Apologies – earlier draft post sent in error while fiddling with my phone!!

Friday 7th May

Time, at last, to get back on the rails and just time before we have to go into 10 days isolation for my ‘op’.

It is a long time since we’ve been on a train due to Covid lockdowns; I think the last time for me was September 2020 when I went to London to see Quintin Lake, an architectural photographer, finish his ‘The Perimeter’ walk – 11,000km / 6,836miles around the coast of Britain in sections. The photos he uploaded during the course of his 5 year walk were a joy. https://theperimeter.uk

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We travelled on one of the new Azuma trains with our face masks in place. We would normally enjoy a first class breakfast but, due to Covid, it was just a pre-prepared paper bag containing bits and bobs, still pleasant, but not quite the same. We travelled to Leeds and then changed to a local service arriving at the ornate Skipton station at 13.09.

Skipton was a delight, starting with a gentle stroll into town along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Walking amongst people remains a game of ‘pavement dodge’ as, understandably, everyone is wary of others in case they should pass on the dreaded virus, therefore elaborate moves are made to walk around anyone coming the other way; it’s exhausting!

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We strolled through the thriving market, purchasing a scrumptious local pastie to eat by the canal – one can only eat outside at the current time so pavement cafés were busy. Having had enough of ‘people’, we left the town centre and continued our stroll along the canal towpath until we reached the edge of town where we caught a glimpse of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

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We only had 3 hours in Skipton but would definitely return for a weekend visit. Just missed a connection at Stevenage, but home by 8.00 p.m. A lovely day out; It feels good to be back on a train.