May 2026. Rothes to Craigellachie, Morayshire/Banffshire.
The Rothes Way is a community-led project which aims to provide a multi-use path linking Rothes and Craigellachie, which will for the most part follow the line of the former Great North of Scotland Railway and provide an off-road alternative to the A95/A941. It also provides a link to the Speyside Way at Craigellachie via the cast iron Telford’s Bridge. The railway viaduct was demolished some time after the line closed in 1968. Thus far the path covers the first two miles south out of Rothes, and sticks to the trackbed as far as Bulwark Cottage, where the line has been swallowed up by the main road. From here to the site of Dandaleith Station, a new path has been built, and then there’s a gap of about 100 metres, until the old road to Telford’s Bridge can be taken. It does look as if the line, albeit overgrown and in trees, could be followed on the opposite side of the main road as far as the River Spey and the site of the demolished viaduct. As for the Rothes Way, once in Craigellachie, a footpath goes under the A95 road bridge and connects to the Speyside Way, the long-distance footpath between Buckie and Aviemore. (RR)
May 2026. Carmarthen to Ffairfach, Carmarthenshire.
The Tywi Valley Path is now fully open and looks to be a worthy addition to the disused railway portfolio. It runs for about 13 miles from Abergwili just north of Carmarthen (and near the southern terminus of the Gwili Steam Railway) to Ffairfach (which has an open station on the Central Wales Line). The path largely follows the route of the old LNWR Central Wales & Carmarthen Junction Line. The stations at Golden Grove and Drysllwyn are still visible, although it is sad that the crossing gate on the eastern side of the road at the latter location has been demolished to accommodate the path. A railway bench, station sign and a section of platform remain at Nantgaredig. The path includes two new river crossings: a 64m-long footbridge over the River Cothi at Nantgaredig and near Llanegwad, a 57m-long steel bridge over the River Tywi (Towy in English), which is the longest river flowing entirely in Wales. (Chris Parker; RR)
May 2026. Buxton to Matlock, Derbyshire.
Feasibility studies come and go without rail reinstatement being seriously considered yet one has now been formally submitted to the Department for Transport for review, in regard to the line between Buxton and Matlock in Derbyshire. The study has been passed via the Better Value Rail Working Group, comprising the DfT, Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road. RR members will know that much of the Buxton – Matlock trackbed is currently occupied by the spectacular Monsal Trail. Rail UK reports that ‘the submission marks a significant milestone for the project and confirms that no prohibitive technical, environmental, planning or delivery barriers have been identified at feasibility stage that would prevent the corridor progressing to the next phase of development, a Strategic Outline Business Case’.
Driving the study is the concern to meet carbon saving targets in the face of increasing road congestion, given that the vast majority of visitors to the Peak District National Park arrive by car. The report also highlights the ‘sensitive environments’ of which the Park comprises. Alongside transport benefits the study claims a reinstated Peaks and Dales Line could support sustainable access to new homes built on brownfield sites outside the Park. The proposal confirms that only around 11½ miles of railway would need to be completely reinstated, although other sections would require upgrading.
What of the Monsal Trail? The study says the path can be ‘enhanced’ rather than displaced, presumably running alongside the reopened line, at least in part. Quite what the authorities would make of the tunnel sections in this regard is open to question. The project has secured formal cross party parliamentary support, with more than twenty-six MPs across the East Midlands, North West and South Yorkshire having signed a joint letter of support to the Minister for Rail. Derbyshire County Council was expected to endorse further consideration of the proposal at its May meeting. (Rail UK; Forgotten Relics)
May 2026, Middleton, Lancashire.
Plans to restore the Grade II listed Th’iron Donger or Scowcroft Bridge in Middleton, with particular regard to its decorative panels, have been approved. The bridge carried the Leeds – Manchester line over the Rochdale Canal and is located around 500 metres north of Mills Hill Station. Originally built in 1863, the bridge was designed as a single-deck structure and was made from stone, cast iron and iron beams with distinctive decorative features. A second deck was added later, which still carries the railway from Manchester to Wakefield.
