May 2012. Vélo-Rail, Normandy, France. We have known about 'draisines' (pedal-powered railway vehicles) for some time; they give an entirely new meaning to the expression 'I'm off for a cycle ride along the old railway'. Nowadays, the French seem to have dropped the term 'draisine' in favour of 'vélo-rail' ('cycle-rail'), which gives a pretty clear idea of what is on offer. For details of old lines in Normandy which offer vélo-rail facilities, click the link here. Incidentally, it's great to see the French putting their old railways to such imaginative re-use; it makes Britain's historic treatment of old railways look even more negative and vandalistic than we remember it. This clip from YouTube provides a brief front-of-train (i.e. front-of-draisine) view of what's on offer; the contributor remarked: 'What a find !!!!' – well, precisely! So why don't we have any of these things in the UK? Or do we ... ? Note: If the first vélo-rail clip whetted your appetite, here's a rather longer one. (Chris Cook)

May 2012. Shawford Junction to Winchester, Hampshire. Winchester City Council agreed in April that up to £350,000 can be spent on repairing the historic Hockley Viaduct, which once carried trains from Didcot and Newbury to Southampton, prior to installing a new cycle trail across it. The project is backed by both Hampshire County Council and cycling charity Sustrans. When complete, the viaduct will form the showpiece of a largely traffic-free route from Hockley right into the centre of Winchester, but several sections must be repaired first, especially parts of the parapet over the River Itchen which vandals have pushed into the river below. The restoration work will take place between July and October this year in order to avoid disturbing bats at the site. American concrete specialist Robert Courland describes the viaduct as '... easily the most important concrete structure to have survived from the 19th century, not only for its beauty, but also [for] the lessons learned from its construction and remarkable durability'. The viaduct is brick-faced; its underlying concrete construction was unsuspected until the 1980s, when industrial archaeologists led by Dr. Edwin Course from Southampton University took core samples from the piers. At this point, it became clear that Hockley predated several McAlpine-built viaducts in Scotland, which had been thought to be the first to use concrete. Photo Gallery 62 includes a few photographs of the viaduct taken in December 2011. (Chris Cook)

May 2012. Tavistock to Bere Alston, Devon. The long-standing plans to reinstate a railway on this long-closed formation, with a footpath and cycle trail alongside, finally seem to be moving forwards. In last week's 'Tavistock Times' (week ending 4th May), there was an article detailing proposals to establish an 'informal footpath' between Monksmead in Tavistock (where the railway bridge is out on the A389 Tavistock-Callington road) and Rumleigh Lane, about 1 mile north of Bere Alston. This is due to be completed 'later this summer', giving a new rail trail of about 4 miles. Access points will also be provided at Gawton bridge and at Slymeford farm bridge near Bere Alston, which will connect to the Tamar Valley Heritage sites in the area. Hopefully, in a year or two's time the railway and trailway will be running side by side. Our corespondent understands that a Transport and Works Order is currently being worked on for submission to Parliament by the Kilbride Group, which is behind the large housing development on the south side of Tavistock which is driving all this along. There was an inspection of an old railway bridge a couple of weeks ago, which necessitated closure of the lower Tavistock to Bere Alston road – another encouraging sign. (John Skinner)

May 2012. Bury to Holcombe Brook, Lancashire. Further to our report in February (click here), the new Woolfold Viaduct crossing the Kirklees Valley on this former L&YR line was opened officially on Bank Holiday Monday, 7th May. Click here to view a report from the 'AboutMyArea' website. (Mark Jones)

May 2012. Brynmawr to Llangattock, Gwent. In preparation for this year's AGM weekend, the club's Chairman visited the Abergavenny area on 4th May to recce the AGM walks. As a result of this, he has been able to update the entries in the online gazetteer for the Brynmawr area (search for 'Brynmawr' and 'Llangattock'). Apart from the ex LNWR Heads of the Valley line, which comes up from Abergavenny, there are three walkable tramroads in the area: the Upper Darren Disgwylfa Tramroad, the Lower Darren Disgwylfa Tramroad and the Llangattock Tramroad, the latter incorporating two knee-trembling inclines which the local OS Landranger map helpfully marks as 'Danger Area'. (The map makers are not kidding – and the Chairman can attest that the inclines are twice as difficult if you're going downhill with a bicycle.) The total length of these three routes is 7 miles, and locals advise that there are several other old tramroads in the area, parts of which have also been incorporated into the local rights of way network. What is obvious is that this scenic area holds a good few days' walking and exploring. (Jeff Vinter)

