Down on power?

[Dave Mann]

I recognized a lot of the route which made me miss the Pennine run.

[Malcolm Parker]

Me too, Dave.  The first Pennine Run was in September 1997 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Austin 7.  I am thinking that another Pennine Run may be appropriate for September 2022.

[Steve Jones]

Can't believe it's coming up 24 years ago. Remember it so well particularly as I broke the crank on they home!!

Steve

[Dave Mann]

Good idea Malcolm.

[Nick Turley]

Yes Please Malcolm - how about it being the centenary run ?

[Bob Culver]

Would someone mind describing the route in more detail please. I have a large scale book of road maps of UK but cannot positively identify. Is the viaduct still in use?
As i have mentioned before I visited UK 10 years ago and, having been driven around back roads here, relatives drove the back roads of south Devon. I was intrigued to find some unsealed and barely two car wide in many places.

[Malcolm Parker]

The video is based on the small town of Hawes which is in the Yorkshire Dales.  If you look at a map of the UK and draw a line east west from the Isle of Man, Hawes is roughly in the middle of the mainland.
The famous Ribblehead viaduct is on the Settle to Carlisle line which was scheduled for closure back in the 1980's but was saved and is now an important line both for goods traffic and tourism.  Ribblehead lies around 10 miles south west of Hawes. 
The Pennine Run referred to in this thread started in 1997 as a two day run that followed the famous Pennine Way long distance path along the backbone of England from Derbyshire to the Scottish Borders.   It uses some of the best driving roads in Britain and also some of the most elevated.  It is probably the best run you could do to test (and prove) the capabilities of an Austin 7.
There are also some wonderful and remote pubs along the way!

[Jeff Taylor]

Hi Bob,

As alluded to by Malcolm, besides freight and local passenger rail services the Settle to Carlisle line is used extensively by steam hauled rail tours - in fact one such rail tour the 'Northern Belle' was featured on Friday night's 'World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys' the 'Lakes & Dales' on channel 5. Ribblehead viaduct features during the second leg of the journey from Carlisle in Cumbria back to the starting point at Preston in Lancashire. The outward journey was via the West Coast Main Line. The Ribblehead viaduct was originally double track as is the rest of the Settle to Carlisle line but was singled in more recent times due to the 144 year old Grade II listed viaduct's condition - it's currently undergoing a £2.1 million refurbishment.

https://www.my5.tv/world-s-most-scenic-r...b1dbb9a5aa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uia1vSrX1BE

https://settle-carlisle.co.uk/tickets-ti...xcursions/

https://www.scenicrailbritain.com/lines/settle-carlisle

https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk...ad-viaduct

Jeff - a life long railway and steam locomotive enthusiast.

[Bob Culver]

Thanks Jeff. will go thru later.
The Brits sure can stack stones. Was not much done here and now especially out of fashion!
I have a 3 mile to inch map book which i used when in England but cannot figure the route driven.

[Dave Mann]

The first leg of that program from Preston to Carlisle had been much messed about with, some sections had the overhead wires and some didn't.
The outward leg was on the west coast mainline the ex LNWR from Preston, via Lancaster, Carnforth, Shap, Penrith to Carlisle.
The return leg was the Midland Railway Settle to Carlisle. Leaving Carlisle via Armathwaite, Langwathby, Appleby, Dent to Settle from where the line continued through Skipton to Leeds and eventually London.