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The most scenic rail journey in England is back up and running

The Ribblehead Viaduct makes for an impressive sight - MNStudio/Shutterstock
The Ribblehead Viaduct makes for an impressive sight - MNStudio/Shutterstock

If you’re fit, you can walk the three Yorkshire peaks of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent in a day; if you must, you can even run them. Or you can view them in all their magnificence from the comfort of the reclining leather seats of the Staycation Express, the remarkable British train success story of the pandemic.

On Monday – freedom day, lest you forgot – the Staycation Express began its second season plying the route between Settle and Carlisle, otherwise known as the most scenic rail journey in England.

The weather was glorious (not something you can always say about the North West), the views were spectacular and, for all the confusions about how best we should mix and mingle as we move into new and yet old travel territory, the mood was upbeat and jovial.

“Isn’t this something?” said a beaming woman who had travelled across from Thirsk with her husband and was revelling in the view of the glistening River Eden. “We know this area well but really wanted to see it from a train. Especially one this lovely and smooth.”

The 72-mile-long Settle-Carlisle line is celebrated for its visual splendours. In addition to the Yorkshire Dales, iconic stone walls and peaks of the Pennines, it offers tantalising glimpses of the Lake District as it climbs its way through fell country to the highest point of railway track in England. And getting there involves travelling through numerous tunnels and over a series of viaducts, none more striking than the 24-arched one at Ribblehead.

Adrian Bridge gets ready to ride the Staycation Express
Adrian Bridge gets ready to ride the Staycation Express

Viaducts of course are best seen from afar, but if you position yourself carefully as the train turns into Ribblehead, you can enjoy the thrill of spying some of those arches and get a real sense of the magnitude of the engineering feat the line represents.

It was in the 1870s that the Midland Railway company decided it wanted to build a line running services into Scotland through some of the most beautiful but starkest terrain in England. Teams of navvies toiled in frequently harsh conditions to complete the project which – surprise, surprise – came in way over budget.

For many years it offered a perfectly serviceable fast route into Scotland, but with those steep gradients – the stretch from Settle to Blea Moor was known as the “long drag” – and the cost of maintaining the many tunnels and viaducts, it gradually began to lose out to quicker, more direct lines to Glasgow and beyond.

The line survived the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, but with further decline and dwindling usage it was slated for closure two decades later. It was saved thanks to a combination of a well-organised local protest movement and a supportive intervention from the transport secretary at the time, Michael Portillo, who often says that saving the Settle-Carlisle line was the best thing he ever achieved in government.

All aboard for Carlisle - Getty
All aboard for Carlisle - Getty

Those enjoying the glorious views on Monday would probably have agreed with that assessment, none more so than Adrian Quine. He is the man who has masterminded the train that made the most unlikely of debuts last summer, and despite the ravages of the pandemic – or even in some ways because of them – proved an outstanding success. With holidays abroad then – and now – uncertain, all aboard the Staycation Express!

But the dream of opening such a service long predated the pandemic.

“I’d noticed that despite the wonder of the Settle-Carlisle line, it was a very underused national asset,” said Quine. “Until recently, people wanting to travel on the route had only two choices: a very limited two-carriage service provided by Northern, or pricey specials put on by steam and heritage train companies with all the trimmings in terms of fine dining and décor. We wanted to provide something in between, a much more affordable but grand day out where people could enjoy spectacular scenery in real comfort.”

And comfortable it is. Astonishingly for those who remember the dying days of the discredited British Rail, the train recasts that era in a gleaming new light, with a striking British Racing Green livery, robust InterCity 125 diesel engines and re-purposed carriages dating back to the 1980s.

It helps that all five of its carriages are First Class. The reclining leather seats are spacious, the fixtures, fittings and soft lighting are stylish and – in a vital concession to the times – each seating bank has its own USB port and a discreet Perspex screen providing a little more privacy and protection.

“We wanted to bring back a bit of old-style panache, but add a modern twist,” said Quine.

The beaming couple from Thirsk certainly looked very much at home in those large leather chairs – and loved the phone sockets. “Very impressive; very modern.” Among a group of four friends who had travelled from Stockport, one celebrated being able to open the windows at the end of carriages; another said it was great simply spending time together enjoying perfect views over the Yorkshire Dales. (“Never nicer than when bathed in sunshine.”)

During a two-hour stop in Carlisle, between wolfing down a Cumberland sausage and taking a quick look at the castle and cathedral, I bumped into more fellow passengers, a brother and sister – one travelling from St Andrews, the other from the Channel Islands. “It’s a great chance to catch up – and we knew we’d both enjoy this.”

The Staycation Express, ready to depart again
The Staycation Express, ready to depart again

Back on the train, I almost regretted the sausage when I tucked into an afternoon tea including cucumber sandwiches, cakes and a delicious scone, freshly baked that morning by a local baker in Appleby-in-Westmorland, a quaint Cumbrian market town for which the Staycation Express has provided a vital lifeline.

There were more requests for tea than could comfortably be accommodated, and at one point Quine himself was dashing down carriages with little jugs of milk and extra slices of cake.

That said, he still stopped to gaze in wonder as we passed Dentdale just before the long descent to Settle.

“People always go on about the Ribblehead Viaduct, but for me this is the best view along the line,” he said. “Whenever I see this, I feel on top of the world.”

The details

The Staycation Express runs four times daily on the Settle-Carlisle line, from £37 return (Skipton & Settle-Appleby & Carlisle). There is no Friday service. Dining on board is available from the buffet car.

The train, operated by Rail Charter Services (01768 353200; railcharterservices.co.uk), will run until Sept 9. Face masks are not obligatory, but the company suggests wearing them when getting on and off the train.

Northern (northernrailway.co.uk) also runs a service on the Settle-Carlisle route and those wanting to stay longer at stops along the way can combine that with the Staycation Express.

LNER (lner.co.uk) offers frequent services between London King’s Cross and Leeds from £18.50 one-way.

Ribblehead station is home to an exhibition celebrating the Settle-Carlisle line. See visitsettle.co.uk