April 2012. Park House (near Far Forest) to Dowles (near Bewdley), Worcestershire. Crack out the champagne, folks; Worcestershire has just got its first ever rail trail! In the Wyre Forest National Nature Reserve along the border with Shropshire, 2 miles of the old Bewdley to Tenbury Wells line is now marked as a cycle path from SO 740760 to SO 773763. This is part of NCR45. No more will Jeff Vinter's gazetteer read, 'No railway paths of any significance, and the only county left in England which has yet to construct a single such route.' Hurrah! (George Reiss)

April 2012. Okehampton to Lydford, Devon. Along the Granite Way, there is now a Devon CC compulsory purchase notice at Bridestowe station to fill in the gap in the trail which currently exists in this area. This will create a continuous trackbed-based path all the way from Okehampton to Lydford. Where next? Tavistock? Such a link would afford a cross-town connection with the soon-to-be-opened Drake's Trail which, between Tavistock and Marsh Mills, re-uses the GWR's old branch line from Launceston to Plymouth. (George Reiss)

April 2012. Clowne to South Creswell, Derbyshire. Our correspondent has recently discovered that this part of the Great Central Railway's former route from Woodhouse to Langwith Junction (near Shirebrook) has been converted into a rail trail. A diversion is required around Creswell, but otherwise this section is fully intact, ending at the south (i.e. Creswell) end near Frithwood Farm (SK 521729). Unfortunately, we do not have the grid reference for the start of the trail, but it is believed to begin near the roundabout in Clowne where the B6417 and B6418 cross (SK 492756). For some reason, the railway removed the 'e' from the name of Clowne, rendering it as 'Clown'; one wonders what the locals felt about that. If anyone can confirm or correct the start point in Clowne, we will be very pleased to hear from them; please use the online form on our Contact page. Our correspondent noted that the Midland Railway's line through Cresswell had also just been lifted; this ran from Creswell Junction (between Shirebrook and Worksop) to Tapton Junction (between Chesterfield and Dore) for colliery traffic, although latterly it had been cut back to the east side of the M1. This development creates the opportunity for a further rail trail in the area if the local authority has the will and the funds. (Phil Earnshaw)

April 2012. Congresbury to Yatton, Somerset. Immediately north of Congesbury station, the Strawberry Line railway path (Cheddar-Axbridge-Yatton) crosses the busy A370 and then takes a diversion to the west to negotiate a long-demolished bridge over the River Yeo. This section has now been greatly improved by the installation of a toucan crossing on the A370 and the diversion of the path on to the river's southern flood bank. This takes walkers and cyclists away from the traffic, and also provides some attractive views northwards towards Yatton. The new section of trail is 350 metres long, cost £30,000, and took 4½ weeks to install. (Tim Chant)

April 2012. Sturminster Newton to Corfe Mullen, Dorset. There are several items of news regarding this section of the former Somerset & Dorset Railway, which is being converted into the North Dorset Trailway:

• Sturminster Newton to Blandford: Currently, the longest continuous section of the NDT starts at Sturminster and ends at Stourpaine, but an extension to the Milldown will be open by November this year. At the Milldown, the extension will connect with the existing railway path which leads on to the site of Blandford station. Graham Rains of the NDT has taken some fine pictures of the work to date, which you can see by clicking here, here and here. (We are very grateful to Graham for permission to use these photographs; in the future, we will reduce their size so that the above links involve downloading rather less than the current 2 megabytes!)
• Blandford to Spetisbury: The problem here has long been the missing link from Blandford Forum to Blandford St. Mary, where an existing section of trailway leads on to Spetisbury. To quote from the March edition of 'The S&D Telegraph': 'The gap in the NDT between the [Blandford] bypass roundabout and Ward's Drove should be resolved by creating a better farm access from the A350.' We suggest that improvements to the signing of the Trailway across Blandford are also needed, but hopefully Dorset CC will address this issue when the link from Sturminster arrives in the town.
• Spetisbury to Corfe Mullen: The big problem in this section is landowner opposition, which appears to have been influenced by an application from Cemex to Dorset CC to commence gravel extraction in the lower Stour Valley. There are fears that, if this application is not handled carefully, much of the trackbed could be lost between these two points. On the plus side, the lengthy consultation process is far from complete, which means that supporters of the trailway will have further opportunity to put their case, while it is obvious that Dorset CC is highly committed to the trailway, which will boost tourism and trade in the county. (Jeff Vinter)

