GROSMONT TO PICKERING

THE JOURNEY

Little is more civilised than afternoon tea in a Pullman carriage, and this journey offers beautiful moorland scenery to boot. The North Yorkshire Moors railway’s steam and diesel trains take in the quiet drama of this heather-coated landscape sculpted by shadows on a 24-mile, hour-long moveable feast. Of course, you don’t have to dine – and non-dining day tickets can take you even further along to Whitby – but there’s no scenery that can’t be improved with a round of dainty sandwiches and a pot of Darjeeling. Or indeed gin tasting, wine tasting or even fish and chip nights, which are also on offer. All are served in carriages of bouncy upholstery, chrome fittings and white tablecloths, the way train travel was surely intended. Visit nymr.co.uk.

THE DESTINATION

The round-trip afternoon tea ticket only stops in the ancient market town of Pickering long enough for a 15-minute leg stretch before returning you to Grosmont. But this is no great loss as the sleepy Esk Valley village is delightful for a stroll, especially during late spring when the local woods fill with expanses of bluebells.

There’s no scenery that can’t be improved with a round of dainty sandwiches and a cup of Darjeeling