THE SETTLE-CARLISLE EXPLORER Extracted from Earby Chronicles Edition 31 Winter 2003
There was a clear blue sky and the weather was set fair as the Settle-Carlisle Explorer trip set forth from Earby’s New Road Community Centre. It is often difficult to fill a large coach with members from one society so this was what is hoped will be the first of many joint outings organised in conjunction with the Barnoldswick History Society. The first stop was in Barnoldswick to pick up our friends from there and then on to Settle for morning coffee.
The trip was a combined coach and rail journey looking at sites of interest along the Settle to Carlisle railway line.
We passed Stainforth Gorge where the route for the railway was so narrow that the river had to be diverted and on to our first stopping point at Ribblehead. Here we had a magnificent view of the imposing viaduct and a chance to photograph a train crossing it. The typical midland railway cottages at Ribble Head are called Salt Lake cottages after the Mormon camp near by. The Mormon church has its head quarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Mormons were trying to convert the Navvies and their families into their religion.
Then on towards Ingleton to visit the tiny church of St. Leonard’s, Chapel le Dale, where over 200 of the navvies and their families who died through accident or disease during the seven years of railway construction are buried.
Life was tough in the shanty towns which sprang up to house the workers. They were given names e.g. Jerusalem and Sebastopol where cholera and smallpox were endemic.
We then returned to Ribblehead to visit the station with its visitor centre before continuing northwards for a lunch break in Hawes passing Blea Moor tunnel en route.
After lunch on towards Garsdale following the route of the former Wensleydale line to view the Dandry Mire Viaduct. It is hard to believe that this viaduct was originally to be a high embankment but no matter how much infill was used the mire just swallowed it up until eventually that idea was abandoned and the present viaduct constructed. The viaduct can be likened to an iceberg as two thirds of the height of the viaduct pillars are below ground level.
Entering the beautiful Eden Valley with its surrounding moors including Wild Boar Fell we stopped to visit Pendragon Castle, one of the several homes of Lady Ann Clifford of Skipton Castle. Our coach continued along the Eden Valley to Appleby where there was time to look around the town or just have tea before catching the train back to Settle where the coach picked us up to return to Barnoldswick and Earby.
All agreed it had been a wonderful outing and that we had seen the Dales and the Eden Valley at their best.
The trip was organised through David Allison’s “Tracks North” and David himself was our guide and provided an excellent and knowledgeable commentary. His trips can be thoroughly recommended and I wouldn’t be surprised if we teamed up with him again.
THE SETTLE-CARLISLE EXPLORER