April 2012. Yarmouth to Newport, Isle of Wight. There are two snippets of news from this former railway. First, the local council has sold the old station at Yarmouth (which served for many years as a youth club) to a local man, who is considering turning it into a coffee shop. If this goes ahead, it will provide an opportunity not only to take refreshments while using the Freshwater-Yarmouth railway path, but also to view the interior of the building. Second, the footpath from east of Hill Place Crossing (SZ 375893) on the line east of Yarmouth has been significantly extended almost as far as Ningwood Manor Farm. This provides just over 1½ miles of new trackbed walking and means that, with a one mile diversion via Thorley between Hill Place Crossing and Thorley Bridge (SZ 974896), it is now possible to walk most of the line between Freshwater and the west side of Ningwood. Advice as to where exactly the trail ends at the Ningwood end will be appreciated, as will information relating to the local authority's further plans for this old line; please use the online form on our Contact page if you can help. (Chris Bedford)

April 2012. Malmesbury, Wiltshire. A house for sale in Malmesbury has a very unusual feature 'out the back' – its own railway tunnel. According to estate agents Bridges Lockstone, 'the half acre grounds still incorporate a section of the Malmesbury railway tunnel designed in 1872 by an apprentice engineer to Isambard Kingdom Brunel'. The current owners, Gavin and Elizabeth Cook, in association with the Malmesbury River Valleys Trust, have installed lighting in the tunnel and provided an information board for the benefit of walkers using footpaths in the nearby wood. (Tim Chant)

March 2012. Bath to Midford, Somerset. One of the two missing bridges on the Somerset & Dorset Railway between Bath and Midford has just been replaced; the second one will take a little longer because Transco must move a gas main out of the way first. It is now expected that the two tunnels (Devonshire and Combe Down) will be opened this autumn. (Huw Davies)

March 2012. Alresford to Winchester Junction, Hampshire. Part of the trackbed at Itchen Abbas has now been confirmed officially as a Hampshire County Council maintained path with permissive rights for cyclists, and there are plans to open up further stretches of the trackbed through to Alresford. For further details, click the link here. East of Alresford, the rest of this route to Alton remains open as the Mid Hants Railway. (Marcus Heap)

March 2012. Ringwood to Poole via Wimborne, Dorset. Members may recognise this route as the Castleman Trailway, which uses much of the LSWR's 'old road' to Dorchester and now is managed as a multi-use trail by Dorset County Council and the Borough of Poole. These two local authorities are developing proposals to improve the Trailway over the next few years, two of which will be of particular interest to members:

• This spring, 3½ miles of the trailway between Ashley Heath and Ferndown will be re-surfaced using funding from 'Verwood Developer Contributions' - presumably, monies levied on development companies which have been building in the Verwood area.
• The authorities also plan to work with landowners to resolve the 2½ miles of missing cycle link at the Poole end of the route.

In years to come, the North Dorset Trailway, based on the old Somerset & Dorset Railway, will join the Castleman Trailway at Wimborne, which will put that town at the hub of trackbed-based links to Poole, Ringwood, Brockenhurst, Blandford Forum, Sturminster Newton and Stalbridge. The club has already contacted the ranger's office at DCC to express its support. (Tim Chant)

March 2012. Bristol to Portishead (Avon). According to a report in the edition of the Western Daily Press published on Saturday 10th March, the re-opening of the Portishead branch is on the cards – at a cost of £33 million for the branch itself, plus another £7 million for doubling the track at Filton Bank to increase capoacity. The proposals form part of a consultation exercise by the Department of Transport, which is planning a new, 15 year contract. The branch featured in 2010 in a local TV documentary, when a journalist spent over an hour travelling the 10 miles from Portishead to Bristol with a local commuter – no journey for the feint-hearted. The eastern part of the branch was re-opened a few years ago to serve Royal Portbury Dock, but the last few miles into Portishead remain a weed-tangled mass which has buried the rails in situ. By good fortune, the Railway Property Board was never asked to sell the trackbed, which means that no tricky land purchase negotiations are in prospect, except possibly in relation to new station sites at Portishead and Pill. (Tim Chant and Jeff Vinter)

