45562 - 'Sierra Leone' - passes Ribblehead station

We are on our way home from visiting Helena's family in Argyll and spent last night in the Yorkshire Dales, in Ingleton. I hoped to see this steam tour which was travelling on the the famed Settle to Carlisle route across the Pennines, as the train crossed the Ribblehead Viaduct. We arrived a little early which gave me time to view the scene from both east and west vantage points. We had been here before to see a similar scene back in 2014 and I'd photographed the train leaving the viaduct running in the opposite direction, looking north-east from the road to Hawes.

People started gathering, many of whom walked across the moorland to get close to the viaduct. With my long lens I expected to stand further back, and in the end I climbed up onto a small peaty ridge as I realised that from there I could see the train approach the station at Ribblehead and still follow its crossing of the viaduct, looking north-west.

I liked this view as it shows the large peak of Ingleborough (723 m or 2,372 ft) which is the second-highest mountain in the Yorkshire Dales, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks (the other two being Whernside and Pen-y-ghent), and is frequently climbed as part of the Three Peaks walk.

45562 - 'Sierra Leone' - was not the most powerful steam engine that might have been featured, and may not be what it seems. Apparently the engine has been renumbered and renamed for some unknown purposes!

After watching the train cross the viaduct and disappear into a hidden valley on the far hillside, we set off to drive home down the M6/M5 motorways to Gloucestershire, about 250 miles south of this spot. Thankfully it was a relatively uneventful journey and we got home by 5pm without being too tired.

We've had a fine time and have been so lucky to have sunny weather for the whole of our stay in Scotland. A friend told Helena that the overcast weather we found on our return has been ever present since we left home for Scotland on our fine trip.

I hope to back blip many pictures in the next few days.