chase' scene. 

At this point we found ourselves alongside Bridgehouse Beck again, with some obvious relics from the time when it powered the mills. 

We were just alongside the railway line when we heard a train coming. It was a steam locomotive, though for some reason it was hitched to the carriages backwards (probably because there is no turntable at Oxenhope Station?) Unfortunately we were in deep shade from the surrounding trees, peering through a small gap in the foliage. I didn't have time to reset my camera so I didn't capture the movement sharply but I was pleased nevertheless to have seen the train and got a picture of it, albeit imperfect. It being a hot day, there wasn't much steam! There's something about steam trains that I love though, and to see one when we were doing this iconic walk was 'the icing on the cake'. 

On the way back into Haworth we walked past Ebor Mills, now converted into a residential complex.

The beck in front of the mill might once have been a mill dam and now it is a nature reserve, though currently overgrown by our old friend, the Himalayan Balsam. 

From here it was uphill and then a slow downhill back to Haworth Railway Station where we had started our walk. It had been about six miles of interesting walking through a variety of landscapes - but very hot and humid walking. My shower when I got home was a blissful experience!

Ticking off a walk!

 

The Railway Children Walk #1

I finally managed to complete a walk that I've been meaning to do for a good ten years, as a friend and I arranged to do it together. It's always really good to tick something off my 'bucket list' but these days I'm a bit nervous about trying new walks on my own, especially if they are slightly longer. The walk in question is a 6 mile circuit around Haworth, Oakworth and Oxenhope, visiting various locations seen in the 1970s film 'The Railway Children'.                                                                                                                                                  We started just beyond Haworth station, walking up the Worth valley towards Oxenhope, following the line of the railway and the stream called Bridgehouse Beck. It was a very warm and humid day; the promised showers barely materialised. We felt about ten drops of rain! The heat made it in some ways quite hard going and I was a sweaty mess by the time we finished

The first stretch was a gentle incline, along a well-defined path that has obviously existed for years. Despite passing a new housing estate in Haworth right at the start, and then a few much older dwellings and a water treatment works en route, it all felt very rural - and surprisingly green, given the very dry weather we've had. 

We passed through several 'kissing gates' (see top photo) and over a rather attractive iron bridge. They don't make them like that anymore! 

There was at one point a graceful but very narrow stone packhorse bridge over the beck. It must have been there for centuries, a reminder that these well-trodden pathways existed long before railways and motor transport. 

I'm not sure I'd trust the 'thin blue line' holding the little swing... 

I was a little disappointed that we didn't see more wildlife. I have seen deer in the area when I've been on the train travelling up the valley. There were a few small birds, and a grey heron flew across and landed by the beck. He took off again as we approached, keeping a safe distance from unpredictable humans! I think it was simply too warm for anything to be exerting any energy. 

Nearing Oxenhope, we had to cross the railway line - we stopped, looked, listened... We had heard trains and a little earlier we saw one of the vintage diesel locomotives that the Keighley and Worth Valley heritage Railway keeps in service. Nevertheless we crossed safely. 

Looking up the line into Oxenhope station, we could see the diesel train sitting beside the platform. 

Leeds Wagon Lifting Tower

I met a friend in Leeds recently. We had two objectives: 1) A coffee and a good catch-up 2) To find and explore the Leeds Wagon Lifting Tower mini museum. Both were achieved!

Just to the west of Leeds railway station there's a large area of development called Wellington Place, a  new urban quarter, 'blending high-specification office space with all the perks of the city centre: independent restaurants, enviable facilities and attractive outdoor spaces'. It is indeed quite an interesting area, with wide pedestrian boulevards linking modern high-rise glass office blocks. In the middle sits one of the last remaining pieces of history in this area: one of the twin towers that, using steam power and hoists, lifted railway wagons down from the rail viaduct that spanned the river and canal to deposit them in the Great Northern Goods Yard, at a lower level, ready to be unloaded. 