February 2012. Abercynon to Merthyr Tydfil (Penydarren Tramroad), Mid Glamorgan. On Tuesday 21st February, Sustrans Cymru together with representatives from the local council and pupils from Afon Taf school celebrated the opening of the 'Puddlers Bridge' on the Trevithick Trail, which re-uses the historic Penydarren Tramway as a walking and cycling route. The bridge is a new traffic-free crossing of the busy A4060 between Pentrebach and Merthyr Tydfil town centre, which will allow walkers and cyclists to cross over the road in complete safety. In contrast to other bridge openings reported on this page, this bridge is entirely new and not a replacement for one demolished after closure. For Sustrans' report on the event, click the link here. (Jeff Vinter)

February 2012. Broughton to Talla Reservoir, Borders. This little known line of 8 miles, which branched off the Caledonian Railway's route from Peebles to Symington, was opened in 1912 and closed just 15 years later. It was built to facilitate the construction of Talla Reservoir, which still supplies water to Edinburgh. Now plans are in hand to convert it into part of a railway path network. The driving force behind the idea is the Upper Tweed Railway Paths Group, which has included proposals for the Talla Valley line along with those for the connecting 20 mile Peebles to Symington route. The group's objective is to open up both lines for use by walkers, cyclists and horse riders, and the first step will be a feasibility study which is due to be completed this year. The group believes that a railway path network in the area will boost both tourism and the economy, helping to make local campsites, B&Bs, pubs and shops more viable. At the moment, only a short section of the main line at Peebles is open as a footpath, although it does include a fine viaduct over the River Tweed near Hay Lodge Park. (Dave White)

February 2012. Shallcross Incline, Derbyshire. The northernmost of the 9 original inclines on the Cromford & High Peak Railway has just been converted into a rail trail. The project took nearly two years from obtaining the funding to completion, so it was slow progress – but our correspondent is optimistic that it will be the catalyst for further progress in 2012, despite the difficult economic climate. Click here for a full report. (Brian Bethune)

February 2012. Stourpaine & Durweston to Blandford Forum, Dorset. The following report is quoted directly from the February newsletter of the North Dorset Trailway. 'Clearing has begun on the new stretch of line between Blandford and Stourpaine. A great deal of spoil had been dumped on the Trailway on both the Stourpaine side and the Blandford side, which made it very dangerous for the usual volunteer force to approach and clear ... The Rangers have been using contractors to flatten the huge mounds of spoil and remove the dangerous objects. Unfortunately, once the bird nesting season begins in March very little tree and bush removal can be done but the work on the surface can continue. The Trailway from the cutting near the Milldown [north of Blandford station site] has been cleared and surfaced as part of the Safe Routes to Schools [project] paid for by Sustrans. This means that pupils at Blandford School can use the trail if they live in that area. Sustrans is also helping to pay for the new extension into Blandford once all the hurdles have been cleared.' (Lesley Gasson, North Dorset Trailway)

February 2012. Derry/Londonderry, County Derry/Londonderry. A Sustrans report on the grand opening of the Peace Bridge over the River Foyle last summer highlighted the traffic-free cycling walking and facilities that now exist on the east and west banks of the river. On the west side, 5 miles of the narrow gauge Great Northern line towards Carrigans are now a traffic-free rail trail, while Sustrans' online map service now shows a similar trail on the east bank. Could this occupy part of the fomer Northern Counties line from Londonderry to Strabane? If you know the answer, please get in touch using the online form on our Contact page. (Jeff Vinter)

February 2012. Belfast to Comber, County Antrim/County Down. We are delighted to report that the Comber Greenway, a 7 mile former railway which links Belfast with Comber and is Northern Ireland's longest rail trail, is now unlikely to be used as guided busway. Following extensive lobbying by Sustrans, Northern Ireland's Department for Regional Development has accepted that 'the route is better used as a greenway rather than a bus way.' (Sustrans Ltd). Comment: It would be good to see similar conclusions reached on the eastern side of the Irish Sea, e.g. in Bath and Bristol where we understand that plans to appropriate for buses parts of the Bath-Bristol railway path have not been dropped. (Webmaster)

