As a child I wanted to be either Agnetha from Abba or Bobby from The Railway Children. With Abba it was the music and white kimonos, and with Bobby it was all about sitting on walls waving at trains.

You can't help but fall in love with steam trains - even the distant sound of one sends me into a dream world. So I jumped at the chance to spend a recent Sunday on the historic Settle to Carlisle railway.

Built between 1869 and 1876, the railway survived two proposed closures. The high-profile fight to save it was won in 1989, and thanks to the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line many structures along the route, including stations, have been restored. Today diesel trains form the bulk of traffic, but occasional steam charters offer a rare chance to experience the magnificent puffing and pulling power of steam, crossing 20 viaducts and passing through 14 tunnels.

Our 72-mile journey started at Hellifield Station, where we boarded The Dalesman, pulled by a 1942 ex-LMS 8F locomotive which worked in the North until it was withdrawn in 1968. It was sent to a scrapyard in Wales, later rescued and restored, and is now based in Carnforth, Lancashire.

From Hellifield we steamed on to Settle Junction and the start of the Long Drag' towards Carlisle.

As we crossed the River Ribble at Helwith Bridge, the mighty Pen-y-Ghent - the sleeping lion' - reared into view and the scenery became more dramatic, with the peak of Ingleborough away to the left.

The Long Drag, so-named because of the steep gradient passing through the ice-age Stainforth Gorge, took us over the marvel that is synonymous with the Settle to Carlisle - the magnificent Ribblehead Viaduct. Nowadays carrying just a single track, it is 165ft high, 440 yards long and has 24 arches, and it took 2,000 navvies four years to build. The navvies were housed in shantytowns boasting the rather grand names of Belgravia and Salt Lake City, remains of which are still visible from the line.

I'm a sucker for feats of Victorian engineering and have long been fascinated by the Ribblehead Viaduct, so I was very excited at the prospect of crossing it. I couldn't see much of it as the train approached, but as we steamed across it the views of Ingleborough and Whernside were spectacular. Crowds had even gathered to wave at us.

There's something soothing about being on a steam train, as we gazed out of the window at the rolling hills, taking in views of the Three Peaks, castles, ruins and waterfalls, the rhythm of the track lulling us into a happy tranquility. Tucking into a delicious three-course lunch - it was the first time I'd eaten a meal on a train with cutlery and crockery, rather than peeling off the plastic from pre-packed sandwiches - it felt cosy in our carriage.

On board I met Bill Mitchell, former T&A columnist and well-known Dales writer, and Ruth Evans from the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line who proved to be mines of information about the route. They knew every crag and peak of the Dales, every inch of the railway. Bill pointed out how buildings en route change from brown to grey to red, reflecting geological changes; Settle station is made from Bradford stone, then there's the limestone cottages of the Dales and the red sandstone of Cumbria.

Ruth has been with the Friends for 20 years. Originally from London, she watched steam trains at Kings Cross station as a child with her brother, leading to a lifelong love of railways. Two years ago she organised Prince Charles's trip on the Settle to Carlisle line.

"We're the biggest railway group in the UK," she says. "There are 3,300 members, some live overseas. People all over the world love this railway. I know of Australians who book holidays in Yorkshire just so they can travel on the line. It gives you a whole new perspective of the countryside."

Kingfisher Railtours, which operates the Settle to Carlisle service, is owned by Roger Hardingham, a self-confessed trainspotter and railway fanatic who has written books and produced films on the railway. It has long been his dream to see steam trains running on the Settle to Carlisle line.

"It's such a famous railway, people associate it with romance and nostalgia," he says. "There's a lot of affection for the line because it has a lot of history, and it was saved from closure. People from around the country travel on it each summer."

Leaving the viaduct, our locomotive started to complete her long climb, entering the 1 mile-long Blea Moor Tunnel and emerging to dramatic views of Dentdale and the passage through Dent station, England's highest main line station.

Crossing Dandry Mire Viaduct and passing through Moorcock and Shotlock Hill tunnels, we made the climb to Ais Gill Summit which, at 1,169ft above sea level, was the highest point reached that day. It was breathtaking to have the Pennines on one side of us and, in the distance, the Lake District on the other.

Then came the descent towards Cumbria, entered via the lush Eden Valley. With its lovely wooded gorges and flower-filled fields, and the tranquil River Eden weaving past, it's a beautiful part of the route, offering picture-postcard prettiness after the drama of the Dales. A particularly idyllic spot is where the railway crosses the Eden; a family of ducks made their way under the bridge, unfazed by the huge fire-breathing creature steaming above them.

But to the lambs scattered across fields we must have looked like a monster - as the train roared into view they sprinted away in a panic, trying to keep up with the mumsy-looking sheep.

We passed pretty clumps of wildflowers growing on embankments, and fields full of buttercups; I half expected to see the Railway Children running towards us waving their red petticoats, (I know that's a different railway, but you get the picture).

From Eden we steamed into Appleby and were greeted with quite a sight; hundreds of caravans belonging to the travellers who'd taken over the village for their annual horse fair. Appleby station, where the train took on water, is a pretty little place where you could imagine Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard saying tearful goodbyes.

Our journey continued to the border city of Carlisle where we had a couple of hours to look around. The first thing you see walking out of Citadel Station is the red sandstone castle. A reminder of the great feuds between England and Scotland, it was prison to Mary Queen of Scots in 1568. Today the castle is rather ungraciously split into two sections on either side of a main road.

The castle, cathedral and Guildhall are Carlisle's three iconic medieval buildings. The cathedral, about five minutes' walk from the castle, was founded in 1122 and is built from grey stones from Hadrian's Wall mingled with local red clay. Striking features include medieval stained glass, stone tracery, paintings and carvings.

After an al fresco cup of tea at the Bon Appetit café we headed into the Guildhall Museum, a rare example of a working medieval building.

It once housed eight guilds - butchers, tailors, shoemakers, smiths, merchants, weavers, glovers, and tanners and skinners - and today each guild-room has its own special interest, from the ship's cabin-like atmosphere of the shoemakers' room to the 1830 hand loom in the weavers' room.

The original wattle and daub - a woven lattice of wooden stakes daubed with clay and sand - used to create the building is exposed and on display are two silver bells, the Carlisle Racing Bells, dated 1599 and believed to be the earliest surviving horse-racing prizes in the country. Other treasures include the mighty muniment chest, dated 1400, Tudor weights and measures and Victorian civic regalia.

Back on board The Dalesman, we retraced our journey to Settle, basking in the low sunlight casting shadows over the limestone. Perfect.

Information

How to get there: From Bradford take the A650 to Shipley on to Keighley, then the A629 towards Skipton, through Garvgrave to Hellifield. The station is signposted.

The Settle to Carlisle steam service runs on Sundays through the summer. For more information ring 0870 7472983 or visit www.kingfisherrailtours.co.uk