December
2006. Aberdeen to
Banchory, Aberdeenshire. The Sustrans website states that a cycle
route is being developed along the old railway line from Aberdeen
to Banchory, but gives no further details. The distance involved
is 19 miles and represents just under half of the Great North of
Scotland Railway's former branch from Aberdeen to Ballater. (Ralph
Rawlinson)
December
2006. Egginton to
Etwall, Derbyshire. In June this year, Sustrans completed this section
of the Mickleover Trail, which forms part of National Cycle Network
route 54. This re-uses the whole of BR's former Mickleover test
track, and provides an 8 mile off-road route from Egginton into
Derby. (Ralph Rawlinson)
December 2006.
Edinburgh, Scotland. Rodney Street Tunnel at Canonmills in Edinburgh
is due to be re-opened as part of a cycle trail, having been closed
in 1968 when freight trains ceased to use it. When re-opened, the
tunnel will provide a missing link in National Cycle Network route
75 and enable walkers and cyclists to avoid a busy road junction
above. The project is expected to cost £350,000 and should
be open in time for summer 2007. (Richard Lewis)
December 2006. Changes
to Railway Regulations. While not strictly to do with walking
old railways, this news and advice from one of our members on future
railway closures, the
protection of closed routes and railway
photography will be of interest to many who visit this site.
(Ralph Rawlinson)
November 2006. Radstock
to Frome, Somerset. The 1½ miles from Mells to Great Elm
near Hapsford Junction was completed by Sustrans in July this year.
This completes the shared use cycle trail from Radstock to Great
Elm, which forms part of Colliers Way, National Cycle Network route
24. The tarmac path mostly runs beside the still in situ track
but crosses it at three places. The Hapsford Junction to Frome section
is still operational with aggregate trains worked by Mendip Rail.
(Ralph Rawlinson)
November 2006. Chorlton
Junction to Fairfield, Greater Manchester. Ten years after the first
proposals were published for the Fallowfield Loop Line, the route
is now complete along the whole of the former railway, passing through
the southern suburbs of Fallowfield and Levenshulme. NCN6 follows
the central section, the rest being part of NCN 60, the Greater
Manchester orbital route. Various links already made include a path
along the infilled Stockport Canal at Debdale. For further details,
click here.
(Ralph Rawlinson)
November 2006. Tralee
to Limerick, County Kerry/Limerick, Eire. Members of the club and
regular visitors to this site probably know already that the 53
mile line from Tralee to Limerick, closed in the 1980s, is still
owned by CIE (the Irish state railway) but being converted into
a long distance walking and cycling trail. The project, known as
The Great Southern Trail, has just published a new guide to railway
walks in north Kerry and west Limerick, with assistance from Foras
na Gaeilge. In addition to Irish and English, the text also includes
French, German, Italian and Spanish; you can access a PDF version
of the brochure here.
Note that, because this is designed to be printed on A3 paper and
then folded to DL size, some of the text will be upside down
- just use the controls in Adobe Reader to rotate the page. Copies
are also available by contacting 00353 (0) 69 62597. (Great Southern
Trail)
October 2006. Fiddleford,
nr. Sturminster Newton, Dorset. Following repair work to the piers
of Fiddleford Viaduct, Dorset Countryside has just lowered into
place a new steel span which replaces the one removed nearly 40
years ago when the Somerset & Dorset Railway was closed. The
new span is an elegant looking structure, whose gentle arc will
prevent water pooling on the deck and causing corrosion. At the
time of our visit (Saturday 7 October), the new bridge was not yet
open to the public since the fenced parapet had not been installed
fully, but we would guess that opening can be only a matter of days
or weeks away. The new bridge combines two previously separate sections
of the North Dorset Trailway, and will enable users to travel from
Sturminster Newton to within a mile of Shillingstone, where another
two miles of trackbed can be walked southwards. A waymarked trail
using nearby field paths links these two sections of trackbed via
the tiny village of Hammoon. (Jeff Vinter)
October 2006. Carisbrooke
to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. The Autumn 2006 edition of Sustrans'
quarterly journal The Hub (South East/South Central) contained
details of a well-funded proposal to create a cycle trail along
the course of the former Freshwater, Yarmouth & Newport Railway
between Carisbrooke and Yarmouth. Click here
for further details. (Sustrans Ltd)
October 2006. Peasmarsh,
nr. Guildford, Surrey. Following earlier reports in these pages,
a new bridge at grid reference SU 995464 has just been opened over
the River Wey Navigation at Peasmarsh. 'New' is a bit of an exaggeration,
since the central span actually sits on the restored abutments of
an old railway bridge, which was removed decades ago. The bridge
forms part of a westward extension to the Downs Link which takes
this popular railway path (from Shoreham-by-Sea and Christ's Hospital)
right up to Peasmarsh Junction (SU 991469), where the observant
can still spot some old rails in the ground. For good measure, the
long disused connection from Peasmarsh Junction towards Shalford
has also been cleared and opened, these works as a whole creating
with the Wey Navigation an interesting and attractive
circular walk of just under two miles.