Some of the decorative features were removed in 2020, after severe deterioration made them unsafe, while the remaining decorative areas were removed in 2024, in order to prevent further damage and potential collapse. Engineers plan to use modern cast iron, which is easier to maintain than the original cast iron and can create an exact replica of the original features. (The Oldham Times; Forgotten Relics)
May 2026. Grantown-on-Spey, Morayshire.
An electoral manoeuvre or a genuine offer? If it returns to power, the Scottish National Party says it will undertake a scoping exercise to assess the viability of the Strathspey Railway’s long-held ambition to reach Grantown-on-Spey, which lies three miles north of its present terminus at Broomhill. The main obstacles are the River Spey and the A95, both of which would require new bridges to be constructed. The Highland Railway’s station site is mainly occupied by a timber merchant, although the station house survives, from where a footpath uses the trackbed heading north, becoming the official Dava Way a little further on. Meanwhile, across the river, the Grantown East Heritage and Cultural Centre uses the site of the ex-Great North of Scotland station, although the carriage that used to sit on some track has been removed by the new owners of the site (see photo on previous page when said carriage was in situ). (The Herald; Forgotten Relics)
May 2026. Fawley Branch, Hampshire.
Plans to reinstate passenger rail services on the Fawley branch in Hampshire have been rejected by a government regulator. Alliance Rail Ltd applied in 2025 to run trains between Marchwood and London Waterloo. However, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said it had concerns about network capacity, the firm’s future performance, the need for infrastructure and the scheme’s financial viability. Alliance Managing Director Ian Yeowart said: ‘We have never previously had reason to publicly comment on ORR rejection letters, but the content of this decision letter from the ORR is shoddy, unevidenced and, concerningly, factually incorrect in many areas‘. ORR, on the other hand, say they are ‘satisfied our decision to reject this application, on multiple grounds, is clearly supported by the evidence provided to us by Alliance and Network Rail’. Previously, the firm said it had developed a workable timetable and confirmed that its Class 769 trains would perform at the route’s full line speed. However, in its decision letter, the ORR said there is not enough capacity on the relevant part of the network for the application to be approved. It added: ‘The lack of available capacity (track and station) and uncertainty over the ability of the rolling stock to perform as required in the timetable means this application would introduce risks to railway service performance rather than improving it’. Marchwood signalling facilities would have needed upgrading and a new station required at Hythe. The aim was for one two-carriage diesel train running every 30 minutes to Southampton Central. A parallel plan to build 1,500 homes on the site of the former Fawley Power Station, which had been approved, was withdrawn in 2024. (BBC; Forgotten Relics)
April 2026. Somerset.
Somerset Council ratified its local transport plan in mid March and this included a commitment to set aside up to £730,000 over the next two years to help complete walking and cycling routes across rural parts of the county. This is due to the constraints around government grants, the majority of which are focused on urban parts of the county, with almost no money being set aside for rural areas. The current commitment, therefore, is based on the Strawberry Line and the wider Somerset Circle. When complete, the Somerset Circle will provide a 76-mile traffic-free circuit linking the north Somerset coast (including Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon), Bristol, Bath, the Mendip Hills and Shepton Mallet. More than two-thirds of the route is currently in place, including the Bristol and Bath Railway Path, the Two Tunnels Greenway in Bath and the Colliers Way to Radstock (which also continues on a spur out towards Frome). The Strawberry Line forms a key component of the Circle, running uninterrupted from Yatton Railway Station to Labourham Way in Cheddar, and will eventually reach all the way to Collett Park in Shepton Mallet.
