Travel

Station Vacation

With trains passing the front windows, the holiday accommodation at Dent Station combines Dales scenery with living history. Words and pictures by Clive Nicholls.

There's something special about Dent Station. It’s the highest main line station in England, nestling 1150ft up in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

On the Settle-Carlisle line, it was built in 1877 and over the years has witnessed huge changes to Britain’s railways. And there’s another thing that makes it special: the station building has been converted to luxury holiday accommodation, sleeping up to six.

Look out of the front windows and you can watch trains coming and going – Dent is still a working station. Look out of the back windows and you have magnificent views across the Dales.

In its heyday, 90 trains would pass through the station every day. For residents of Dent it was a lifeline to the outside world but, it has to be said, not an easy one. The village of Dent is four miles away and if you were walking to the station to catch a train you would have been well aware that it was uphill all the way. And I do mean uphill – we’re talking about a one-in-four gradient in some places and a total climb of 600ft. 

Cattle and coal were transported in and out of the station but in 1964 the plug was pulled on freight traffic, and the signal box and loading bay were demolished in 1981. Above the station, snow barriers made of old railway sleepers are still in place but over the years they haven’t always worked. In 1947 and 1963 huge snowdrifts blocked the station for several days but nowadays, although snow is a frequent visitor, the line keeps running.

Trains stop at the station and, if you fancy a walking holiday, there’s no need to bring a car. Simply hop off the train and, just a few steps into the former station building, your holiday begins. The transformation from station to holiday home is remarkable. There’s every mod-con you can think of but the essence of the station is still there. The lounge used to be the waiting room, the entrance hall was the station foyer and still has its original flagstone floor, the kitchen was the ladies’ waiting room and the first bedroom was the booking office – and comes complete with the original window where travellers queued to buy their tickets. Robin Hughes has done a spectacular job in renovating the former station building (today you just buy your tickets on the platform): it’s luxurious but very different.

To Continue Reading the Full Article, Click Here

Like what you see? Want more travel news? 

To keep up to date with all the latest from Choice, or if you have something you want to share with our team, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and YouTube

Other stories in Travel

Where to holiday and avoid the crowds
A year in cottages
Around the World in 101 nights
Talk a Norfolk walk and enjoy a pint
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines now open for 2025
Fair Stood the Train for France
Emerald Cruises
Solos Holiday Breaks
Take to the water this Autumn
Enjoy an Autumn brunch in London
Discover the charms of Knightsbridge
Last-minute savings on European yacht sailings
Visit this Summer’s Blockbuster Locations
Steam Dreams
Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours
Birdwatching
Bambi in the Blenheim Bluebells
Adventure Play at Blenheim Palace
Eclipse All Aboard for Cruise Adventures
Camping out at Bert’s Kitchen Garden
Second Guest Sails Free with Emerald Cruises
Dogs at the Palace
London's River Uber
Spend a night with Dennis The Menace
Taking a break at Old Dairy Cottage
Wild Isles with cottage comfort
Summer in the Swiss Alpes
Garden Museum London
Discover Paris
What women travellers want
Florida
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
Canterbury's tale
Discovering Wales - Places of Worship
Ayers Rock
Discover Ireland
The Dos and Don’ts of Travelling With Leukaemia
Sicily revisited
The road to the Highlands
Amazing Arizona Part 1
Over the Bridge to Skye
Buxton: Gateway to the Peaks
Walking Series: Folkestone
Hills and thrills in the Italian Lakes
Travel News: October
Corsica: Coast and culture
A capital time in London
Happy to be on the Florida Keys
Cruise Special: Around Britain by Boat
The good life in North Wales
Have a capital time in London
Polynesian Paradise
Gardens in the sun
A taste of paradise in Puglia
Music in the mountains
Cruising by coach
A Lakes gem for all seasons
Canada: by seaplane and skytram
Cruising on the crest of a wave
Riding the Rocky Mountaineer
48 hours in Bethlehem
Goa, the go-to destination...
Roaming the Rhone
Doing The Strand
Sheffield: Forging a bright new future
Setting sail for the fjords
Taking it easy on the shores of Lake Garda
Be the best Brit abroad
What's on your British bucket list?
Passage to India
Isle of Wight: Singing the praises of quirky cottages
Zell am See: Alpine Wonderland
Turning back time in Guernsey
Glam under the stars in surprising Staffordshire
Red Square Revisited
Fine dining and a walk on the wild side
Detroit: Dancing in the streets again
Terror and Tourism- are you covered?
Islands in the Sun
Cornwall by Coach
Making Waves on the Med
Tramway Treasury
Sunrise on the Summit
Homage to Catalonia
Pembrokeshire Panorama
The Magic of Amsterdam
Born to be wild on Route 66
Somerset's Seasonal Delights
A topping time in Tirol
England Rooftop Route Part 1
Besieged Bosnia: Back in Business
Cruising The Danube
Quest for a Lost Queen
Wiltshire's Winning Ways
We'd rather be in Colorado
Taking it easy in Norfolk
Luscious Lucerne
Arizona: Get Your Kicks on Route 66
Discoveries: Epic Adventure
Northern Ireland: Transformed from the Troubles
Kingston: Town of kings
Extraordinary Israel
Avalon's Avian Haven