MANY years ago when few families had a motor car, the West Riding Ramblers Association (Leeds and Bradford) ran rambles by train on Whit Monday and August Bank Holiday Monday.

I recall joining one more than 60 years ago with an old friend, Charles Grant, to Edale for Kinderscout and another to Ribblehead to do the three peaks, Ingleborough, Whernside and Penyghent.

Due to a train derailment we eventually arrived back in York at 6am, collected our bikes and had to go almost straight to work.

Round about 1952 they organised a train to the Ryedale area and asked us at York Hoboes Rambling Club to provide leaders for two of the eight or so planned rambles of varying lengths.

It was a glorious day on Whit Monday and there were so many people waiting to join at York that an extra train was put on.

The trains turned off at Pilmoor junction and the first stop was Coxwold where more than 100 people got off to be led by John Hick up the White Horse, to Sutton Bank and back via Byland Abbey to Coxwold. I led a walk from Ampleforth to Rievaulx and picked up some of John’s stragglers on the way back.

My walking today is limited to round the Homestead at Clifton Green where the gardeners have designed a display with poppies and a dug-out to mark the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1914-18 war; the pond area has been renovated and is open again and both are well worth a visit.

Bill Heppell, Riseborough House, Rawcliffe Lane, York.