folk train

A crazy day which we expected to spend visiting the first grandchild who has STILL not made an appearance - 16 days or so overdue. So we set off to join the Hope Valley Folk Train which runs occasionally from Manchester sometimes to Edale village and sometimes to Hathersage in the Derbyshire Peak District.

Today the train's entertainers were the Weavils, great friends of ours who had invited us along for the ride.

The journey didn't start too well as Ian almost didn't make it to our station to catch the train to Manchester. However, all was well and we joined the Folk Train, along with some regulars who came along to hear the music and some rather startled passengers, who are not used to hearing live music on a train. This is Steve Weavil, the natty dresser, viewed between train seats - a bit tricky. There is another rather blurred picture of him at http://twitpic.com/1k2f9k with Jan Weavil's tuba in the foreground.

We've not been on that train line before and it proved stunningly beautiful, with lovely sunny weather and the intense bright greens of spring. After travelling through suburbs of Manchester and out through a number of towns, it goes through a tunnel and explodes into Edale with Mam Tor on one side, with lots of people on top today, and Kinder Scout on the other. It's a bit tricky snapping through a train window, but there is a shot of the valley here.

At Hathersage, we walked down to the Little John pub for lunch and more playing - many people got off the train there and joined us in the pub. The journey back was just as entertaining and just as sunny - lovely when the forecast was for rain. One of the funniest things is watching the faces of people on station platforms and trains passing the other way when they see what is happening.

Dave Weavil can be seen trying to stay upright while he played his saxophone - he said it was like trying to play on a surfboard.

Thanks for a great day, Weavils.