Lost Railway Walks

by Julian Holland

All over Britain, abandoned railway lines, many the victims of Dr Beechingâ€s cuts in the 1960s, now offer peaceful, secluded routes for hikers, joggers and dog-walkers. Arranged by region and illustrated with photographs and maps, this guide offers detailed listings of each, with practical information on their location, length, transport links and points of interest.

Genres: Railways

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2016

About the author

As a young lad I was surrounded by railways. Across the road from where we lived in Gloucester was the ex-Midland Railway line to Bristol and Birmingham, behind us was the branch line down to Gloucester Docks and the Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Company’s Works and in the attic was an ‘O’ gauge clockwork railway built by my father. Boy’s books and magazines were awash with railway subjects and the weekly ‘Eagle’ comic with its centrefold cutaway, often a railway subject, was always eagerly awaited. Unlike today, railways then were still an important part of everyday life and the long and complicated journey to our holiday destination each year was pure joy.

I distinctly remember the first time I went trainspotting. Having just passed my 11-plus exam I went on to attend secondary school where many of my classmates, aided by a plethora of Ian Allan books and magazines, had already been bitten by the craze. I was determined that the next Saturday I would catch the bus down to Gloucester Central and Eastgate stations to investigate this phenomenon. I have still got my Sterling No. 3 notebook and a pencil from that portentous day in 1957 when I hung around the stations, taking in the smell of smoke, steam and oil – I was hooked! Penzance, Paddington, Newcastle, Wolverhampton Low Level, Birmingham Snow Hill, Manchester and Sheffield were among the distant and seemingly romantic destinations of the trains that I saw on that day. There was no stopping me and over the next ten years I travelled far and wide, usually in the company of likeminded friends, to nearly every far-flung corner of British Railways in search of that elusive locomotive number or to travel on a soon-to-be-closed line. Even the introduction of those dastardly diesels failed to dampen my enthusiasm!

On leaving school I trained as a graphic designer at the infamous Hornsey College of Art in the late 1960s and went on to work as a designer and art director at several well known London publishing companies. In more recent years I have contributed to many bestselling books on railways and have more recently written Amazing & Extraordinary Railway Facts (David & Charles, 2008), Discovering Britain’s Little Trains (AA Publishing, 2008), Great Railways of the World (AA Publishing, 2008), The Lost Joy of Railways (David & Charles, 2009), Discovering Scotland’s Lost Railways (Waverley Books, 2009), More Amazing & Extraordinary Railway Facts (David & Charles, 2010), Discovering Scotland’s Lost Local Lines (Waverley Books, 2010), The Lost Lines of Britain (AA Publishing, 2010), Steaming Across Britain (AA Publishing, 2011), Amazing & Extraordinary Facts: Trains & Railways (David & Charles, 2011), The Times: Mapping the Railways (co-written with David Spaven - Times Books, 2011), Railway Days Out (AA Publishing, 2012), Amazing & Extraordinary Facts: Steam Age (David & Charles, 2012), Britain's Scenic Railways (Times Books, 2012), Dr Beeching: 50 Years On (David & Charles, 2013), An A-Z of Famous Express Trains (David & Charles, 2013), Exploring Britain's Lost Railways (Times Books, 2013), Railway Day Trips (Collins, 2014), Great Railway Journeys of the World (Times Books, 2014), History of Britain's Railways (Times Books, 2015), Lost Railway Walks (Collins, 2016).

Reviews

[George1st · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the Victorian age, Britain was covered by a patchwork of local lines initially operated by small private railway companies. The legacy of Railway Mania would often result in duplication and competition along some routes. There was little or no coordination or strategic planning. Many of these lines were built to service local industry and played a key part in the success of the Industrial Revolution. Sadly with deindustrialisation and the expansion of road transport during the 20th century it was inevitable that a revision of the rail network would lead to the demise of many of the lines but seen from today the sheer draconian scale of the loss deriving from the Beeching Report (4,500 miles of railway and 2,000 stations being closed between 1963 and the mid-1970s.) seem short sighted and wrong. In recent years with the increased popularity and usage of rail there has been a reevaluation of Beeching which has seen the reopening of previously closed lines (part of the Borders Railway Line) and proposals to reopen others. ( including The Varsity Line, Portishead to Bristol, Skipton to Colne, Lewes to Uckfield). One consequence of the lost railways is that many have now been reopened for recreational use to be enjoyed by walkers and cyclists and this engaging book looks at 100 of these from around the country.

Combined into geographical areas each chapter gives a history of the individual railway line under review, what you will see along the way and practical information that includes length of the line, parking places and public transport access. There are also past and present pictures and a map showing the original route. Fortunately there are several of the walks described here that are not too far from me and I certainly intend to take the book along with me when I have a walk along them. Julian Holland is a prolific author of works on railways and railway history and his knowledge resonates throughout the book.

A fascinating read that hopefully will inspire people to go out for an enjoyable walk.

[JCS · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great guide for the railway enthusiast as well as the keen walker or cyclist looking for quiet, traffic free trail routes. There is a total of 100 of Britain's lost railway walks to explore. I found the map at the beginning very useful when searching for railway walks close by or where I knew I would be travelling to. The book is divided into clear sections: Southwest England, Southern England, Eastern England, Central England, Wales, Northern England, and Scotland. There are maps of each walk along with the length of the line (original and current), the relevant OS map and National Cycle Network route number. Also useful, are references for refreshment points and car parking. There is a brief history for each trail and a description of what you'll see along the way.
I have done several of these trails either walking or cycling and did't realise until now that there were so many more. Looking forward to exploring some new routes soon. Thank you to Julian Holland, Net Galley and the publisher, Collins for an ARC.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love railways, both current and old lost tracks and stations. I definitely get this interest from by dad who worked most of his life on the railways. This book details 100 walks along some of Britain’s lost railway lines. Each walk has details which will help navigate these walks today, along with some practical information such as parking places and public transport access. It also has some pictures to accompany each walk, from past and present times.

Unfortunately, none of the walks are really near me, despite there being lots of old railways walks in my area, so I probably wouldn’t do any of these walks to experience them but it is definitely a lovely book and a very useful accompaniment on these walks. A perfect book if you love walking or if you love the railways….a great book if you love both!

[D L · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lost Railway Walks is a must for any rail and/or walking enthusiast. This book would even be a good addition for anyone interested in the history of the UK.

Julian Holland details 100 lost railway routes throughout the UK, providing information such as a brief history of the Line as well as its length, the length open to cyclists and walkers, refreshment points, car parking, and the National Cycle Network route number.
Essential reading for cyclists and walkers interested in touring the UK.

This was provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of great walks in this book and the history of each route is well researched and interesting to read. I walked the spa trail from Woodhall Spa to Horncastle and it such a nice walk. It was interesting to read some of the history of the railway line.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm quite interested in things that were once there and now gone, especially railways I always thought it quite amazing how a route would of actually once been railway tracks. The information was very detailed but found it rather boring in places more suitable to those who actually like and understand trains and can maybe travel to these old stations.

[Laura Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book includes a number of guided walks along some of the UK;s abandoned and lost railway lines. The history at the start of each walk really allows you to understand the history of that railway and how it came to fade into obscurity. The instructions are easy to find and it is easy to understand the length of level of difficulty of each walk.