"Wave those red flannel petticoats!"

Tony and I have had a great day meandering just over the hill.  It has been 'The Railway Children' weekend on the heritage Worth Valley Railway where the wonderful movie was filmed back in 1970.  They have staged re-enactments of action from the film at Oakworth Station and there have been exhibitions at the stations on the route from Keighley to Oxenhope.  We took the train from West Ingrow up to Oxenhope, explored the rail museum and the 'Old Gentleman's Saloon Carriage', which starred in the film, then had a cuppa in the buffet car before walking the Railway Children trail.  It took us up to 'Three Chimneys', the house which the family moved into when they were forced to leave London following the imprisonment of the children's father.  We had a look at Perk's stile (the one he struggled to get the parcels over!) and then decided to retrace our steps to the valley trail so that we could hug the railway line and watch out for steam trains on the way to Haworth.

Tony consulted the timetable and we were able to position ourselves with a good view of the track when 43924 left Oxenhope...my blip.

We lunched at Cobbles and Clay in Haworth, yummy sweet potato, chilli and ginger soup followed by lemon drizzle cake, then watched the steam train express arrive in Haworth station before resuming our walk down to Oakworth, scene of the station shots in the movie.  The young actors were dressed in role and re-enacting the scene where Roberta hands the letter to the old gentleman on the train.  They were also going to be waving their red flannel petticoats at the train later in the afternoon (to warn of the landslip) but time was pushing on and we continued our walk down the valley to the tiny Damems station and from there back to Ingrow.

I think the Haworth to Oxenhope circuit would make a great blipmeet on a day when the steam trains are running.  Let me know if you are interested and I will consult the timetable and pick a day.  Lots to see - pretty countryside, Railway Children locations, trains and plenty of places for cuppa and cake - you see you are interested already!

More railway blips here!