Our walks follow footpaths, bridleways, trails etc. which originated as railways, tramways or wagonways. These walks are planned by a walk leader who has checked the logistics, usually arranging a linear walk, i.e. walking one way and taking a bus or train the other. In areas where there is no public transport, we may arrange a circular walk (e.g. out by an old railway and back by a canal or even Roman road) or, where this is impossible, arrange car sharing.
A club walk also gives prospective members the opportunity to meet like-minded enthusiasts, and to benefit from their extensive knowledge of old railways. Often, our walk leaders research these routes in advance and bring along interpretive resources, such as archive photographs, books and historical notes.
Prospective members can contact us in advance to join a walk, assuming there are spare places available. Non-members may join a maximum of two walks before they are expected to join Railway Ramblers. NOTE: All walks subject to change.
If you would like any further information on a walk, click here to Contact Us
Saturday 3rd Oct 2026 - Railways of Gosport (Hampshire)
Area: Southern
Distance: 6m
Description: The railways came to Gosport early in 1841 but sadly since closure in 1953 it is now the largest town in the UK without a railway. Commence by taking the BRT (bus rapid transit) which uses the original track bed, and then walk to Fort Brockhurst station to view the station building, platforms and the bay platform branch to Lee on the Solent. The track bed walk continues to the grand Grade II listed Gosport station designed by Sir William Tite, which was restored in 2011 with a conversion into accommodation and offices. Queen Victoria was a frequent visitor en route to the Isle of Wight and we will view a short section of track and a tunnel through the ramparts to access her private station in the Royal Clarence Yard. Then walk the track bed along the branch to Stokes Bay, next to the demolished Gosport Road station. Continue through a rural area with views of Portsmouth until we arrive at the crossing keeper’s house and to the site of Stokes Bay pier where rail passengers alighted for steamers to the Isle of Wight. Contact us for more details
Wednesday 7th Oct 2026 - Hamworthy Junction to Wimborne via Broadstone
Area: South West
Distance: 7m
Description: An easy walk which is almost entirely on the old trackbed. We will see the viaduct carrying the former line from Hamworthy across the B3068 and the sites of the former stations at Broadstone and Wimborne. En route we will pass through Merley Tunnel and visit the elaborate Lady Wimborne Bridge before finishing at the site of Wimborne station, now the Riverside Park industrial estate. Contact us for more details
Thursday 8th Oct 2026 - Wimborne to Ringwood
Area: South West
Distance: 9m
Description: A walk on the Castleman’s Trailway through Ferndown Forest and then at West Moors, which was the junction for the Salisbury line, we can follow the trackbed for around 5 miles all the way to Ringwood. On the way we pass Ashley Heath Halt, added in 1928, which has a surviving platform and running in board. On the approaches to Ringwood we pass the site of the junction for the Christchurch branch, closed in 1935 and cross three river bridges. There is nothing left of Ringwood station, but the Ringwood Society have installed a running in board and an information board. From here there is an optional out and back walk totalling 2½ miles to Crow, where the crossing keeper’s cottage survives together with a length of rails, but here the trail ends abruptly. Contact us for more details
Friday 9th Oct 2026 - Burley to Brockenhurst
Area: South West
Distance: 7m
Description: A trackbed walk virtually all the way to the junction with the main line just to the south of Brockenhurst, then a short section of narrow road with no pavement and on to the station in Brockenhurst. Contact us for more details
Saturday 17th Oct 2026 - Mill Hill East to Seven Sisters (London)
Area: Southern
Distance: 6m
Description: Starting at Mill Hill East Station and commencing with a platform view of the station house. We then trace the route of the old Highgate to Alexandra Palace branch. On reaching the Palace, we can view a new exhibition about the site and its use by the BBC located in the East Court. We then continue to the site of the former terminus station of the Palace Gates to Seven Sisters branch. It’s then a short walk to Wood Green. Continue by viewing remaining sections of trackbed and surviving infrastructure to the end of the branch at Seven Sisters Station. Contact us for more details