February 2012. Bury to Holcombe Brook, Lancashire. This former Lancs & Yorks branch line closed on 5th May 1952 with Woolfold Viaduct, which took the line over the Kirklees Brook and its valley, being demolished in 1974. Sustrans and its partners have now – at a cost of £654,291 – installed a replacement viaduct, which is said to offer excellent views of the surrounding countryside. NCN6 already occupies 1½ miles of the trackbed between Woolfold and Greenmount, while reports in the local press suggest that the intention is to bring the whole of this old railway back into use as a cycle trail between Bury and Greenmount. (Sustrans Ltd and Jeff Vinter)

February 2012. Workington, Cumbria. The so-called Navvies Bridge in Workington, actually a former railway bridge over the River Derwent, collapsed on 20th November 2009 during devastating floods. Work to install a replacement bridge began in May 2011, with the new structure opening to the public on 10th September amidst the kind of celebration that might have greeted a new railway a century and a half before. The new Navvies Bridge is wider than its predecessor, which 'not only enables people to pass each other without having to give way but offers a popular place to stop for a chat or watch for salmon going up river. It also has built-in lighting to make commuting on dark winter evenings much more pleasant.' Workington is a good place to go railway rambling, with both NCN71 and NCN72 making extensive use of old railway lines in the area. (Sustrans Ltd)

February 2012. Methley to Lofthouse, West Yorkshire. In 2009, Sustrans conducted a feasibility study in Castleford with a view to developing a cycle network for the town. The company has now completed work on the first phase and hopes that further phases will follow, starting this year with the conversion of the 'former Methley railway line'. This is believed to refer to the Methley Joint line, which ran from Methley to Lofthouse Junctions (North, South and East) via Stanley. A 1¾ mile section of this line is already used for NCN67 and the Trans Pennine Trail between SE 384256, near Watergate, and SE 356247 on the west edge of Stanley. It makes sense to re-develop the old line back to Methley, since this will provide an off-road feeder into the TPT. (Sustrans Ltd and Jeff Vinter)

February 2012. Cullingworth to Queensbury, West Yorkshire. The Yorkshire and North East edition of 'The Hub', Sustrans newsletter for supporters, contains good news about the Great Northern Trail. It is seven years since the first section of this route opened at Cullingworth, but Sustrans is now a step closer to completing it: 'The missing section between Queensbury and Thornton has always been problematic due to complex negotiations on public access rights at a critical section of the former railway track. However, approval has now been granted for this section to become a public bridleway and we hope to open it in the near future.' (Sustrans Ltd)

February 2012. Meltham to Meltham Branch Junction (Lockwood), West Yorkshire. The first kilometre of the Meltham Greenway is now complete and runs from Station Street, Meltham to Huddersfield Road, Meltham Mills, with a voluntary support group called 'The Friends of Meltham Greenway' helping to maintain the route. This Lancs & Yorks line was an early closure, losing its passenger service on 23rd May 1949, although freight continued until 3rd May 1965. It is believed that the freight traffic was farm tractors from David Brown's factory in Meltham, where these vehicles were made for 52 years until the plant closed in 1988. (Sustrans Ltd and Jeff Vinter)

February 2012. Weymouth to Portland, Dorset. Work on installing a new bridge at Newstead Road, Weymouth, which will re-connect the two halves of the Rodwell Trail after 25 years, is running a little late, but now has a completion date of 6th March - just in time for a club walk over the route 11 days later. The original railway bridge was removed in 1987 in connection with road improvements, but revival of the former railway as a rail trail has made it desirable to create a 'grade segregated' crossing for walkers and cyclists. (Martin Reeves)

February 2012. Blaenavon to Pontypool, Gwent. The old GWR line between Blaenavon and Pontypool has been a railway path for some years, but this month received some extra publicity in the Welsh edition of 'The Hub', Sustrans quarterly magazine for supporters. Click here to read the article. (Sustrans Ltd)

February 2012. Crumlin to Pontypool, Gwent. A new path is being constructed which will link Crumlin and Swffryd. By following the old GWR railway line, the trail will provide walkers and cyclists with spectacular views of the Ebbw Valley. Sections through Hafodyrynys and on to Pontypool are also in development and are due to be completed in November. It is not clear from Sustrans' publications which route this extension will take; looking at the local OS Explorer map, it appears that the A472 has claimed much of the old railway between Crumlin and Pontypool. (Sustrans Ltd and Jeff Vinter)

