Celebrating 25 Years of Saving the Settle-Carlisle Railway.

Northern Dalesman bus link 2014

Photo: John Carey

FoSCL are supporting the Northern Dalesman bus link every Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday until October 19th 2014. The bus connects with 0900 Sunday train from Leeds (0850 on Bank Holiday Mondays) at Ribblehead Station and goes to Snaizeholme Lane End (for the Red Squirrel Trail); Hawes; Buttertubs Pass; Keld (mornings only); Muker; Gunnerside; Reeth (for Arkengarthdale) and Richmond.

Stop at Kirkby Stephen Station on Saturday 10th May between 10am and 4pm to meet and buy the work of some local artists and crafters.  Items include wonderful S&C and local photography and the finest pencil drawings available as prints and cards, up-cycled furniture and even some railway collectables.

As part of the 25th anniversary celebrations FoSCL and Friends of DalesRail walk leaders have arranged a series of linear walks between April and October starting in Settle and finishing in Carlisle.  The walks will mainly follow the route described by Vivienne Crow in her 2012 book 'Settle to Carlisle Way' published by Rucksack readers.

On Sunday 13th April a Northern Rail sponsored, FoSCL organised, special charity train (with net proceeds being donated to the Railway Children and a charity of FoSCL's choosing) will run along the DalesRail route from Blackpool to Carlisle. During a 2 hour stop in Carlisle Colin Speakman, founder secretary of the Yorkshire Dales Society and chairman of the Dales Way Association will give a presentation on "The saving of the Settle & Carlisle Line" in the Hallmark Hotel, adjacent to Carlisle Station. 

In November 2013, the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust published three leaflets in a series  entitled "Ribblehead Triangle Walks". Leaflet no. 3: "Ribblehead Viaduct and the Navvies" offers a self-guided short (one or two-mile) walk around the area to the north-east of Ribblehead Viaduct to explore the remains of the navvy settlements and the various work-sites associated with the contruction of the Settle-Carlisle Railway in this area. The leaflet includes:

The Royal Geographical Society (RGS) produces a series of geographically-themed walks around the UK called ‘Discovering Britain’. The aim is to encourage people to explore Britain’s diverse landscapes. All these walks are available in written or audio versions on a website. They are free, self-guided and hopefully fun.

FELLSMAN
Every Wednesday from 11 June to 27 August 2014

Departing From:

Lancaster:  07.05/20.40
Preston: 08.05/19.50
Blackburn: 08.30/19.10
Clitheroe: 09.00/18.45
Long Preston: (near Settle) 10.50/17.50

As seen on BBC’s ‘Great British Railway Journeys’ - ITV’s ‘The Dales’ & the new BBC programme to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the saving of the line to be broadcast in April

An obituary for Margaret was published in the November edition of the Settle-Carlisle Journal.  Unfortunately limited space meant that David Ward's full tribute had to be truncated.  Accordingly we are publishing the full text here:

Margaret Ritchie 1945 – 2013

The untimely passing of Margaret Ritchie takes from the Settle & Carlisle scene one of its longest-serving but largely unknown dedicated supporters.

Fourteen of the North of England's rarest and best preserved signal boxes have been given Grade II listed status by the Department for Culture Media and Sport as a result of the final phase of a joint English Heritage and Network Rail project to safeguard the nation's railway heritage. The listings come as Network Rail decommissions many mechanical signal boxes to consolidate signalling into 12 regional centres.