To the east of Peasmarsh, anyone
following the Downs Link towards Bramley will cross another new
bridge, this time over a stream, shortly after crossing the A281.
It looks as if this new structure has been built on top of the old
one, with the path built up on both sides so that it is barely noticeable.
If our correspondent is right, this mimics the 'bridge over a bridge'
further down the line at Rudgwick, which was constructed when the
19th century railway builders had to ease the gradient at Rudgwick
station in order to meet the requirements of the Railway Inspector,
who was concerned that trains calling there might run away back
down the slope. The embankment leading into Rudgwick already contained
a bridge, so the builders had not only to heighten the embankment,
but also to build a new bridge on top of the original one. A few
years ago, the local authority installed a viewing platform here
so that path users can inspect this unusual structure one
of the strangest sights on any railway path. (Tim Grose/Jeff Vinter)
September 2006. Mirfield
to Huddersfield (Newtown Goods), West Yorkshire. The whole of this
4½ mile former Midland Railway goods-only branch is now a
cycleway. The first 2½ miles, including Bradley Viaduct,
form part of the new Calder Valley Greenway and, at Bradley, the
route connects into the existing two-mile long Birkby-Bradley Greenway.
The Midland closed the line on 12th August 1937, so it has been
lucky to survive intact for this re-use to be possible. (Ralph Rawlinson)
September 2006. Wootton
Bridge to Whippingham, Isle of Wight. This new railway path starts
opposite the Isle of Wight Steam Railway's new Wootton Bridge station.
To describe it as going to Whippingham is a bit of an exaggeration,
since it goes to the now closed (and privately owned) Whippingham
station, which was inconveniently situated nearly 2 miles from Whippingham
village. Here, it joins an earlier railway path which follows the
old Ryde to Newport line as far as Belmont Lane at grid reference
SZ 517914, where a three-quarter mile diversion south-westwards
along the nearby A3054 leads to Fairlee, where the route can be
picked up again (at SZ 509905) and followed right through to Newport.
This last section includes the short Newport Tunnel, now open to
walkers and cyclists, and featuring a curious modern extension at
the western end which suggests that Isle of Wight trains could negotiate
the most extraordinary curves visit it and see! The whole
route is nearly 3 miles in length, with all but the road diversion
on the former trackbed. A short distance away through the backstreets
of Newport, the trackbed of the 1862 line to Cowes can be followed
along the west bank of the River Medina, offering another 4½
miles of railway walking. Part way along the route, the hulk of
the former 'Ryde Queen' presents a forlorn site on the east bank.
Once a floating nightclub, this vessel started life as the paddle
steamer 'Ryde',
one of several such vessels which plied the Portsmouth-Ryde crossing
until 1969. On our visit, the funnel had partially collapsed into
the hull. (Roger Mayo/John Elson)
August 2006. Rye Area,
East Sussex. A recent visit to Rye produced some pleasant surprises.
