What do the Nidd Valley, Smardale Gill, Aysgarth and Richmond all have in common? They all bear the relics of former railways before Beeching swung his axe and closed lines up and down the country. I love a walk that includes strolling along disused railway lines – it’s the combination of seeing how nature has reclaimed these spots and imagining how very different it would all have appeared when trains trundled along the tracks.
Nidd Valley: In Nidderdale you can still see evidence of the 12-mile long single-track Nidd Valley Railway which was once a branch off from the Harrogate to Ripon line, starting at Ripley before venturing right the way up to Pateley Bridge stopping at Birstwith and Dacre Banks along the way (stations at Hampsthwaite and Darley came later).
As you follow the River Nidd you can make out the embankments and cuttings, the bridges, the track bed and the former stations in the villages when the railway, which first opened in 1862, brought prosperity to the Dale. By 1908, the line was joined by the Nidd Valley Light Railway built by the Bradford Corporation from Pateley Bridge to Angram to bring workers and materials up to the top of Nidderdale when both Scar House and Angram reservoirs were being constructed.
Smardale Gill: Imagine a train carrying coke that had been mined in Cleveland over the Pennines, crossing a 90-foot high viaduct and the Stainmore Summit on its way to Barrow in Cumbria where its load would fuel the iron and steel furnaces.
Now re-imagine that scene with the noise of the train replaced by sounds of wildlife; the vistas dominated by woodland, swathes of wildflowers and a crystal clear gill, but with the spectacular sight of the curving 14-arch viaduct remaining. Since the 1990s Smardale Gill has been a nature reserve managed by Cumbria Wildlife Trust and there’s a beautiful walk following part of the dismantled line.
Aysgarth: Aysgarth might be known for its waterfalls, but walk along a stretch of the Herriot Way towards Askrigg and you’ll discover part of the disused line which was once operated by North Eastern Railway when it opened in 1877. The track was closed to passengers in 1954 although goods were carried for another decade.
Richmond: The Station, a wonderful Victorian building which now houses a cinema, restaurant, shops and galleries in Richmond, provides a great starting point for a flat walk along the old railway bed towards Easby Abbey. The track was part of the branch line from Richmond to Darlington, built during the height of the railway mania in the 1840s and, which apparently cut the cost of transporting lead from Swaledale to Stockton by a third.
Thanks to Amanda Brown for words & photo