Starting from Pickering at twilight, the NYMR Light Spectacular experience dresses a steam train inside and out with thousands of lights, equips all of those on board with light up wrist bands and throws in a soundtrack running right from the 60’s to the present day. Pickering station is 1930’s themed and a charming time capsule, which would have been sadly lost had it been demolished to build a car park in the 70’s as was proposed at the time! When we arrived, the waiting room and cafe were up and running so we quickly furnished ourselves with refreshments while gasping at the sight of the steam locomotive waiting for us, wreathed in countless lights.

As you make your way inside to your seat, the number of lights remains just as remarkable and striking with the whole train seemingly threaded through with, and consumed externally under, huge numbers of twinkling lights of all colours. By this point the train was humming with anticipation and excited families, who were all donning their light up wristbands as the music got underway and we started to pull out of Pickering station to begin our hour long round trip to Levisham. At this point the music, introduced in classic radio DJ style, kicked off in earnest and ramped up the volume while also revealing that our wristbands could sync themselves with the music as well as divide us into groups to spark audience participation. With the mobile party in full swing, I registered that actually one of the most attractive elements of the light show was the way that the lights threw the scenery we passed into relief; the coloured lights and resulting shadows really bringing the passing countryside to life in unexpected and unique ways.

Regardless of your taste in music, and mine certainly runs to the niche, it was hard not to get swept up in the atmosphere as we gently chugged to Levisham and back…my stoic resistance to dancing may even have been breached for the first time in a decade or so. Alighting at Pickering gave us the chance to really take in the train from the outside, with darkness having descended since our original departure to make sure we could really appreciate the effort that was involved in fitting 17,000 lights to a steam train. While we had a great time riding the train, it must have brought a smile to the faces of everyone we passed!

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is deservedly a landmark attraction for the region and it’s so much fun seeing it given a light hearted makeover for a limited event like this. The NYMR Light Spectacular really is a unique way to experience both the railway itself and the countryside through which it runs, I really can’t think of a comparable experience.

(Disclaimer – press event)

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The format’s pretty simple. Take a train to Stalybridge, drink some beer there, then get back on a train and get off to drink more beer….repeat until home. This popularity and transparency of purpose very much has a downside though. I recall reading about problems with people urinating on the trains. Not in itself a massive issue, or it wouldn’t be if said urination was confined to the toilets.

The first time I enjoyed the Transpenine ale trail was about five years ago with a couple of friends and it entirely lived up to its reputation for good beer and tardy punctuality (on the participants’ behalf. not the train). Looking back on that experience it’s perhaps a little surprising I didn’t help put a bit more planning into this run through.

We gathered in the York Tap around midday, carefully selecting the weakest beer we could while we made careful plans to take at least the third most efficient train to Stalybridge. A scribbled note handed to the ticket agent may have made us look like crap bank robbers but we all ended up with the right ticket (for the record, off peak return to Stalybridge for £25 if that’s anything less than obvious). Kicking aside my meagre foodie credentials it was time to grab a Burger King (XL Bacon Double Cheeseburger) and hit the Transpenine ale trail.

Having screwed up getting the direct train we stopped off in Leeds for pushing an hour while we waited for our connection. Taking advantage of our time in the big city we squeezed into a Wetherspoons, wondered why every female was dressed as a pirate and ran away when we could. Finally getting on the right train we passed the time giving stern looks to the yoofs who were engaged in earnest (drunk) debate about their need to purchase tickets.

Finally getting into Stalybridge we bedded down with pints of Dog Standard Bitter and wished we’d skipped the Burger King in favour of the pulled pork panninis on offer. The Station Buffet Bar on the platform here is a lovely place to while away some time and a perfect anchor from which to start the trail. Smartphone faffing completed we grabbed a train for the short hop onto the next stop at Greenfield.

The Railway Inn at Greenfield is a stone’s throw from the platform (don’t try it, you’ll break a window). Pork pies are on offer and there’s a slightly stained pool table to pass the time on while you admire the view at the back onto the hills.

More smartphone buggering about and a decision was made given our relative tardiness to skip the next stop and head straight to Slaithwaite. Tip: It’s not pronounced like that. The ‘proper’ pronunciation is ‘Slawwitt’. For the Southerners among you, it’s a faux pas on terms with failing to pronounce Magdalene college ‘Maudlin’. The stag for whom we were travelling is a co-conspirator of mine in the York Bar Billiards league so rather than sticking to the suggested venue we had, in a rare bit of foresight, planned to go to another pub with a bar billiards table on hand. The Shoulder of Mutton proved a cracking spot. Facing onto a lovely village we were uncharacteristically lucky with the lucky and took turns between Bar Billiards matches and standing in the sun.

Onwards and upwards we ended up in Huddersfield, the realisation we were on target to be in York later anticipated dawning hard. A quick pint in the sun outside the Kings Head didn’t leave time to check out the highly regarded Head of Steam before we were rushing back to York (your author admittedly pausing for a nap on the train) and onto our final destination.

A stroll onward to York’s only community pub, for which the stag is Bar Billiards Captain, and we finished the evening with gradually lessening numbers around the bar billiards table. A cracking day out that I whole heartedly recommend on the proviso that you might end up putting up with drunk stag parties much less sedate than this one. Good pubs, good beer and the chance to roll off the train straight into Akbars as I did on the previous venture.

If you want more info about York Bar Billiards click here
Other relevant info for the Ale Trail is here http://www.realaletrail.net

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