Click here for further
details. (Jeff Vinter/Richard Martin)
August 2006. Haltwhistle
to Lambley and Alston (Northumberland/Cumbria). Following the recent
restoration of Alston Arches Viaduct (actually in Haltwhistle),
the whole of the former branch line from Haltwhistle to Alston is
now open as a railway path. The route has long been known as the
South Tyne Trail, but now continues 9½ miles beyond Alston,
i.e. not on the former railway, to the source of the South Tyne
River, east of Tynehead. See also the entry for March 2006 on the
connecting Lambley to Brampton route,
which was formerly Lord Carlisle's Railway. (Jeff Vinter)
August 2006. Lincoln
to Boston, Lincolnshire. As reported in March last year, Sustrans
is converting the Great Northern Railway's former line from Lincoln
to Boston via Bardney into a cycle trail. The 9 mile section from
Lincoln to Bardney is open already, but the remaining 15 miles into
Boston should be complete by the end of this year. Known as the
'Water Rail Way' due to the proximity of local canals and drainage
channels, this new railway path will form part of National Cycle
Network Route 1 between Hull and Harwich. When finished, it will
offer walkers and cyclists a quiet, off-road route between Lincoln
and Boston, and is expected to generate about 320,000 trips per
year. Update: In autumn 2006, Sustrans appointed contractors
to build the next four miles of this route, from Bardney to Five
Mile Bridge, including the renovation of Bardney Lock Viaduct over
the River Witham. (Jeff Vinter; update by Ralph Rawlinson)
July 2006. Ludgershall
to Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire. Two miles of the former Midland
& South Western Junction Railway between Ludgershall (grid reference
SU 260510) and Collingbourne Ducis (SU 245536) are now a 'Defra
Conservation Walk', which is a form of permissive footpath. The
walk is best tackled from the Ludgershall end, where a clear, beaten
path can be seen leading up on to the trackbed opposite the army's
railhead on the south side of the A342. At the Collingbourne end,
there is a steep drop at the site of a demolished bridge which leads
down into a RUPP (a 'road used as a public path'), so be prepared,
and be careful. Irritatingly, there is no waymarking at either end,
although Defra signs will be encountered along the way. (John Everest/Graham
Lambert)
July 2006. Aughton northwards,
Wiltshire. Staying with the M&SWJR, there is a further permissive
walk on the trackbed which starts in the tiny village of Aughton
at grid reference SU 241564. (Aughton is just north of Collingbourne
Kingston on the A338.) This permissive walk follows the trackbed
for 1¼ miles northwards to SU 241587, where it turns west
to join local footpaths and, eventually, the A338 south of Burbage.
At this point (i.e. SU 241587), a metalled road follows the trackbed
as far as a pumping station, or something similar, which blocks
further progress. Please note that the road on the trackbed is not
part of the permissive walk, so please follow the waymarking
signs, or return via the trackbed to Aughton. Notes: (1)
This and the Defra path from Ludgershall to Collingbourne Ducis
are reasonably close, and the two sections can be linked by using
local roads and public footpaths you will need OS Landranger
maps 184 and 174. (2) If you are interested in the M&SWJR, you
should have a look at Neil Lover's comprehensive website
on the line. (John Everest/Graham Lambert)
July 2006. Wells to
Dulcote, Somerset. We are probably years late in finding out about
this, but 1½ miles of the former East Somerset Railway has
now been converted into a cycle trail between Wells and the village
of Dulcote. This trail could become part of a large scheme to use
old railways to create a cross-Somerset cycle network. For further
details, click here to see entry
for May. (Phillip Earnshaw)
July 2006. North Connel
to Ballachulish (Glencoe), Oban/Highlands. While checking websites
for news that had escaped our radar, your webmaster came belatedly
across a Sustrans proposal which seeks to convert as much as possible
of the former Caledonian Railway's line from North Connel to Ballachulish
into part of National Cycle Network Route 78 between Oban and Fort
William. The railway based part of the route could be as much as
27 miles long, affording excellent coastal views. (Jeff Vinter)
May 2006. Oswestry to
Nantmawr, Shropshire. Following a £2.1m restoration, the former
railway station at Oswestry should now be open as a tourism hub,
featuring shops, offices, a tourist centre, restaurant and new coach
park facility. Many original Cambrian Railway features have been
retained. Earlier in February, Shropshire County Council was set
to buy the whole of the line from Gobowen to Oswestry, Llynclys
Junction, Blodwell Junction and Nantmawr Quarry. The council intends
operating the line as part railway and part cycle track, with the
railway part leased to either the Cambrian Railways Society or the
Cambrian Railways Trust. (Ralph Rawlinson)
May 2006. Takeley, Essex.