The funding will be awarded to registered charity Greenways and Cycle Routes, which has been working since 2016 to deliver new rural active travel links. In addition to new sections of the Strawberry Line, the organisation has helped develop the Windsor Hill Greenway north of Shepton Mallet as well as new paths across Glastonbury. Mick Fletcher, chairman of the Strawberry Line Society, commented: ‘We can’t be too specific about the exact route we intend to take for the remaining sections until all landowners have signed on the dotted line. However, it is clear where the gaps are: Shepton Mallet to Wells, Wells to Easton, Westbury-sub-Mendip to Rodney Stoke, and Draycott to Cheddar’. RR members will be interested to hear his remark that ‘we are not dogmatic about sticking to the railway track, although where it is possible that has obvious advantages’. The Strawberry Line Society has been pushing the Historic Railways Estate (HRE – part of National Highways) to open up an arch of Stump Cross Bridge under Ridge Road, enabling path users to pass safely underneath the busy road on their way towards Wells. Following public criticism of HRE’s lack of progress in mid February, Mr Fletcher said that ‘things have started to move forward sensibly’ on this particular project. (Somerset County Gazette; Forgotten Relics)
March 2026. Shepton Mallet, Somerset.
As of March 2026 Bath Road Viaduct on the ex-Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway remains fenced off. Whilst the structure has acquired a tarmac path the formation to the east has not been converted at this moment in time. (Phillip Earnshaw)
March 2026. Breamore, Hampshire.
The overbridge next to the restored station is being repaired following a partial collapse. The footpath which utilises the formation at this point is therefore closed and likely to remain so until at least July (according to the Hampshire County Council website). Breamore was on the LSWR line from Salisbury to West Moors. (Phillip Earnshaw)
February 2026. Brampton, Cumberland.
Around 125 local residents attended a public meeting in early February near Brampton in Cumberland after concerns were raised about building work taking place on a popular local footpath which uses part of the trackbed of the long-defunct Lord Carlisle’s Railway. The land, located on the west side of Whites Cut, Midgeholme, near Lambley, was formerly owned by Sustrans and sold at auction in November last year. (Sustrans itself has recently rebranded as the rather cumbersome Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (WWCT). To his credit, the new landowner attended the meeting and apologised for any damage he had done to the site but claimed that he did not need planning permission for the work he was undertaking. This is disputed by local councillors who say that, due to historic coal mining in the district, expensive ground surveys have to be carried out before any such work can be started.
The landowner’s eventual plan is to build a property and workshop on the land. He added that he was carrying out the work in good faith and was trying to improve the site. Due to previous neglect of the site, he said flooding had occurred when he tried to clean out four blocked water courses and that this had led to more material being moved than originally anticipated. Apparently, he then offered to sell the land to the local community but ‘got laughed out of the village hall‘. His offer of £50,000 was more than twice what he paid for it, however.
Lord Carlisle’s Railway was one of Britain’s earliest lines with its origins dating back to wooden waggonways at Tindale Fell in the 1770s, with a through line to Brampton completed in 1798. Some of the route is used as a public footpath but the landowner said he had offered a strip of land on the edge of the site which could also be developed as a footpath and cycle route. He said: ‘So the public’s still got the use of it and obviously that’s a gesture of goodwill on my behalf’.
Cllr. Dobson said if any further work was attempted in the area he would take steps for Cumberland Council to issue a temporary stop notice. He added that he was working with the local community to try and establish the former railway line as a public right of way and locals were trying to nominate it as a community asset, and that there was interest in purchasing the land. In his letter to the WWCT, Cllr. Dobson wrote: ‘I am deeply troubled that a charity whose stated purpose is to ‘make it possible for every one of us to roll, ride, amble, gambol, stride, trek and tread’ and ‘to work with communities to effect change on the ground’ could dispose of this land…without any consultation with the local authority or with the communities directly affected‘. In the last few days the news hit the national press but it was somewhat surprising to see the following purple prose in the Daily Telegraph’s headline: Beauty spot turned into ‘bombsite’! While pictures do show the bridleway churned into mud, that can easily be rectified and the path restored.
