Wensleydale Railway is a heritage line running through the lower dale, with stations and countryside that feel very different from Richmond's compact market-town centre. It is a good way to see a gentler slice of the Yorkshire Dales without committing to a long hike or a full driving loop.
The railway is seasonal and timetable-dependent, so plan around actual services. When trains are running, the appeal is old-fashioned and straightforward: rural platforms, stone villages, fields, and the pleasure of letting the landscape pass at rail speed.