On 21st August our cheerful group of 50 SoFA members headed for our first visit of the day, Carnforth Station. The first port of call, as always was the tea and coffee facilities, after which we were free to meander through the famous station building at our own pace. As you would expect there was a great deal of interesting memorabilia on display. There was an added bonus of Brief Encounter being shown for those who wanted to sit down and watch this famous film. The station and the film are full of nostalgia from a bygone age. The staff were very helpful cheerful and knowledgable, which helped to make this a very pleasant visit. The weather also stayed fine and dry.

We then moved on to our second visit of the day, the beautiful Leighton Hall. Our coach driver Pat did extremely well steering the coach down the very narrow country lanes to the entrance of the estate. The current owner Mrs Suzie Reynolds lives in the Hall and it certainly has a warm and lived in feeling. Following a very pleasant afternoon tea/lunch our group then had a private tour of the Hall. There are beautiful and fascinating items of art and furniture, unsurprising when the 800 year old house is the ancestral home of the famous Gillow furniture family. Once again all the staff and guides were very pleasant, relaxed and knowledgeable which resulted in a very pleasurable visit.

In addition to the beautiful gardens and delightful woodland area, there were bird of prey displays. At this point the rain came down heavily but it did not dampen the spirits of the birds, their handler or the members of our group. The combination of the two visits provided our members with a very pleasant day.

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Article provided by Edwina Alcock with thanks.