February 2012. Rugby to Nuneaton, Warwickshire. We are delighted to report that the southern end of this line at Rugby is being converted into 'the Viaduct Cycleway', which will take walkers and cyclists over the magnificent 11 arch Grade II listed Leicester Road Viaduct. When the viaduct is finally opened, the route across it will connect Rugby with areas to the north of the town, including industrial and employment centres at Cosford. This is good news for Rugby, which already has a 2 mile rail trail – part of NCN41 – along the former Great Central Railway from near the town's railway station southwards to Onley Lane at grid reference SP 517725. The OS Explorer map shows the trail continuing south of this point, but it does not; Sustrans has already corrected this error in its own online mapping. (Sustrans Ltd, Jeff Vinter and David Thompson) Addendum: Sustrans' announcement in 'The Hub', its quarterly supporters' magazine, that Leicester Road Viaduct is already open is premature. On 24th March, new paths had been laid to the north of the viaduct, but the viaduct itself was securely fenced off at both ends and overgrown with weeds. We expect that the low parapets will have to be raised, or secure fencing installed, before opening can take place, especially as the busy Leicester Road dual-carriageway passes beneath. (Phil Mullarkey)

February 2012. Berkswell to Kenilworth, Warwickshire. The Burton Green to Kenilworth railway path, which has been in place for quite a few years now, has always terminated at the point where it met the A429 a mile or so north of Kenilworth. All that changed on 29 September 2011 with the opening of an extension incorporating a brand new bridge over the A429, which took the path further south west along the former line to its junction with the still operational Coventry-Leamington line. From here, the new path extends along a non-railway route to Kenilworth's Abbey Fields, making an excellent, highly attractive route right to the heart of the town. A further extension (again, non-railway) is due to be constructed this year to provide a link to Warwick University and Coventry. For further details, click the link here. (David Thompson)

February 2012. Devizes, Wiltshire. In Devizes on 15th of this month, one of our members heard that two bridges on the former line from Patney & Chirton to Holt Junction had become weak and were to be infilled in order to support them. The two bridges concerned carry Hillworth Road (SU 006610) and Southgate (SU 007609) over the former railway line south-east of the former Devizes railway station. Our member visited the site and found that contractors had already started work at the rear of the NHS building in Southgate. In Hillworth Road, he got talking to a local resident, who allowed him access, via his garden, down on to the former trackbed in a cutting - hence the photograph above. Devizes was on a secondary line from Paddington to Bath and Bristol. Trains would travel via Reading, Newbury, Pewsey, Devizes and Bradford-on-Avon. To this day, there are Devizes residents who feel that it was wrong to remove the town from the UK rail network; its misfortune was that it was the only community of any size on its particular section of line. (Tim Chant).

February 2012. Hastings to Bexhill, East Sussex. This is not a conventional railway path in that the line between Hastings and Bexhill is still open, but we thought that readers might like to know that a new mile-long link alongside the railway line between these two Sussex towns was completed in December. It joins two existing traffic-free routes (one west from Hastings, the other east from Bexhill) to form a continuous 3½ walking and cycling route between the two towns. The link is the result of a Sustrans Connect2 project designed to avoid the busy A259 coastal road, which sees 32,000 vehicle movements per day. The coastal views from the new section of trail are described as 'stunning'. (Sustrans Ltd and Jeff Vinter)

February 2012. Glossop, Derbyshire. If you thought that the Trans Pennine Trail already contained all of the disused railways that it possibly could, think again! Derbyshire County Council announced on 11th January completion of a new section of the trail, which runs the length of the former Great Central Railway's Gamesley Sidings near Glossop – from grid reference SK 000936 (Botany Lane at Bankwood Gate) to SK 014941 (Green Lane). There are plans in place to fill the remaining gap between Green Lane and Glossop Road where the trail heads off north, again on disused rail tracks - this being the Longdendale Trail, which re-uses about 7 miles of the former GCR Woodhead route as far as the west portals of the various Woodhead Tunnels. On the subject of these tunnels, the National Grid will soon vacate the original Victorian tunnels, used since the 1960s to convey Manchester's power supply across the Pennines, in favour of the modern tunnel which was opened in 1953. For further details of this fascinating but little known civil engineering project, click here. (David Thompson and Jeff Vinter)

February 2012. Middleton-in-Teesdale to Barnard Castle (County Durham,). A report in the edition of 'The Teesdale Mercury' published on 26th January 2012 reveals that the Tees Valley Railway Path, which currently runs from Lonton (near Middleton-in-Teesdale) to just south of Cotherstone, is to be further extended beyond Cotherstone to Barnard Castle. Work is due to start 'this autumn'. For further details, click the link here. (David Thompson)

