Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, (on the A595 coast road).                      

Open for regular services all season and reduced service during winter.

"La'al Ratty" as it is affectionately known was opened in 1875 to bring iron ore from mines to the Furness Railway on the coast. It started carrying passengers the following year, and since then the railway has had a very unsettled history. The iron ore dwindled to nothing, the line was in financial difficulty and granite quarries were opened to provide traffic. The 3ft gauge track was closed in 1913 but unexpectedly re-opened by the famous model-maker Mr Basset-Lowke, the next year on the even narrower gauge of 15 inches. The tiny trains were soon carrying goods and passengers into and out of the valley, and the quarries were busy until they closed in 1953. The nearly derelict line has been improved greatly since then, and runs for seven miles through glorious scenery to the foot of England's highest mountains.

Ravenglass. The Romans called Ravenglass Clanoventa and used it as a port from the year 78AD through until the 4th century. Little can be seen of their fort but part of the Bath House remains as one of the highest Roman