On the ground floor there is a tiny museum with old signs, photographs and sketches showing its history and how the area used to look between the 1850s and 1950s when it finally closed down. There were originally several rail stations in the city, belonging to the various railway companies. Eventually they were amalgamated into the existing Leeds station. 

It's a fascinating little piece of history and good to see a bit of Leeds' past restored and incorporated into the new urban quarter, part of Leeds' future. 

The Plot at Platform One

'The Plot at Platform One' would be a great title for a detective novel, wouldn't it? In fact, it's the name of one of the sites used by Veg on the Edge, our community gardening group. Their volunteers plant raised beds with vegetables, fruit and herbs that anyone can come and pick once they're ripe. This area is alongside the Leeds-bound platform of Saltaire railway station. I find it's quite enjoyable to feast my eyes (if not my stomach) on all the greenery whilst I'm waiting for a train.

They have three raised beds here. It's too early in the season for produce but there are some herbs. The borders between the fence and the sunny south-facing wall of the old Dining Hall (now part of Shipley College) are a riotous mixture of wild and garden flowers and shrubs, and attract bees, butterflies and pollinators. I rather like the flowering plant I've pictured - the flowers are such a wonderful azure blue. It's called green alkanet and is considered (in some places) to be an invasive weed as, once established, it is pretty hard to get rid of. Its flowers are, apparently, edible and can be used as a garnish on salads. 

Leeds station

I'm afraid I've not been doing anything very interesting since New Year. It's been so cold and icy that I've tended to avoid going out (even though we've had very little actual snow here, to speak of). Our hospitals are under such pressure; the last thing I want is to slip on the ice and end up in A&E facing a long wait for treatment, so I've been staying safe and cosy at home. 

I did venture across to Leeds on the train one day, to meet a friend. I was mildly amused to spot a man in the station concourse standing talking, quite loudly, to a mobile phone on a tripod, obviously filming himself. It looked quite a serious endeavour, as he even had a script of some sort in his hand. (Of course, deaf old me couldn't hear what he was saying.) I did wonder whether it was one of the local TV channels, as he looked vaguely familiar, though I'd have thought they could afford an actual camera operator and not rely on a mobile phone.  Modern life's zeitgeist is that everyone younger than me (and there are a lot of them!) seems to be permanently either 'talking to themselves' or cut off from the world with massive headphones. I find it really weird. 

Meanwhile, outside the station, work goes on to 'improve' the environment. They are enlarging the pedestrian forecourt; moving the bus shelters and spacing them out so there’s more room to wait for a bus and creating an additional pedestrian crossing to make it easier to get to and from the station. They say: 'We want to make a significant difference to the look and feel of this important ‘gateway’ to Leeds and the wider city region. We want visitors to get a great first impression of our city as they come out of the station.' It seems to be taking forever though, and is currently quite disruptive to pedestrians and traffic. 

Golden light

Some days lately, the light has been just gorgeous, making my usual walk a real pleasure. You don't often see fishermen on this stretch of canal nowadays but there was just the one. He had an absolute ton of equipment: a seat and an umbrella; at least eight different rods, all on stands; plus boxes of bait, nets and so on. He needed a large trailer thingy to transport them all in. To my eye he looked a lot nearer but my phone's camera has rendered him as a tiny speck in the distance! Never mind, I wanted that autumn tree in the foreground and I didn't really want to disturb his peace with a closer shot. 

I rarely take a photo at this spot at the side of the railway bridge, but the blue sky and all the trees on Shipley Glen looked beautiful. Network Rail have recently felled a lot of trees and shrubs on the side of the line. It seems a shame and looks rather denuded now but they don't like a lot of 'leaves on the line' as they can make the rails slippery. 

Below is the view from the other side of the bridge, with Saltaire's towers and chimneys in the distance. Again, it would have been better with my telephoto lens but I only had my phone with me, not expecting the light to be so lovely. The best camera is always the one you have with you! 

In the little nature reserve, there are two small acers, which were absolutely glowing in the sunshine. 