After years of neglect, Takeley station (near the eastern end of
the Flitch Way between Bishop's Stortford and Braintree) has finally
been restored. It has become the Flitch Way Rangers Office and is
reported to display scenes of the former railway, closed to passengers
in 1952 and freight in 1966. We are delighted that Essex County
Council took action before it was too late to save the building.
(Phil Wood)
May
2006. Cheddar to Shepton Mallet, Somerset. There is quite a
lot going on here, as can be seen below:
- Cheddar to Wells. Somerset
County Council has recently lodged a planning application to construct
a shared path between Cheddar and Wells, using as much as possible
of the old railway line that once linked them. (This was the original
East Somerset Railway, whose name has been revived by the preserved
railway based at Cranmore.) A section of the new path is already
open between Wells and Haybridge.
- Cheddar to Dulcote. Phillip
Earnshaw reports that a railway path of about 1½ miles
has been built on the old ESR trackbed between Cheddar and Dulcote.
Construction of this escaped our radar, so we do not know how
long it has been in place.
- Dulcote to Shepton Mallet.
In March, the equestrian group Mendip Cross Trails Trust (MCTT)
and Let-Everyone-Go-Safely (LEGS, a group of residents from Wells)
applied to the Somerset Aggregated Levy Sustainable Fund for a
grant to finance a feasibility study by Sustrans into using the
old railway line from Dulcote to Shepton Mallet as a further multi-use
path. (Until 1969, Dulcote Quarry remained rail-connected eastwards
to Witham Friary for stone traffic.)
- Shepton Mallet to Cranmore
and Elsewhere. This is where it gets really interesting! At Shepton
Mallet, the East Somerset Railway crossed the Somerset & Dorset
line, so Sustrans intends to include in its brief a study of the
disused railways leading to Cranmore (ESR), Radstock (S&D)
and Evercreech (S&D).
The ultimate goal of these
proposals is to create a 'Cross Somerset' path linking the railway
stations at Frome and Yatton. (Phillip Earnshaw/Cheddar Valley Railway
Walk Society) |
April 2006.
Bodmin and Wenfordbridge, Cornwall. Most railway paths re-use
closed railways, but at Bodmin a new 1¼ mile trail now runs
alongside the Bodmin & Wenford Railway. The trail, a
cross-town link from east to west Bodmin, accompanies the B&WR's
preserved line from Bodmin General to Boscarne Junction between
Bawden Road and Halgaver Road. In the same area, there have been
two extensions to the popular Camel Trail, which re-uses the trackbed
of the 1834 Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway, and the North Cornwall
Railway's later extension from Wadebridge to Padstow. These are
Bodmin Gaol to Scarletts
Well (¼ mile), which takes the Camel Trail right into the
heart of Bodmin, and Poleys
Bridge to Wenfordbridge, near St. Breward (¾ mile), which
extends the trail to the 1836 terminus of the line.
(Jeff Vinter from NCDC press release)
March 2006. Hengoed,
Caerphilly. Railway paths do not have to be especially long to be
useful. The 16 arch, 130ft high Hengoed Viaduct hosted a ceremony
in November last year to celebrate its £1.8 million restoration.
The path over the structure sees heavy use, not least because it
links Maesycwmmer with Hengoed station. The 'Wheel of Drams' sculpture
adjoining the viaduct, designed by Andy Hazell and completed in
June 2000, is also noteworthy and can be viewed here.
(Ralph Rawlinson/Jeff Vinter)
March 2006. Dunton Green
to Westerham, Kent. This line closed on Saturday 28 October 1961,
so this year sees the 45th anniversary of the closure. As luck would
have it, 28 October 2006 is also a Saturday, so member Ron Strutt
is considering an anniversary visit to the remains of the railway.
