Alan Whitehouse (Letters, 11 August) would be pleased to learn how much the “Staycation Express”, a private initiative train that runs between Skipton and Appleby in Cumbria, using heritage rolling stock, is stimulating the local economy. One Appleby cafe owner waxed lyrical about how the Express had brought tourists in to save them from the slump in trade under coronavirus.
Jonathan Hauxwell
Crosshills, North Yorkshire
• Catherine Shoard (It would be a tragedy if coronavirus costs us the joys of train travel, 10 August) should travel on East Midlands Railway trains, on which I have been snowed on and soaked in heavy rain. They are certainly not watertight and so presumably must have ventilation.
Sally Cunningham
Croft, Leicestershire
• While on holiday in Alderney I expressed my disappointment to the shopkeeper that there were no Guardians left on the shelves (Letters, passim). “Don’t worry, Sir,” was the reply, “they’ll be here tomorrow once the planes are flying again.” I should have realised why the foghorns had been sounding since early morning.
Ron Brewer
Old Buckenham, Norfolk
• While it is concerning that children are at risk from game shot with lead (Letters, 10 August), I can’t recall the last time I saw grouse on sale in Oldham’s Aldi. Of course, this could change now that the grouse shooting season has started.
Dr Martin J Schwarz
Delph, Greater Manchester
• If gamekeepers object to their birds being killed (Call for grouse shooting to be licensed amid rise in bird of prey deaths, 12 August) why do they keep shooting them?
Peter Scales
Elvaston, Derbyshire
