I REMEMBER the first time I saw the North York Moors Railway. A teenager, I was walking with my family in the wilds of Newtondale when we saw white smoke billowing from the valley bottom. As we rounded the corner, a train came into view, snaking along.

It was a magnificent sight and, for me, it relieved the boredom of our trek. As a tourist attraction, the railway had not been open long and I vowed there and then that I wanted to travel on it.

There are few better ways to see the moors than this historic railway. On its journey from the market town of Pickering to Whitby on the coast, it weaves along bracken-coated valleys, beneath heather moorland, and past fast-flowing rivers and babbling streams, stopping to collect passengers at pretty villages along the route.

I first fulfilled my wish to board a few years ago, on a bitingly cold spring day, when it was so cold in Whitby it was hard to breathe. This time the weather was on our side as my husband, daughter and I arrived in Pickering.

The railway was planned in 1831 by George Stephenson as a means of opening up trade routes inland from Whitby, then an important sea port. It closed in 1965 and was reopened in 1973 by the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust. Since then the railway has become a major tourist attraction, drawing visitors from across the world, and has been awarded many industry accolades.

The line is well-supported by and reliant upon the hard work of hundreds of volunteers, who give their time to perform different tasks.

Preparing to board, I met one of them, Les Wilson, on the platform. A volunteer for seven years, Les, who lives near Selby, travels to Pickering about once a week, serving as station foreman. He also acts as a guide. “I have an interest in trains and enjoy it,” said the retired civil servant.

Pulling out, we steamed past a field of goats, and watched as startled pheasants fled from the grassy embankment. Later, as we passed through woodland, we spotted deer.

Levisham is the first stop, a mile from Levisham village and surrounded by beautiful moorland. The station is home to the lines artist-in-residence Christopher Ware - the country's only professional artist-in-residence on a heritage railway - whose studio is open whenever trains run.

Refreshments are served on the train and, when we were not pointing cameras out of the window to photograph the 1944 LMS locomotive steaming around corners, we sat back in our comfortable seats and supped tea and coffee.

Newton Dale Halt, with its wooden platform came next, then Goathland, where my sister Jill and her son Ned surprised us by climbing aboard. They knew we were travelling and fancied a day in Whitby.

Famed for its frequent appearances in the TV drama Heartbeat, in which Goathland became the fictitious Aidensfield, the station also doubled up as Hogsmeade, where the Hogwarts students alighted at the start of term in the Harry Potter films.

One of the things I love about travelling on this steam railway is the reception the train receives along the route, with adults and children waving excitedly as it passes. We could hear the train whistle, letting out a warning at footpath crossings.

As we powered into Grosmont we passed the engine sheds where the locomotives are maintained, then it was onwards to Whitby. We crossed the River Esk and were soon heading towards the magnificent 19th century Larpool Viaduct with its 13 arches.

The sun continued to shine as we disembarked, looking forward to a walk along the pier and fish and chips.

We were hauled safely home, in the warm evening sunlight, by a 1954 British Rail engine. The railway has some of the steepest gradients of any railway line on Britain. For almost three miles, between Grosmont and Goathland, the line is on an incline of 1 in 49.

A day to remember.

*W: nymr.co.uk; E: info@nymr.co.uk T:01751 472508.