While about half the line has disappeared under the hard shoulder
of the M25, a local website (click here)
states that it is possible to walk the mile or so from Dunton Green
to the site of Chevening Halt. Ron believes that the trackbed was
bought by Kent County Council and assumes that it is still in their
ownership, although it is not a dedicated right of way. There is
a similar stretch at the Westerham end which might possibly be accessible
we are happy to negotiate with landowners for a one-off visit.
Any information from local residents would be gratefully received
via the e-mail link on our Contact
page. (Ron Strutt)
March 2006. Thorndon
Cross to Halwill Junction, Devon. The county of Devon is already
well endowed with railway paths, but still new schemes are coming
forward. The latest of these, discussed recently by the Devon Local
Access Forum, is a proposal to convert 7 miles of trackbed between
Thorndon Cross and Halwill Junction (on the former Meldon Junction
to Bude line) into a bridleway. Beyond Halwill Junction, part of
this line has already been converted into a cycle trail in the Holsworthy
area, including a fine viaduct to the west of the town. (Ralph Rawlinson)
March
2006. Lambley to
Brampton Junction, Northumberland/Cumbria. The first phase of the
Lord Carlisle Railway Path is now open from Lambley to Tindale (4½
miles). Subject to funding, it is hoped to extend the path to Hallbankgate
(a further 2½ miles) later this year, which will leave just
under a mile to Brampton Junction on the still open Newcastle-Carlisle
line. This new trail connects with the South Tyne Trail at Lambley
just after it has crossed the River South Tyne on Lambley Viaduct,
which is worth a visit in its own right. Update: Click here
for Peter Burgess's excellent history of this former railway, including
archive photographs and 60 recent views, accessible from the 'Pictures'
link. (Ralph Rawlinson)
February 2006. Bedford
to Sandy, Bedfordshire. Almost the whole of this line has been converted
into a railway-based cycle trail, but its future has been under
threat for some time since it once formed part of a through route
from Oxford to Cambridge which was due for re-opening. However,
the government has now announced that this scheme has been put on
hold for at least 20 years, so cyclists and railway ramblers can
continue to use the old line for the foreseeable future. (Ralph
Rawlinson)
February 2006. Cranleigh,
Surrey. The old Guildford to Horsham railway, which used to run
through the centre of Cranleigh, is now the Downs Link long distance
trail. The route through the village has recently been improved
and widened, and the crossing arrangements in Station Road made
safer. We assume that this work was carried out by Surrey County
Council and/or Waverley District Council, who maintain the trail.
(Tim Grose)
February
2006.Stalbridge to Corfe Mullen, Dorset. This will be a good
year for fans of the former Somerset & Dorset Railway, which
Dorset County Council and its partners are slowly converting into
a long distance rail trail called the North Dorset Trailway. According
to the council's latest circular, 'This year, more work than ever
before will be undertaken to help create the Trailway.' The first
activity was a clearance day on 4 February, when volunteers cut
back years of vegetation that blocked access to the site of the
long demolished bridge over the River Stour near Fiddleford Mill.
A new bridge is due to be installed at this location in the autumn.
For further details, click here
for our report, and here
for Dorset County Council's web page on the Trailway; the latter
includes a copy of a brochure, in PDF format, which identifies those
sections of trackbed which are open to the public already. (Dorset
Countryside/Tim Grose)
January 2006. Havant
to Hayling Island, Hampshire. Unfortunately, plans to build a new
bridge across Langstone Harbour on the piers of the old railway
bridge have had to be scrapped. The news from the Transport Department
at Havant Borough Council was that the proposal by Sustrans to construct
a suspension bridge was 'unattainable' due to the prohibitive cost
a result of the type of bridge proposed, which had to be
very high to allow sailing boats to pass underneath. There were
also problems with the existing bridge piers, which have received
no maintenance since before the line closed in 1963. Currently,
Hampshire County Council is looking into widening the approaches
to the existing road bridge (on the A3023) to accommodate a shared
use path. Although this is not the ideal solution, it would mean
that cyclists could continue their journey without having to cycle
on the carriageway alongside road traffic, which can be very heavy
here. In passing, don't forget to check out HBC's very useful website
on the Hayling
Billy Trail, which we discovered earlier this month. (Tracey
Ford/Jeff Vinter)
January 2006. Alvescot
to Little Faringdon Crossing, Gloucestershire. Public bridleways
have now been dedicated along two lengths of the former GWR Fairford
branch east of Lechlade, namely:
- SP261026 to SP253018 (¾
mile), and
- SP243009 to SP235006 (½
mile)
Local footpaths can be used
to link these two sections together. While little of the Fairford
branch is available to walkers nowadays, it has a superb website
which can be viewed by clicking here.