Saturday 17th Oct 2026 - Creswell to Pleasley (Nottinghamshire)
Area: Midlands
Distance: 9m
Description: Start at the southernmost part of the former 'Clog and Knocker' on its way to Langwith Junction, from Creswell. There also will be a diversion or two to view the Langwith Colliery Branch. The last section of the former route, to Langwith Junction, from an engineering perspective is particularly impressive. The second part of the day will see us viewing the Great Northern Railway to Pleasley. This will see us walking across Shirebrook to the former station site and the edge of town, before we view what is left of the formation for another mile. Where the route is lost beyond this point, we will deviate past Pleasley Park, before following the former railway in from Mansfield Woodhouse, through Pleasley Vale. The day will end in Pleasley where we will view the former Great Northern station site Contact us for more details
Saturday 17th Oct 2026 - and Sunday 18th October. Durham Weekend
Area: North East
Distance: 6m
Description: The weekend includes a river cruise, this time a freshwater one on the isolated navigable section of the River Wear which sees traversal on one-hour sailings by the 150 passenger vessel PRINCE BISHOP from its Elvet Bridge landing upstream to the Bandstand and down to above the weir below Prebends Bridge, so giving dramatic views of the city, Castle and Cathedral. It is envisaged that the boat trip will be arranged for early afternoon on the Sunday and will be preceded by a walk around the site of the Elvet station and its approach line from the east crossing the River Wear upstream of the navigable limit, as opened on 24 July 1893 (replacing an older line going further east to Shincliffe and collieries beyond that). The branch into Elvet closed to passenger traffic as early as 1 January 1931, but was still busy with passenger specials on one day each year, for the Durham Miners Gala (excluding WWII years) until 18 July 1953; the line finally closed to goods traffic, so all use, on 11 January 1954 and has since been redeveloped. The alignment of the former NER branch to it from Belmont signal box on the Tursdale to Pelaw closed line is totally absorbed for most of its length, to the A1M motorway intersection, by the new A590 dual carriageway so only viewable by car, but the weekend is likely to include exploration of the short section of formation east of the motorway, and that of the Leamside to Newtonhall part of the 1964 closed Sunderland - Durham line and associated Frankland and ECML deviation lines. Contract Gas Hill. Contact details: by phone on 0114 2752303 or by post 73 Norfolk Park Avenue, Sheffield, S2 2RB. Contact us for more details
Saturday 24th Oct 2026 - The Midland Railway 1910 Branch from Huddersfield to Mirfield (West Yorkshire)
Area: Yorkshire
Distance: 6m
Description: Heading northwards adjacent to the MR’s route into Huddersfield Newtown, we pick up the trackbed at the site of Red Doles Junction created by the LMS in 1923 to link the main trans-Pennine line with this freight branch which left the section from Mirfield to Red Doles hardly used. That section was lifted in 1937, the final part to Newtown goods yard carrying freight traffic until 1968. We divert onto the towpath of the Huddersfield Broad Canal (aka Sir John Ramsden’s Canal) due to the temporary closure of the trackbed. We then take a short detour to the embankment of the LNW’s Kirkburton branch and its station at Deighton, then cross the magnificent 15-arch blue brick Bradley Viaduct. This double-track construction remains as a monument to the MR’s grand ambitions for a big passenger terminus in Huddersfield as part of its West Riding Lines scheme. At Heaton Lodge Junction, where the LNW’s Spen Valley “New Line” branched off towards Heckmondwike and Cleckheaton, we can view the work on the TransPennine Route Upgrade. The Midland trackbed takes us as far as Lower Hopton where it branched away from the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway’s Calder Valley main line. Our walk ends at Mirfield Contact us for more details
Saturday 31st Oct 2026 - Capel St Mary to Hadleigh (Suffolk)
Area: Eastern
Distance: 8m
