The Cumbrian Coast

Carnforth to Barrow-in-Furness
Bootle to Maryport

One of the least well-known areas of Britain, we travel to the Cumbrian Coast by means of two different trains. Firstly, we board a North West Regional Railways class 156 Sprinter which traverses the former Furness Railway via Grange-over-Sands and Ulvertston to Barrow-in-Furness.

There we change to a class 153 for the most scenic section of the route along the coast from Bootle to Maryport, filmed in what can only be described as 100% perfect weather - not a cloud in the sky! Apparently you only get one day a year like that along the coast and we were there to see the scenery in all its glory, not just from the train but from a helicopter flying overhead.

To quote writer and signalling expert David Allen, "this line is a mecca for semaphore signalling enthusiasts".