(Jeff Vinter)
January 2006. Tetbury,
Gloucestershire. A 1½ mile linear walk and cycle trail has
been established on part of the former Tetbury to Kemble branch,
starting at the long-abandoned goods shed in the town and running
in a north-easterly direction towards the tiny community of Ilsom.
Amazingly, parts of the route were still owned by the BR Property
Board, nearly 40 years since the last train ran! (Jeff Vinter) Update:
Further details of the plans for this route will be found
on our 2014 page; click here.
January 2006. Havant
to Hayling Island, Hampshire. Havant Borough Council has added to
its website this extremely useful section on the Hayling
Billy Trail, a railway path which utilises the trackbed of the
old Havant to Hayling Island branch line The trail is intended eventually
to accommodate the South Coast Cycle Trail from Chichester to Portsmouth,
which will be routed via Hayling Island and the ferry over Langstone
Channel (Sinah-Eastney) in order to avoid heavy traffic on the east
side of Portsea Island. The web pages on the trail include some
excellent archive material. (Jeff Vinter)
January 2006. West Auckland
to Ramshaw, County Durham. This two mile section of the former line
from West Auckland to Barnard Castle has now been converted into
a public footpath. (Ralph Rawlinson)
January 2006. Leicester.
The Great Central Way used to cross Western Boulevard in Leicester
by a large bowstring girder bridge, but the trail was diverted alongside
the the River Soar after the council discovered that repairs would
cost £495,000. As a result, the council has now opted for
demolition. It would be interesting to know if the council obtained
multiple quotations for the repairs, since this sounds reminiscent
of the 'scare costs' presented by British Rail in the 1980s to make
a case for closing the Settle-Carlisle line. (Ralph Rawlinson)
January 2006. Tiffield,
Northamptonshire. Thirty volunteers at Tiffield who cleaned up an
embankment on the former Stratford and Midland Junction Railway
to make it suitable for walkers have been presented with a 'Sustainable
Community Award' by the Mayor of Northampton. (Ralph Rawlinson)
January 2006. Stranraer,
Dumfries & Galloway. Sustrans reports that Dumfries & Galloway
Council is progressing the Stranraer Branch cycleway, which will
utilise the former Military Railway to link Stranraer with Cairnryan
for the Irish ferries. (Ralph Rawlinson)
January 2006. Drumgelloch
to Bathgate, North Lanarkshire/West Lothian. Work is expected to
start on re-building a double track line between Drumgelloch and
Bathgate in 2007. When complete, the reinstated route will provide
a 15-minute interval service of electric trains between Glasgow
and Edinburgh. Until then, members may wish to take advantage of
the well established 14 mile cycle trail that currently occupies
the trackbed there will be no room for it when the line is
relaid. (Ralph Rawlinson)
January 2006. Hengoed,
Mid Glamorgan. Work is expected to be completed soon on the listed
16-arch Hengoed Viaduct, which once formed part of the GWR branch
line from Hengoed to Pontypool Road. The £1.2 million restoration
scheme, started in June 2004, includes masonry repairs, re-pointing,
new safety fencing and lighting. (Ralph Rawlinson)
January 2006. Sandford
& Banwell, Somerset. This station on the former GWR Yatton to
Cheddar line was for many years the home of Sandford Stone, who
used it as offices for their retail operation in the old station
yard. Unfortunately, Sandford Stone has now gone out of business
and the site has been purchased by the Bird Group, which is expected
to apply for planning permission for housing and possibly business
units. Fortunately, the station buildings are all listed and should
therefore survive. (Cheddar Valley Railway Walk Society) |