February 2012. Yatton to Wrington, Cheddar and Wells (Somerset). The latest newsletter from the Cheddar Valley Railway Walk Society brought positive news about future developments on the Strawberry Line, so called after the large quantities of strawberries which used to be taken out by rail from the Draycott area in years gone by:

• The management plan for the Strawberry Line Linear Nature Reserve 2012-16 is almost complete. Its aspirations, inter alia, include a multi-use trail along the Wrington Vale Light Railway (Congresbury to Blagdon), a bridge across the River Yeo and an improved crossing of the A38.
• In the near future, Sustrans will be presenting its plans to a public meeting for a multi-use trail, based largely on the former railway, between Cheddar and Draycott.
• In Cheddar, the planned road widening in Sharpham Road, including the road-over rail bridge at ST 451535, has been modified to take account of past objections. The bridge is to be extended in keeping with its original design and will feature a 6ft wide footpath on either side of the road (where currently there is none), plus a ramp down to the rail trail which will be suitable for bicycles, wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

The society is also looking for volunteers to help with clearing litter and conducting surveys of use - very much the sort of activities that this club's area groups could help with. (Cheddar Valley Railway Walk Society)

February 2012. Tiverton Junction to Hemyock (Devon). The Culm Valley Light Railway was one of the very last west country branch lines to close, thanks to milk traffic from a large dairy at Hemyock, so it is perhaps surprising that its recreational potential was ignored after closure – with the exception of a half mile section between Coldharbour and Uffculme, which has been open as a footpath for many years. Now, however, the promoters of the Culm Valley Trail have obtained funding to open 800 metres of trackbed from Culmstock towards Uffculme. A 'Culm Valley Trail Open Day' will take place on Saturday 4 February between 10:30 am and 1:00 pm at Culmstock Village Hall. People are being invited to find out more about the project and sign a petition of support. Keen volunteers can also join the team behind the plans. The purpose of the project is to convert the old railway between Willand and Hemyock into a multi-use trail for walkers, cyclists, horse riders, mobility scooters and wheelchairs, which will re-link the communities in the Culm Valley. The M5 now blocks the trackbed on the east side of Willand so the final short link into the now closed Tiverton Junction station is a 'goner', but Devon CC has already created a largely traffic-free trail from Willand to Tiverton Parkway. (Simon Bramley and Jeff Vinter)

January 2012. Sandy to Bedford, Bedfordshire. If you have not yet sampled this 8 mile rail trail, 2012 might be the year in which to do so. Despite the Labour Government announcing in 2006 that reinstatement of the Oxford to Cambridge line (of which Sandy to Bedford is a part) had been put on hold for at least 20 years, Chancellor George Osbourne mentioned reinstating the line from Oxford to Bedford in his Autumn Statement, with future options to continue on to Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich. For further details, click here. (Tim Grose)

January 2012. Colliery Branches to Bilsthorpe, Clipstone, Cotgrave and Calverton, Nottinghamshire. Notts County Council is interested in buying four disused colliery lines from Network Rail for conversion into new off-road walking and cycling routes to extend and enhance what is on offer in the county alread. The Bilsthorpe and Clipstone lines would link the Southwell Trail with NCN6. For further details, click here. (David Thompson)

January 2012. Frome to Great Elm, Somerset. We are pleased to report that there has been some movement towards providing an improved, traffic-free and therefore completely safe link for walkers and cyclists between Frome and Great Elm, where the former GWR branch line to Bristol via Hallatrow can be followed all the way to Radstock and Midsomer Norton. Click here for further details, and here and here to see the work of the local 'chain gang'. (Jeff Vinter).

January 2012. Luton to Welwyn Garden City, Bedfordshire/Hertfordshire. According to the online maps published by Sustrans (see www.sustrans.org.uk/map), there is now a near continuous railway-based cycle trail from Luton to Welwyn GC. The only significant interruption is a one mile gap west of Wheathampstead, between the town's Station Road and Leasey Bridge Level Crossing, which is illustrated at the top of this page. A cycle link is proposed in due course but, in the meantime, walkers can use public footpaths to 'bridge the gap'. (Phil Mullarkey and Jeff Vinter)