Description: A walk to explore part of this former EUR/LNER rural branch line and provide an opportunity to enjoy some Suffolk woodland and pasture. It is hoped to gain access to a little stretch of trackbed now in private ownership. After Capel St Mary we will view the exterior of Raydon Wood Station, currently a seemingly abandoned renovation project, pass Little Wenham Castle/Little Wenham Hall and pass through part of USAF, later RAF Raydon WWII Airfield. We conclude our walk at the site of the branch terminus, Hadleigh station. Hadleigh is a delightful medieval town that has retained much of its character and charm Contact us for more details
Saturday 7th Nov 2026 - Railway Buildings and Infrastructure of Peterborough (Cambridgeshire)
Area: East Midlands
Distance: 3m
Description: A day of viewing historic buildings and railway structures around Peterborough. This includes the site of Peterborough East station and we will end our visit with lunch in the engine shed which has been refurbished. We will also take a look at Wansford Road Station at the Nene Valley Railway (now renamed Woodstone Wharf) which was moved brick by brick from its site on the old railway line from Stamford to Wansford. Keith will show us where the level crossing was and the pedestrian subway before the Crescent Bridge was built. Contact us for more details
Saturday 14th Nov 2026 - The World’s Oldest Extant Railway Viaduct (West Yorkshire)
Area: Yorkshire
Distance: 5m
Description: A walk to view the late 18th century 20-arch Flockton waggonway viaduct from nearby paths and roads (the viaduct itself is on private arable farmland and cannot be accessed). We will also walk a section of the Denby Grange & Caphouse 17 coal railway, pausing for a picnic lunch where the wagonway runs beneath this line through a gated tunnel which dates back to the 1770s. Following a 5-year campaign, the viaduct is now Grade II* listed by Historic England, who acknowledge that both it and the tunnel are probably the oldest in the world. We finish our walk at Caphouse Colliery, the National Coalmining Museum (free admission) Contact us for more details
Saturday 14th Nov 2026 - Port Sunlight to Spital (Merseyside)
Area: North West
Distance: 4m
Description: There are a number of communities around the UK which were built to house workers for large companies in the past and provide amenities that they may need, Port Sunlight being one such place. Created as a model village by Lever Brothers, it took the name of its most popular soap 'Sunlight'. The morning of this event will see us view this most attractive of places. In the afternoon we will view the former mineral railway formation that once ran to Bromborough to serve a range of industries in its time, including a margarine works. We will retrace our steps from this point before deviating away to conclude the day at Spital Station. Contact us for more details
Saturday 5th Dec 2026 - Bramley to Shalford via Peasmarsh Junction (Surrey)
Area: Southern
Distance: 4m
Description: We view the remains of Bramley station before walking back along the Downs Link long distance footpath, which follows the route of the former line to Peasmarsh Junction. From there it is a short walk along the towpath to our lunch stop in Shalford. We hope to have a guest speaker with us on the walk and during lunch to talk about the restoration of the adjacent Wey & Arun Canal. Contact us for more details
Saturday 5th Dec 2026 - Stockport to East Didsbury/Cheadle (Greater Manchester)
Area: North West
Distance: 4m
Description: A walk from Stockport, where we will explore the former Midland Railway route west of Stockport towards East Didsbury, including the site/remains of the two bridges over the River Mersey north east of Cheadle Junction. This may be the last chance to view the route before its proposed conversion to Metrolink. Contact us for more details
Saturday 19th Dec 2026 - River/Canal Walk: Apperley Bridge to Kirkstall Forge (West Yorkshire)
Area: Yorkshire
Distance: 5.5m
Description: We will walk either on the bank of the River Aire or on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal towpath, depending on the state of the riverbank path on the day, in close proximity to the busy railway. Contact us for more details
TBD - Planned for January 2027 - Walk at Wymondham (Norfolk)
Area: Eastern
Distance: 4m
Description: An easy short walk alongside the first part of the Mid-Norfolk Railway (MNR) from Wymondham towards Dereham. The MNR is a heritage line on the former Wymondham to Fakenham branch line of the Norfolk Railway (later the Great Eastern Railway). The branch opened in 1847, was closed to passengers in stages from 1964 to 1969 and was finally fully closed to goods traffic in 1989. We will follow the “Tiffey Valley Trail” as far as Bridge 1675 viewing several bridges and the MNR Wymondham Abbey Station. Contact us for more details