I personally vote for the Peak Line from matlock / Rowsley to Millers Dale, When I started building my msts route back in 2002, i spent hours walking around the area, alone the track bed, The dogs loved the 4 - 6 mile walks but hated me for days after while they couldn't move from the dog basket, poor things. hehe.
The Scenery is magnificent, Remains of the Past railway are evident along the entire route, from stations / buildings and my Favorite Location on the route, Monsal Dale Viaduct, I spent many hours sat at the top looking down the valley. (there's a pub on the corner above the Viaduct too. )
Alan Heath
Why does DOS never Say Excelent Command or filename ?!!?!??
To Err is human, computers output the errors at higher speed.
Not massively cheap but i really am tempted to buy the dvd, the first programme on the Castlemans Corkscrew looks very interesting. Anyone who does live in the south who gets ITV Meridian, and watched these programmes, were they any good?
Cheers,
I watched most of the episodes on Meridian and found them quite enjoyable. The episode on the Isle of Wight railways is the one I recall most, especially the before and after footage of Ventnor tunnel and station.
Episodes:
Castlemans Corkscrew
The Meon Valley Railway (Hampshire)
The Somerset & Dorset Railway (the Dorset end)
Paddock Wood to Hawkhurst (Kent)
The Longmoor Military Railway (Hampshire)
The Sprat & Winkle Line (Romsey to Andover, Hampshire)
The Kent Coalfield Network
The Isle of Wight
Yep, done loads, it would take ages walking so I recommend cycling.
Done: Scarborough-Whitby - About 20 miles, the route is intact almost entirely. Very scenic. Steeply graded up to 1 in 39! Waskerley Way (Crawleyside-Lydgetts Junction via Parkhead & Waskerley) - great route, with options to continue to MCE/NCL, DHM or CLS/SUN. I've done all except not yet done Annfield Plain to Sunderland. Hartlepool-Seaham (inland route, via Hesleden/Haswell) - worth doing, but not great. Manifold Way (Hulme End-Waterhouses) - Very scenic, but also very busy (especially when within 1 mile of a car park). Virtually no evidence that it was a railway line though. Leek-Ryecroft Gate - Continuation of the Churnet Valley, can't go any further towards Macc unfortunately, although if you like wallowing in mud it looks possible to get a bit further! The Rudyard Lake narrow gauge railway is alongside part of the way. Reasonably scenic, and worth doing. Biddulph Way (Stoke-on-Chav to Congleton) - the first few miles are to be avoided unless you like broken glass and chavs. But north of Biddulph it was quite nice. If I was to do it again I'd go from Kidsgrove to avoid the chavs and broken glass. Middleton Way (Macclesfield-Rose Hill) - worth doing; though not very scenic as it's mostly tree-lined so you don't get a view, but very pleasant. Macc-Bollington is rubbish but the rest is good. MDL-RSH is very fast; I did that bit in 8 minutes!
Doing this Summer: High Peak/Tissington Trails - 2 routes that join at Parsely Hay. Brilliant trails, I've done a small part of the Tissington Trail (Sparklow to Hartington) and it was great and I know (from photos and others) that the rest will be great too! Ryehope-Stockton (inland route via Wingate) - only done the bit that's common with the above mentioned route from HPL-SEA. I am not expecting great scenery though, but it's worth doing once I'm sure. Downs Link - 2 routes; the Steyning line and Cranleigh lines which both joined the Arun Valley Line at junctions near to Christ's Hospital station. Not done any of it yet but there looks to be plenty of interest along this route.
)
