Lost Railway Walks: Explore more than 100 of Britain’s lost railways

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The line opened in October 1865 but in 1868 a new Midland main line railway to St Albans destroyed passenger demand for the line. As mentioned before, we prefer a loop when we go out walking. But sometimes this walk from Groombridge along the old railway line towards East Grinstead suits our needs. It’s quite a dry walk, so if it has been raining lots over the previous week, and other nearby walks are going to be particularly muddy, then this does appeal.

It’s a very popular walk with many young families or older friends, so there’s usually plenty of people to greet along the way. Having said that, we are quite often out early, so we do miss a large proportion of the people. My plan is to take this with me when I go away in Britain, and see which of these are close enough to make a trip to. I think that they would make great walks out, away from some of the busier and well publicised walks. Rob explores two of North Devon's former railways - the Ilfracombe branch line of the London & South Western Railway (LSWR) that ran from Barnstaple to Ilfracombe, and the Barnstaple to Lynton line.Remains of a station at the London Road exit in St Albans still stand today having been converted into a nursery. Read More Related Articles

Walking Britain's Lost Railways - Episode 4 Royal Deeside - Radio Times" . Retrieved 11 April 2020. Rob Bell travels to Bangor, where he explores a lost line that was built in 1801 to transport Welsh slate from the local quarry, down to the sea. The Tunbridge Wells to Three Bridges railway line was opened on 9th July 1855, and ran from Tunbridge Wells, Groombridge, Withyam, Hartfield, Forest Row, East Grinstead and on to Three Bridges in the town of Crawley, West Sussex – a distance of 20 miles.Horsford, Simon (21 September 2018). " On the trail of Britain's lost railways - The Telegraph Horsford.S p.21 September 2018". The Telegraph . Retrieved 19 November 2018. This cycle path, route 61, stretches approximately six-and-a-half miles along the former Great Northern Railway line between St Albans and Hatfield. Rob journeys through the Scottish Highlands, following a path cut by the world's first global star - Queen Victoria. It does also seem to appeal to people out jogging, and even more so to cyclists. Of course, being straight you can see the cyclists in the distance, so have plenty of time to get Paco under control. But sometimes the cyclists from behind are on you before you know it, and it is easy to get in their way if they don’t warn you with a friendly ting on their bell. If you are out cycling, don’t get upset with people who may not have heard you, give them ample warning! Dartmoor line from Plymouth to Exeter – rabbit pie and the Ambrosia Cream Rice factory (one of my customers in the day job).

Exploring the lost railways of Northern Ireland, Rob travels along the route of its first railway to be built, from Belfast on the east coast, via Armagh, to Bundoran on the west coast. So I thought I’d detail what I can, from the book. That way if you find one near to you, or to a place you are visiting, you can search it out. Railway Line a b " Burnham-On-Sea railway history to be featured on national TV show - Burnham-On-Sea.com p.19 October 2018". 19 October 2018. Rob is in the East Midlands, examining the impact of Edward Watkin's Great Central Railway, which ran from Manchester, through the Midlands and onto London.

Rob is in the Scottish Highlands recounting the history of the Callander and Oban Railway, which ran through west Scotland's rugged countryside for 57 years. Walking Britain's Lost Railways Series 1 Episode 1 Scotland - Radio Times" . Retrieved 22 November 2018. Rob is in Yorkshire, looking into the history of the line built to connect York to Hull, via Beverley, and the part played by "The Railway King" George Hudson.

The Ayot station was burnt down in a fire in 1948 but was never rebuilt and today it forms the car park for the Greenway foot and cycle route 57. To the north of the crossing, foundations for a number of buildings can also be seen as well as a signal box. However, parts of it can still be seen like two sets of crossing gate posts at the south end of the station. Rob follows the line of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway from King's Lynn to Great Yarmouth, discovering a lost railway through some of the quietest parts of England, but also some of the richest country estates of all. Initially it ran from Three Bridges to East Grinstead, with the extension to Tunbridge Wells finally opening on 1st October 1866. Whilst it was never the busiest of lines, it did link the two towns and provided commuting between the two for work and leisure.Moray line from Elgin to Portsoy – originally serving the whiskey and fishing industries in Scotland.