ALSTON STEAM GALA and other days out

 We seem to spend quite some time around old trains. The northeast of England is well supplied with "heritage" railway lines run by energetic volunteers in railway uniforms and wearing appropriate badges.
We drove the camper up and over the Pennines to Alston in Cumbria, again, and took a ride on the train to Lintley Halt and back. There was a lot of steam and smoke and shunting of engines and carriages backwards and forwards and the ride was lovely. The old line goes through countryside that would only otherwise be accessible on foot.

There was a steam day at Shildon a week before and we wandered around the bookstalls and bought a facsimile of Bradshaw's Guide, made famous and priceless in its original form, by Michael Portillo. And again watched retired men dress up and play trains with the real thing.

We keep trying to pretend that summer is on its way and at the slightest show of sunshine in the morning, the camper heads towards the seaside. We made it to Whitby a week or so ago and it was sunny for most of the day. These hardy children were happily running in and out of the waves. Do we get more sensitive to cold as we get older. I'd scream if I had to put a toe in that sea. I took this pic from the pier, looking north to Sandsend.
  

We had parked at Sandsend so that we could boil the "eggs from free roaming chickens" that we had bought on the way over the North York Moors. £4 for a tray of 30. Well 26 after brunch.
And lovely fresh bread from Lidl. We have a branch just round the corner and they pop loaves in the oven all day long and sell them most reasonably priced.
We await more sunshine and hope to get to Scarborough for fish and Hemswell for antiques and then to East Kirkby to see Lancaster Bombers from WWII.
Maybe next week summer will come.
Cheers Gillian