Trivia: Abandoned railway lines that have been turned into cycle/footpaths

[RichJF]

Heathfield to Polegate (half of the old Cuckoo line).

Downs Link - majority of the 36 mile trail follows the Steyning & Cranleigh line.

 

[Mikey C]

Finsbury Park-Muswell Hill (Highgate section excepted) is the Parkland Walk (sadly).

Plus a section of the line going west from Mill Hill East towards Edgware is also a nice (woodland) walk

 

[Trackman]

Bolton-Walkden national cycle route 55 covers most of the old route.
Also Bolton-Radcliffe, which Bury council are extending with a proper walkway. There is also some track on this route deliberately left there, something to do with earthing for the old Bury DC system.

 

[EllieAquitrain]

There's an extensive network in north Edinburgh

 

[Ayrshire Roy]

Part of the Maidens and Dunure light Railway round the south side of ayr has been converted.
Further down the line at Culzean you can walk a mile or so of the line and still see the sleeper marks on the ballast.
Oddly the bridge numbers are clearly repainted and a modern sign on one bridge saying "The Highways Act 1980
The British Railways Board hereby give notice that this way is not dedicated to the public"
The line is an official path at the Country Park.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

To add a few more

Hayfield branch

Hayfield branch is listed there, it's known as the "Sett Valley Trail".

 

[hermit]

Yarmouth - Freshwater.

 

[adc82140]

Fordingbridge (well the A338 just outside Fordingbridge) to Downton (just outside) , via Breamore Station.

The path is waymarked, but can be a little overgrown in places.

 

[DelW]

A favourite of mine, Morfa Mawddach to Dolgellau, with excellent views along the estuary including Barmouth bridge.
The George III at Penmaenpool offers refreshments part way along, though following refurbishment a year or so ago it's less, err, 'characterful' than it allegedly used to be.

 

[Journeyman]

I walked a bit of one at Dalmeny/South Queensferry this afternoon (no interpretative signboards to tell me what it was, but it was pretty obvious.

You can walk all the way to Newbridge along that, which is well worth doing.

 

[Steveswan10]

In hereford there is the great western way which was railway linking what used to be Redhill Junction on the hereford-Newport main line to Barrs Court Junction just north of Hereford train station with a connection to the Brecon Line at Moorfields (now Bulmers Cider Factory. The path goes from the side of the main line at redhill and finishes at the old entrance to the Bulmers factory (the line into the works is still there but very overgrown and no longer connected to the main line). Where the sainsburys is used to be Barton Marshalling yard

 

[Sheridan]

The Bryngwyn branch from Tryfan Junction as far as Rhostryfan (possibly further) is now a path (‘The Slate Trail’).

 

[Royston Posh]

Surprised no one has mentioned Bedford to Sandy given the number of posts on the East-West rail thread...

 

[AJM580]

Norwich City to Aylsham via Themelthorpe is now Marriott's Way. Formerly part of the M&GN

 

[startingaparty]

Fallowfield Loop

 

[PTR 444]

One I walked today - The Hockley Viaduct at the southern end of the old Winchester, Newbury & Didcot Railway in Hampshire. Even has an old semaphore signal on it!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Brampton Valley Way - Northampton to Market Harborough.

Also part of the area around Stanwick Lakes uses the old Northampton to Peterboro alignment.

Fallowfield Loop in Manchester.

Parts of the Welwyn - Dunstable line - alongside the busway and also south from Luton towards Harpenden.

The Nickey Line, Harpenden to Hemel via Redbourn.

Fallowfield Loop

Already mentioned.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

My favourite is the Water Rail Way, the old Lincoln to Woodhall junction line via Bardney and Stixwould. Almost totally flat and with some lovely restored stations along the way.

 

[Ian Cunningham]

Most of Edinburgh's local lines have become cyclepaths particularly in the north of the city. The best known probably being the Innocent Railway and the Balerno line along the Water of Leith

 

[apk55]

Some more I can think of, I hope i have not duplicated but apologies if I have
Parts of East Lancashire railway from Stubbins (Ramsbottom) to Accrington. This incudes a recently opened section near Irwell Vale.
Delph branch from Uppermill
Parts of the line from Ashton u Lyne to Oldham branch around Park Bridge
Parts of the Oldham Greenfield line
Biddulp valley line from Congleton through Biddulp to the edge of Stoke
Churnet Valley railway from Ruston Spencer to Leek

While not a railway as such the Peak forest tramway from Buxworth canal basin to almost Chapel en le frith stone sleeper still showing in many parts dispute being closed almost 100 years is worth seeing

 

[CBlue]

The Stour Valley line at Clare is walkable (if muddy) for some distance towards Sudbury, and theres a surprising amount of surviving infrastructure around the station buildings and along the footpath.

 

[bearhugger]

There's an old line between Hart village at Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees which was called the Cuckoo Line I believe. There's still a station at Thorpe Thewles. Thorpe Thewles Google map

 

[John Griffiths]

The Coxlodge wagonway running SE from South Gosforth in Newcastle (this line was also an inter-urban tramline after its use as a mineral line). There are also numerous former wagonways in North Tyneside converted into cycleways.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Part of the West Highland Way follows the Blane Valley section of the former Glasgow to Aberfoyle line, closed some years before Beeching.

I don't think anyone has yet mentioned the former LNWR Rickmansworth branch, which is now a cycle route.

There are also many urban stretches which have been taken over for roads, for example at Fort William, Boston - Spilsby, Merton Abbey, and Dolgellau

 

[Rob F]

These don't seem to be in the Wiki article:

The Cotgrave Colliery branch (Link to news article)

The West Bridgford GreenLine (Link to web site)

 

[james60059]

The best one I've walked is over in Ireland, the Suir Valley Greenway which follows the former line from Waterford to Dungarvan. A fair few spectacular viaducts as well as the abandoned platforms at Kilmacthomas Station - I believe the signal box is or was in the process of being refurbished when I last walked it in 2018.

 

[Trainfan2019]

Killamarsh to Renishaw (both north east derbyshire).

 

[steamybrian]

These don't seem to be in the Wiki article:

The Cotgrave Colliery branch (Link to news article)

The West Bridgford GreenLine (Link to web site)

I have included them in the Wiki article

 

[bramling]

Couple of more obscure ones I’ve walked in the last few days:

* Witham to Maldon (“Blackwater Rail Trail”). A pleasant walk, although disjointed as it has a couple of detours, in some cases quite lengthy. More for walking than cycling.

*Cilgerran to Cardigan - firstly an access road then nearer to Cardigan there’s a section of path which has been incorporated into a nature reserve. A couple of obscure railway relics, and a pleasant walk with some opportunities for birdwatching.

*Johnston to Neyland (“Brunel Trail”). We haven’t covered this one yet.

This would make a good pinned thread like was done with the train crew depot locations.

 

[steamybrian]

Killamarsh to Renishaw (both north east derbyshire).

I have added this entry to the Wiki article