A nostalgic visit to Rudyard Lake

I was passing the sign post that said 'Rudyard' and I happened (for once) to have a spare half hour, so on an impulse I headed off to revisit a place which used to be a regular weekend haunt. Many a happy hour was spent riding on the tiny steam train that chugs slowly along the lakeside track.

It must be six years since I last saw it and much has changed. The 'station' at the end of the line is now very smart and proper, and the lake car park has a bustling cafe with tables outside looking over the lake.

It's even longer than that since Rudyard was the scene of high jinks on weekend outings on a real steam train from the Manchester smoke ; apparently there were dozens of tea rooms then, not just one:


There were boats, albeit not so many, on my visit too:

The trees along the path provided a welcome shade on a warm sunny day - no complaints from me, I hasten to add!