Julian Worker's Blog, page 3

Dun Carloway on Lewis

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Callanish on Lewis

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Ten Scottish Islands

The ten islands covered in this book are Lewis and Harris, Barra, Vatersay, Islay, Jura, Mull, Iona, Staffa, Lunga, and Arran. This is the order in which I visited these islands and isn’t meant to indicate any order of priority in terms of importance, beauty, or interest. 

I find islands fascinating especially if you can reach them by ferry. There’s something about seeing my destination gradually approaching that sparks my imagination and makes me keen to explore. With the Western Isles of Scotland, there’s the additional thrill of finding out the local history and wondering how the next island will compare with previous ones. The islands in this book each have different characters and outstanding sights to see.    

Lewis and Harris is all one island though their landscapes are different. Lewis is mostly moorland and contains probably the oldest stone circle in the UK. Harris is mountains, sea lochs, a rocky eastern coastline, and gorgeous white, sandy beaches on its west coast. Barra and Vatersay are two distinct islands, but a causeway has connected them since 2011, enabling me to walk from one to the other and back again. It would have been difficult to split this walk between two separate chapters, so Barra and Vatersay are together in one chapter. They’re not only connected by a  causeway but also by a shameful period just over a hundred years ago when a  wealthy landlord attempted to throw the residents off their land and replace them with sheep. 

Iona is one of the global cradles of Christianity. Staffa has Fingal’s Cave and those famous basalt columns rising from the sea. Lunga in the Treshnish Islands is home to a long list of seabirds, flowers, and no humans. Mull has Tobermory, probably the most picturesque seaside village / town in the west of Scotland. Islay has world-famous distilleries and thousands of migrating birds. Jura has Barnhill where George Orwell completed the first draft of 1984 and Corryvreckan the third largest whirlpool in the world. Arran has stone circles, distilleries, and glacial landscapes.  

Glasgow is in a book about Scottish islands because from the lovely airport you can fly to Islay, Barra, and Stornoway on Lewis (as well as Tiree and Benbecula that I haven’t visited yet). From Glasgow Central station you can catch the train to Ardrossan, Troon, Wemyss Bay, and Largs and from Queen Street station, you can reach Mallaig and Oban. All these places have ferry terminals to some of the western isles. In your journeys, you might come to Glasgow and it’s worth finding out what a wonderful place this is. 

The West Highland Line from Glasgow Queen Street towards Mallaig is a beautiful journey going past the Clyde, Loch Lomond, Bridge of Orchy, Rannoch Moor, Fort William, and Glenfinnan. The trip takes around five-and-a-quarter hours and in the past has been voted the most scenic railway line in the world. The station at Corrour on Rannoch Moor is one of the most remote stations in Britain and is not accessible by public road. This is the summit of the line at four hundred and ten metres above sea level. 

Scotland – The West Highland Line

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Loughborough – Great Central Railway

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Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

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Telford Steam Railway

When I arrived at the site of the Telford Steam Railway, a lot was happening. A small traction engine was doing a five-point turn in the road, a steam-powered steamroller called Pepperpot (in the livery of MA and JA Salt & Daughters) was trundling along the same road, and some adults were riding on the miniature railway right by the platform where the steam locomotive and purple carriages were waiting to take people for a ride on the inverted Y-shaped track of the railway. The steam locomotive backs the train up the track until it’s past the points and then pulls the train down the ‘main’ line. I bought my ticket in The Freight Stop Gift Shop and went to visit the café, which is about three hundred yards up the road on the left, just after the bridge where you can look down at the Horsehay and Dawley station platform.

My new book is available here.

The book covers not only the Great Little Trains of Wales but also other methods of transport in the UK.

I was eight years old when my interest in steam trains began. My parents and I lived close to someone who worked at Doncaster train station. The Flying Scotsman was the most famous train of the time, and for some reason it was at Doncaster for a few days. I was asked whether I’d like to see the train and go on the footplate. Of course I did. What I remember most was the enormous size of the train and that the driver’s cab seemed as big as my bedroom. Everything about the train, the colours, the gleaming metal, the gorgeous carriages, the mountain of coal, made a lasting impression – I wanted to go to places, and I wanted to go on a train like this one.

My father wanted to travel, and the plan was for my parents to see the world when he retired. Cancer cut short his life and their plan died with him. Once I had the finances, I felt duty bound to travel to the places he wanted to go, and if possible, go by steam train. This book is what I found.

 

Severn Valley Railway

When I travelled on the Severn Valley Railway, a 1940s theme day was taking place all along the line. Kidderminster station had sandbags and camouflage near the main doors, posters on the walls, adverts of the time all around, an ARP Warden’s post and people in costume throughout the station. Soldiers stood guard, and classic cars parked outside. Upon receiving my ticket at the pub in the station, I also received an ID card the Home Guard stamped before granting me access to the platform. The railway museum is here as well as a sign saying, “No dancing or standing on platform edge.”

A London Midland Scottish (LMS) steam locomotive pulled the brown carriages along the line, stopping at Arley and Hampton Loade stations before arriving in Bridgnorth. The stations had many period features. For example, Hampton Loade had a Great Western Railway “St Ives” advertisement encouraging visitors to the resort, and a large poster for the LMS Merseyside Express.

My new book is available here.

The book covers not only the Great Little Trains of Wales but also other methods of transport in the UK.

I was eight years old when my interest in steam trains began. My parents and I lived close to someone who worked at Doncaster train station. The Flying Scotsman was the most famous train of the time, and for some reason it was at Doncaster for a few days. I was asked whether I’d like to see the train and go on the footplate. Of course I did. What I remember most was the enormous size of the train and that the driver’s cab seemed as big as my bedroom. Everything about the train, the colours, the gleaming metal, the gorgeous carriages, the mountain of coal, made a lasting impression – I wanted to go to places, and I wanted to go on a train like this one.

My father wanted to travel, and the plan was for my parents to see the world when he retired. Cancer cut short his life and their plan died with him. Once I had the finances, I felt duty bound to travel to the places he wanted to go, and if possible, go by steam train. This book is what I found.

 

Llangollen and Corwen Railway

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Snowdon Railway

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