What is of wider interest to Railway Ramblers is the role of WWCT/Sustrans in this and their policies regarding the development or disposal of land in their possession. A spokesman offered the rather weak excuse that they did not have 25 the ‘full facts about the use of the land previously’, adding that the planned east west link for the National Cycle Network, which was the reason the land had been purchased by the charity in the first place, had not proved achievable. The spokesman also said that the charity has a ‘legal obligation to sell land for (the) best value’, which is exactly the same rationale used by Railway Paths Ltd. when they sold a piece of trackbed at Threlkeld near Keswick a few years ago. (News & Star; Daily Telegraph; Richard Bain)
February 2026. Oswestry, Shropshire.
Oswestry in Shropshire is the latest to fall foul of the government’s dropping of the previous administration’s Restoring Your Railway fund. The funding was to have come from the cancellation of the northern section of HS2 but the present administration says it was never put in place and that the additional operating costs were not considered. Most of the trackbed is owned by Shropshire Council, which has leased it to Cambrian Heritage Railways (CHR). Currently, CHR only run trains south from Oswestry, to a terminus at Weston Wharf, but there are long-term aspirations to connect to the main line at Gobowen, which lies about three miles north. Of course, if National Rail could beat them to it, so much the better. CHR is a relatively small heritage outfit and unlikely to generate enough funding on its own to reopen the section to Gobowen. Meanwhile, the Council – which originally purchased the branch with the intention of turning it into a cycle path, thinking especially of access to the orthopaedic hospital – has led an award winning restoration of the marvellous Oswestry station building. (Forgotten Relics; RR)
February 2026. Tumble, Carmarthenshire.
In a now very familiar tale, a section of embankment south of Tumble/Y Tymbl on the trackbed of the Llanelly† & Mynydd Mawr Railway (L&MMR) and what is now National Cycle Network Route 47 was washed away during the night of 4/5 November 2025 following heavy rain and flooding. The Walk Wheel Cycle Trust charity (formerly Sustrans) as custodian is undertaking preliminary work to develop a design solution which will enable estimates of reinstatement costs to be prepared and funding to be sought. There is no specific timescale for this and no alternative walking route can be recommended meanwhile because the local roads lack pavements and there is no continuous parallel footpath. Our Editor’s report of his cycle ride along the L&MMR appeared in RR issue 164 (Winter 2019-20). †Original railway spelling as against the Cynheidre-based present day heritage railway’s Llanelli. (Chris Parker)
January 2026. Carlisle, Cumberland.
Plans to help safeguard a historic Carlisle viaduct which has been closed to the public for more than a decade have been backed by planners. Cumberland Council has granted listed building consent for a package of restoration works at the Grade II listed Waverley Viaduct, which spans the River Eden at Willowholme. The scheme includes measures to reduce the scour risk to two of the viaduct’s stone piers within the river channel, along with waterproofing works to the bridge deck and new parapet fencing to make the deck safer to access. A council decision report says assessment and inspection of the structure found there is a ‘high risk of piers being undermined by scouring of the riverbed of the River Eden‘, with the proposed works intended to protect the viaduct from ‘potential undermining leading to collapse‘. This is particularly apposite in the light of what has just happened to the Spey Viaduct at Garmouth (see separate item). The scour protection would be formed from steel sheet piles with a reinforced concrete cap, submerged below the waterline during normal river levels. Sections of parapet wall would also be rebuilt, with reclaimed blocks from beneath the structure used where possible, alongside locally sourced stone where required.
The viaduct was constructed in 1861 and was built to carry the Carlisle to Edinburgh line, remaining in use until 1969. More recently, it has been closed to the public, with the report noting that the structure has been subjected to vandalism and that parts of the stone parapet walls have been partially demolished. There was some discussion over the quality of the railings to be used but planners concluded that, while alternative railings had been suggested, evidence showed the viaduct historically had simple railings and their use was justified. The report says the works would ‘preserve and enhance‘ the listed structure and provide public benefits by helping to support longer-term ambitions to reopen the viaduct for public use. (News & Star – The Cumberland News; Richard Bain)