trains and countryside

Absolutely the last post for today, promise (especially as I'm still trying to get a decent picture of E-J's lovely crochet stitch holders, waiting for me when I got home!) At the top, a view of a steam engine on the North York Moors line from Grosmont to Pickering. How I wish I could centre shots properly...Pickering is the sort of quaint market town that is full of delicatessens, flea markets etc and hardly anywhere for clothes or run-of-the-mill groceries (maybe those are in the slightly less picturesque parts?!) The rest of the photos were taken on a circular walk from Grosmont station, along the banks of the Murk Esk (you can see the river eddying in one of the shots)to Beck Hole (where I spotted the plums and rowanberries) and back. The first stretch went through incredibly muddy woodland, with treacherous descents, and here I discovered that whilst the new boots are, indeed, waterproof, their vibram soles are quite slippery: eek. Still there was lots of interesting fungus to admire and some intrepid sheep, far better at coping with steep slopes than I am! The way back, on the other hand, was largely along a wide path suitable for wheelchair access. Just one steep uphill stretch at the end, but look at the view from the top: a lush green field full of cows (and bullocks) with the distant puff of steam from trains at Grosmont. I just wish I'd been quick enough to flick the shutter as the heron swooped down low in front of us. Magical. So that's more than enough about my holidays, shan't ramble on this much in future, just the novelty of having time off work and a camera, too.