Walking Britain’s lost railways

[Vorpal]

There is a problem with these routes

They become cycle routes, they become popular as leisure and commuter routes, and some bright spark then decides po put a bus route, road or tram along it

Or they cannot ever quite get the entire route because some part of it became private property and the owner does not want to give permission to use it.

Blackwater Trail (Maldon branch line) from Olivers Farm to Wickham Bishops is an example.

[mjr]

Should we perhaps, rather, be campaigning for these trails to be reinstated as railways?

Eventually, probably, but cycleways are cheaper and protect the corridors from further erosion by enclosures and building. At first, they'll probably become single track railway with a cycleway alongside, then when there's enough people for double-tracking, there should be some nearby carriageway we can recycle into the diverted cycleway!

Most of the converted railways round our way, I can't really cycle on, because I only have a couple of road bikes and the surface isn't suitable. But they certainly make excellent routes for the properly-equipped.

It varies wildly. The stretches in West Norfolk and Norwich City boroughs are tarmacked, but the stretch in Broadland district includes small-fist-sized gravel, deep sand and dirt track in places which IMO are not road-bike/all-weather but others disagree with me on that. I really want us to get more routes and more of the existing ones upgraded to all-weather.

[drossall]

The Hertfordshire Greenways Audax, last weekend, did Hertford to Welwyn, Hatfield to St Albans, Hemel Hempstead via Redbourn to Harpenden, and north of Harpenden via Wheathampstead (diversion here owing to lost track-bed) and on to Welwyn. One of the few lost lines in the county that it didn't touch was Ware to Buntingford - oh, and I believe there are one or two down Watford way.

[Cyril Haearn]

The Hertfordshire Greenways Audax, last weekend, did Hertford to Welwyn, Hatfield to St Albans, Hemel Hempstead via Redbourn to Harpenden, and north of Harpenden via Wheathampstead (diversion here owing to lost track-bed) and on to Welwyn. One of the few lost lines in the county that it didn't touch was Ware to Buntingford - oh, and I believe there are one or two down Watford way.

Are the greenways shared? How fast may one go?

[drossall]

Yes, shared paths. Common sense is needed. In the case of the one from Hemel, depends how fit you are, as it's remarkably steep for a railway (not counting those that, like the High Peak trail, had winding engines). The Alban Way from Hatfield is tarmac and fast where the way is clear. Parts of all paths nearer to towns have more pedestrians, and need some moderation. Some sections of all paths get narrow, owing to encroachment by neighbouring land-owners.

[rjb]

The West Somerset Mineral Line from Watchet is a nice one to cycle on, until you reach this section up to the top of the Brendon hills.

Unless you are going down to Watchet on the coast.

[661-Pete]

Quite a lot of the abandoned railways down our way, were single-track in the days when trains still ran on them. I distinctly remember the time when there were still trains on the Forest Way, a single-track line (with steam trains) that ran between Three Bridges/Crawley and Tunbridge Wells, and succumbed to Beeching. Most of that is now walkable/cyclable (with suitable tyres) but I don't think it would be wide enough to reinstate a railway or tram track and still keep the cycle path.

Narrow-gauge? That might be workable. As far as I know, there are no narrow-gauge lines in south-east England except for the Volks Railway on Brighton seafront (which is still in operation).

[Cyril Haearn]

The Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is narrow gauge, or is it a miniature railway?

[Bonefishblues]

15"

[661-Pete]

The Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is narrow gauge, or is it a miniature railway?

Ah yes - forgot that one. Any others?

[rmurphy195]

Well, a good subject for a programme but, as with everything on this channel, too many ads.
After each ad. an explanation of what the show is about.
I'll record the next one so I can skip through the ads and guff.

This is how I watch al programs from the commercial channels.

get yourself a copy of Vinter's railway gazetteer, I think this is where these programs are often sourced from

[Cyril Haearn]

Hunter Davies
A walk along the tracks

[squeaker]

The Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is narrow gauge, or is it a miniature railway?

Ah yes - forgot that one. Any others?

Would Brooklands in Lancing have counted? (Didn't really go far - but probably going further soon )

[honesty]

Just watching the Somerset and Dorset line episode. I really want them to extend the two tunnels route to Burnham now!

[dodger1]

What I'd like to do is close another railway line that managed to escape Beeching. LISKEARD to LOOE branch line.
Not that I'm against the railway, but I think it would make a fantastic cycleway.
It has around 2500 passengers per week on average, although this is heavily weighted by the much higher numbers in June, July and August, so it's probably significantly loss-making. Much of the time in the winter months it seems to be empty. One of the stations on the line is the second-least used station in the Country!
One problem with the line is that it misses out all the local villages, whereas closing it and improving the bus services would vastly increase accessibility and allow much lower car use for local journeys.
Mind you, if we could just put in a cycleway next to the railway, that would be lovely for those wanting to travel uphill from Looe to Liskeard after cycling down through the East Looe Valley.
The success of the Camel Trail in helping revitalise Wadebridge and Padstow (also here in Cornwall) helps make a case for an equally scenic cycleway between Looe and Liskeard.