Saltaire station

Now I'm retired I don't use Saltaire railway station nearly as much as I used to, but I'm still glad it is there. It's extremely convenient, situated right in the centre of the village - about five minutes from where I used to live and about twelve minutes walk from where I am now (though longer going back as it's all uphill!) I was waiting for a train to Leeds and idly noticing that the station is really quite attractive, nestled at the foot of the village's housing stock and opposite the bulk of Salts Mill. 

The railway itself was there before Salts Mill was opened in 1853, being no doubt one of the factors contributing to Sir Titus Salt's decision to site his huge new mill here. A station was added and opened in 1856 by the Midland Railway. It was closed in the infamous Beeching cuts in 1965 and the original buildings were demolished but the link was then reopened in 1984. It has served commuters to Leeds and Bradford and travellers up the Aire valley to Skipton ('the gateway to the Dales') ever since. It takes less than twenty minutes to arrive in the heart of Leeds city centre, another big plus for this area for me and many others. I enjoy the fact that, looking west, there are no buildings really visible. It gives me a sense that the countryside beyond is calling and I like that. 

The best bookshop in the universe?

Northumberland break 15

Barter Books in Alnwick is the stuff of legend, and somehow - unaccountably - I had never been, so I was determined to put that right this time. It certainly lives up to its reputation. Housed in what used to be Alnwick's Victorian railway station (which closed in 1968), it buys and sells secondhand books. It is the general quirkiness of the place and its wonderful atmosphere that make it stand-out extraordinary - and it has a huge selection of books too, from children's literature to rare volumes, through everything in between. It has open fires, comfortable chairs, reading nooks, kids' toys and a very unhurried, un-pressured ambience. 

There are quotes from books painted above the shelves and, in a nod to its railway station origins, various model trains wind their way continually round the shop above the bookshelves (as you can perhaps see in the top photo).

Its railway station past is clear - from the glass canopied roof to the waiting rooms with their fireplaces and wonderful tiles, traces of the platforms and the well (now filled in) where the tracks ran. That is if you can keep your eyes away from the multitude of enticing titles on the shelves! 

There are colourful artworks too, including one by Peter Dodd that shows many famous writers. (There is a key to who they are, on the website - see HERE) . 

It also has a very good 'station buffet' serving food and drinks, so that you (by which I mean I... 😉) could happily spend the entire day there, browsing. I came away with a small but eclectic pile of beautiful books, including a Penguin paperback of 'Bonjour Tristesse' by Francoise Sagan (originally retailing at 2s/6d) which I last read when I was at school; 'The Book of Joy', a conversation between the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu; 'Eight Feet in the Andes' by the (recently deceased) travel writer Dervla Murphy; a memoir by Joan Bakewell and a couple of novels. Alas, I did eventually have to leave, to come home. But I will go back!   

Settle station

The railway station in Settle, like most of the stations on the Settle-Carlisle line, retains a lot of its heritage charm. Opened in 1876, as part of the Midland Railway Company, it is still painted in their colours of red (properly called Crimson Lake) and cream. Almost closed in the 1980s, pressure groups ensured its survival and the line has gone from strength to strength, helped by the superb scenery that it passes through, although I believe there are only 8 or 9 services a day through Settle. 

The station occupies an elevated position, giving lovely views across to Giggleswick school's unusual copper-domed chapel  (above) and with a view of Pen-Y-Ghent along the platform (below). 

I was amused to read the signs on the platforms - 'Settle down' on the Carlisle side and 'Settle up' on the Leeds side, though I was puzzled... I always think of anywhere south (Leeds, London) as 'down' and anywhere north (Carlisle, Glasgow) as 'up' so to me these signs were illogical. My knowledgeable friend pointed out that in railway terms, London is the centre, so you always go 'up' to London.

A few vintage suitcases reinforced the heritage feel of the station:

and, in the station yard, what was once a huge water tower with a cast iron tank for replenishing the supplies of steam trains, has been converted into a residential property. I'd love to see inside! The owners are, apparently, fellow Bloggers so there is an entire blog dedicated to it - see HERE - with some photos.