Ian was keen to give his new senior's railcard a workout on something other than our usual train trip down to Sydney and after a bit of thought we plumped for a day trip to the Blue Mountains.
Some serious rugging up was in order as everyone told me it would be very cold up there so, wrapped up in coats, scarves, gloves etc. we left home at 4.45am for the drive to Broadmeadow station in Newcastle where we boarded the train for the two hour journey to Sydney. I have been impressed by all the trains I have used in New South Wales so far. They are reliable, clean and comfortable and have designated quiet carriages, which are great if you got up early and need to have a bit of a snooze. One of our favourite pastimes is to watch people who have not realised they have entered a quiet carriage as they carry on loud conversations on the phone wondering why the other passengers are glaring at them, eventually they generally blush bright red as the understanding dawns or some kind soul puts them straight. 

 We changed onto the Blue Mountains line at Strathfield with no mishaps and were at our destination, Katoomba by 10am where we hopped on a bus to Echo Point.
It was a glorious, sunny day and the views were to die for. The Three Sisters looked sensational bathed in sunshine and we took the recommended clifftop walk through the most breathtaking scenery. I am not good with heights but this was all fine as the paths were very well maintained and were fenced with plenty of lookout points where the view was particularly spectacular, there was even one specially named for our friends who are visiting next year.  Photos do not really do justice to huge panoramic vistas like these and, although I got some nice shots, you really have to go to appreciate the beauty of the area. 
 Our path took us all the way to the Skyway Terminal where the two cable cars and the world's steepest passenger railway begin. This was a bit of a disappointment as it was incredibly windy so wild horses would not have been able to drag me onto the cable car which was swinging around like crazy, so we just wanted to go on the train. Sadly the only tickets sold were to travel on both cable cars, the train and the walkway and it was impossible to only use one element. We did not mind too much though because the terminal (called Scenic World) was absolutely packed and this on a Tuesday in winter outside the school holidays, so we figured the train trip would have been packed too and turned our enjoyment of the place into a bit of a theme park ride. 
Back in Katoomba we stopped at the Paragon Cafe for a coffee. The cafe was 101 years old with all its original fixtures and fittings, and sold gorgeous home made chocolates and cakes displayed in the 1916 glass counters. 

After that we had a nose around the beautiful Carrington Hotel. This was built in 1883 and has been restored to its original glory in recent years. It was all stained glass windows, chandeliers and charming gardens and would be a fantastic place to stay to explore the area. Not for us this time though, we were on our way back home but will be back again now we know it is doable as a day trip and a cheap one too, even for those of us who have to pay full price the whole trip was only about $12 in total. Ian checked his senior's card balance when we reached home and found the whole day out had cost him $2.50 (about £1.50).