Is it possible to get from Birmingham to Bristol and avoid any tunnels?

[tunnels]

Hi All

Not sure this is actually possible.
Thought I'd at least ask the question.

Is it possible to get from Birmingham to Bristol and avoid any tunnels?

I know there's a big one on the route I took and got off the train and got a taxi to the next stop.

Looks like there's a coach, which might be a better option.

Thanks

 

[35B]

Hi All

Not sure this is actually possible.
Thought I'd at least ask the question.

Is it possible to get from Birmingham to Bristol and avoid any tunnels?

I know there's a big one on the route I took and got off the train and got a taxi to the next stop.

Looks like there's a coach, which might be a better option.

Thanks

In a word, no. If you are travelling from New Street, all exits are through a tunnel. If travelling from Snow Hill, the only route towards Bristol (via Stourbridge) goes through at least one tunnel (at Old Hill). Going the other way, you would have to travel from Moor Street due to the tunnel between Snow Hill and Moor Street, and there is no through route towards Bristol from there. If you then travelled towards Oxford and Didcot, you would encounter a tunnel between Leamington and Banbury, while there are then tunnels on both routes between Swindon and Bristol.

 

[quantinghome]

Also there's no route out of Bristol that doesn't involve a tunnel. Even if you head south-west to Taunton or Exeter and then head back east.

 

[The Planner]

I think I already know the answer to this.

Is it possible to get from Birmingham to Bristol avoiding tunnels?

Maybe starting at University station in Birmingham might work?

Thanks

No

 

[ijmad]

I think the only line out of Bristol that doesn't pass through a tunnel is the GWML towards Plymouth/Penzance.

If you took that, you could change at Exeter, but the only alternative route back up to the rest of the country is the Honiton route which also has tunnels.

So I think no.

 

[JonathanH]

I think the only line out of Bristol that doesn't pass through a tunnel is the GWML towards Plymouth/Penzance.

If you took that, you could change at Exeter, but the only alternative route back up to the rest of the country is the Honiton route which also has tunnels.

So I think no.

You can't get from Bristol to Exeter without going through a tunnel. Whiteball Tunnel south of Taunton.

 

[ijmad]

You can't get from Bristol to Exeter without going through a tunnel. Whitehall Tunnel south of Taunton.

Forgot that one. So it's literally tunnels in all directions.

Tunnelphobes might have to take a bus.

 

[Haywain]

Whitehall Tunnel south of Taunton.

Pedant alert: it's Whiteball.

 

[JonathanH]

Pedant alert: it's Whiteball.

Sorry, that was the unhelpful auto text correction.

 

[Western Sunset]

Afraid not. Whichever way one approaches Bristol, one encounters a tunnel:

Flax Bourton (between Bristol and Weston)
Twerton (between Bristol and Bath)
Severn (between Bristol and Newport)
Sodbury (between Bristol and Swindon via Badminton)
Wickwar (between Bristol and Gloucester)

 

[JonathanH]

Severn (between Bristol and Newport)

...and some others before you even get there.

Also Clifton Down tunnel going to Avonmouth.

 

[Western Sunset]

Plus the various tunnels between Patchway and Pilning, and various others around Bath (including Box). I only mentioned one for each route...

 

[Grecian 1998]

You could get from Birmingham to Bath via a massively convoluted route featuring only short tunnels:

Birmingham Moor Street to Banbury on Chiltern
Banbury to Oxford on XC
Oxford to Didcot on GWR
Didcot to Chippenham on GWR
Chippenham to Trowbridge on GWR
Trowbridge to Bath on GWR

The only tunnels on these routes are all 150m or less (Harbury, Bradford-on-Avon, and the two tunnels just east of Bath Spa) and it would take under 10 seconds to go through each of them.

There's multiple tunnels between Bath and Bristol, one of which is approx. 1km long), but from Bath you could get the regular X39 bus into Bristol, although this takes an hour rather than 12 minutes on the train.

This would realistically take far longer than a coach and you wouldn't be able to buy direct tickets as no-one would ever normally travel this way - you'd have to split up the journey. But it's an option if you have plenty of time, a general aversion to coaches, and can cope with very short tunnels.

 

[RT4038]

I think the only line out of Bristol that doesn't pass through a tunnel is the GWML towards Plymouth/Penzance.

If you took that, you could change at Exeter, but the only alternative route back up to the rest of the country is the Honiton route which also has tunnels.

So I think no.

Why would you not change at Taunton? I think you could go Bristol-Taunton-Reading-Oxford-Banbury without tunnels, but then you are stuck.

 

[Magdalia]

Why would you not change at Taunton? I think you could go Bristol-Taunton-Reading-Oxford-Banbury without tunnels, but then you are stuck.

There is a tunnel at Somerton, between Taunton and Castle Cary.

 

[AlterEgo]

In summary the coach will be the better option for the OP.

 

[Cambus731]

On the subject of tunnels, I am quite claustrophobic, so I never use the deep level tubes. But I have managed to use the Elizabeth Line a few times, as I reasoned that it uses modern state of the art tunnels with a walkway and means of evacuation should the need arise. In the handful of times that I’ve been on the EL it hasn’t stopped in a tunnel between stations. Despite what I said I am concerned that if one were to stop in a tunnel, I’d have a panic attack and probably within about 30 seconds. Is it rare for EL trains to stop in tunnels? Or have I been very lucky in this respect so far?
Related to this, I do use HS1 quite a lot between Stratford and Ebbsfleet. I believe there are no stop signals in the lengthy tunnel between Stratford and Dagenham?