We went yesterday but when we got there the steam trains only run Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The others are diesel but there are just three a day. It's a single line track and the journey takes twenty-five minutes each way.
Wolsingham where we would board the train has no facilities but Stanhope at the other end of the line has a tea-room and shop and I think we would have time to have a coffee and a look round before the return journey. We expect to be going on Friday.
We drove on to Stanhope Dales centre yesterday and had a meal and Tony suggested we went on to Kilhope Lead Mine. We've been threatening to go for two years. It is one of those working museums it's been reopened for a few years now.
It was interesting but seemed a bit haphazard, loads of big rusty tools all over, and not an awful lot to see. There was a little stream though and a farmer was cutting the next door field and there were rabbits flying in all directions.
They had pigs in a pen and hens running loose one got too near a dog next to me and of course the dog lunged at it and the poor dog got such a lecture. But the little boy with them made me laugh he was so indignant and he told that dog he was so evil. Just for doing what comes naturally.
We could see the lead being seperated from the stone in big square wooden containers. They used the waterwheel for the process and there was water running all over the site. The children could go on a big square of land and break stone with a little hammer to find bits of quartz in it and they were loving that.
There were tours of the mine but the water was ankle deep and they supplied everyone with a big plastic bag inside a pair of wellies. I didn't go down. I was pleased we had gone but we both decided we wouldn't want to go again.
Maywalk
You sound a little disappointed Marie.
From your description I think I would have been the same.
Sandie Seward
I think I would have been interested in both attractions, actually. I love old railways as you already know, and also many old Industrial
Sites fascinate me too.
Because of my interest in railway history this often ties in with features like mines and quarries, steelworks, gasworks, coking works, and other "relics" of Britains' great industrial past, sadly, now, mostly gone, never to return. My first job when I left school for eight years was in a Naval Dockyard that had it's own extensive rail system and it's own loco's. This, plus the various ships, were the most interesting features of the place.
marieann
I knew you would be interested in the Railway, Sandie, but Maywalk is correct we were disappointed in the lead mine site it didn't look anything like the adverts for it.
The adverts we saw showed grass and picnic tables and gave a glowing account of all the amenities. There was one picnic table and a conifer wood with paths and a squirrel hide. It was very bad walking a lot of large uneven pebbles for paths and I'm not moving easily at the moment. I'll put some pictures on I've nearly worked out how to post a slideshow.
Of course it was also drizzling and was very overcast, no sun, that probably didn't help. I normally find something to enjoy everywhere I go.
