Open Access
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David Ward is wrong when stating there was no catering on the ‘Staycation Express’ ( Open
Access, RAIL 921), as it had a trolley service providing hot and cold drinks and snacks in each direction. For a journey of a little over one hour, this is more than sufficient.
He also suggests that the route should be longer and start at some of the larger conurbations to encompass a larger catchment area. This would bring about a huge rise in the fare together with an extended day out, which was not the intention of the ‘Staycation Express’.
Furthermore, I don’t think the tourist department in Skipton will be happy with the suggestion that there is little tourist catchment in their area.
I agree that the walk into Appleby was a little circuitous, but this was only because the direct footpath down to the town was closed. However, you still had plenty of time to look round Appleby and get back in time for the train.
Overall, I enjoyed my day on the service and would recommend it. If it is (hopefully) repeated in the future, I for one would definitely book again.
Lee Stanford, Stockport
David Ward claims that the planning of the ‘Staycation Express’ was “flawed from the start”.
Having travelled four times on the train, I would dispute some of his comments.
I wonder, in fact, whether he actually travelled on the train himself. If he did, he would have been very unlucky not to have had a catering service - there was a trolley on every train I caught, manned by friendly and helpful steward(esse)s.
Considering the lack of time to promote the train, and also the fact that the Government was actively deterring train travel, I thought the loadings were remarkably good.
Given the restrictions on tourism, most of the passengers were relatively local. The Settle-Carlisle Line relies hugely on holidaymakers and coach parties, and the latter were non-existent in 2020.
Once the COVID virus is past, there should be many more passengers able to travel. And with more time to plan operations and publicity, numbers should increase even more, should it be decided to run the train again.
Skipton, Settle and Appleby are all attractive places to visit, and the trains brought much-needed custom to the businesses in these towns, especially as tourist numbers were well down.
All three stations have adequate and cheap car parking facilities (those at Skipton having been considerably expanded recently). And trains were often met on arrival by local rotary members, there to give help to passengers unfamiliar with their destination.
What surprises me most about Mr Ward’s letter is his advocating full-day, long-distance services with “high-quality silver service catering”.
These already exist on the Settle-Carlisle Line (for example, the regular ‘Dalesman’, ‘Cumbrian Mountain’, ‘Waverley’ and ‘Fellsman’ trains). These all involve early starts and late finishes, and even in Standard Class (with no catering included) there are few fares below £100. Premier Dining is usually around £200 these days.
Furthermore, local people are not able to board most of these trains - Preston is usually the nearest point, with parking at £12 per day midweek.
I do hope that the programme will be repeated in future, maybe with some tweaks in the scheduling.
But I can assure Mr Ward that this new venture attracted many people to the railway who would otherwise not have bothered to try it.
David Alison, Kendal
I must take issue with David Ward’s letter regarding last summer’s ‘Staycation Express’ trains on the Settle-Carlisle route. His comment that Skipton and Appleby have little tourist catchment area and were “hardly an attractive offer for a day out” is wide of the mark and frankly a little insulting to two very well-regarded visitor destinations.
My understanding is that these trips were designed to appeal to people ‘staycationing’ in those areas, offering a different day out at a reasonable cost on a very scenic route.
There is no doubt that the shops and cafes of Appleby very much appreciated the business that the trains brought, and I have little doubt that the same applied at Skipton.
David’s alternative suggestion of a round trip starting at Leeds, Crewe or Manchester, with silver service catering and First Class only (no doubt at a cost of £200-£300 plus per head), is surely aiming for an entirely different market, and the two are not mutually exclusive.
There are already regular tours of this nature and similar on the S&C, including the weekly ‘Fellsman’ running with steam and providing business to
Carlisle.
In my opinion, Rail Charter Services should be congratulated on trying something new and different. I hope very much that they can find a way to repeat the programme, or something similar but still benefiting the smaller towns, in 2021.
Geoff Fisher, Bolton