No 29) Travel on a steam train
I love a good train journey. It’s not that I’m a train spotter! I just like traveling on railways. It’s a good job as it’s part of my chemo commute – it’s how I get to hospital each week. I’ve always thought steam trains looked so romantic and I’ve wanted to go on one for ages. And so I did just that!
A while ago the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway held a ‘Wartime in the Cotswolds’ weekend. Visitors were asked to dress up as if they were from the 1940s. Luke and I joined in too. There were people in allied uniforms, as well as civvies and the odd spiv with a suitcase. Each station along the route was decorated and there was live music too. It really did feel like you were back in the era of the steam train.
It was so special to be chugging through the Cotswold countryside. The steam clouds from the locomotive created shadows which followed us in the fields next to the track. The trains were packed but Luke and I managed to get seats in a first class carriage. We shared the luxury with a nurse and solider in authentic vintage costumes. The seats were very comfy and there was even a dimmer switch for the light!
We did this a couple of months ago but tiredness has meant I hadn’t got round to blogging about it. A lovely week off treatment plus a steroid high when the chemo mini-break was over has helped to get this written.
This was a perfect item to tick off from my List for Living while going through chemo. It required very little effort but it managed to transport us back to a different age. So much of my time is spent on the sofa while this meant that instead of watching something, I was actually able to experience it.
helenfawkes 