The old railway line that runs for a couple of miles on the edge of town is a local treasure. If you are outward bound, and up for a really long hike, it is the starting point for a host of other footpaths. You can head for the Severn Gorge, or go cross country through farmland searching out ancient signs of lost medieval villages. The towards-town stretch runs past the outskirts of Shadwell Quarry and then on below the Linden Walk, terminating abruptly above the Cutlins meadow where the highland cattle are often found grazing.
For much of its length the old line is a shadowy arcade of ash, hazel and crab apple trees. Bosky in other words. In spring there are masses of tiny white violets among the ferns, later a scattering of orchids and wild strawberries. Now and then someone comes along and clears back the tree branches and ivy to stop total junglification. There are scarcely any views out. The fence in the first two photos is the main ‘window’ of opportunity.
On the northerly side you have to a bit of clambering above the trees to glimpse the quarry peripheries. Not very scenic, but I quite like the starkness of these next two winter shots – wild clematis (Old Man’s beard) and barbed wire and then the detention camp look of the perimeter fence.
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And finally one I’ve posted before – the gate at the entrance of the Linden Walk. At this point the railway line is in a cutting to the left of the trees.
Tish, this is a wonderful post for this week. 😀 😀
Many thanks, Cee.
Love that last image!
Thanks, Jude. I know you’ve said so before, so was thinking of you when I included it.
There you say bosky, here we say bosque.
I like your version, Thom.
Love the effect, Tish! All are beautifully captured.
Many thanks, Amy.
Forget the fences and gates. The cow and calf are just too adorable!!
Thought I’d slip them in for the MacMoo followers 🙂
Reblogged this on Hutts Ultra Blogging World.
Cheers, Pete.
This is a lovely set of evocative shots. Like you, I have no problem with workaday wire as part of the story.
Many thanks, Margaret. I like that term ‘workaday wire.’
oh this is fantastic
Thank you, Becky 🙂
Super shots that work very well in B&W – especially the Highland cattle and the clematis / Old Man’s Beard 🙂
Thank you, Sarah.
Such a lovely walk you’ve taken us on, Tish. As you may (or may not) remember, I have a soft spot for Highland cows – so, of course, my favourite image is the two beauties nuzzling and oh, so cute!
They are hard not love, Ju-Lyn 🙂
Love the idea that “the old line is a shadowy arcade of ash, hazel and crab apple trees” for much of its length…my father and I used to love finding ‘track of old rly’ on OS maps…. That last image with the silhouetted figure is also my kind of image, Tish
Much appreciate all those nice comments, Sue. And what a lovely image of you and your father seeking out old railway lines. A sense of adventures well shared.
Until I couldn’t see some tunnels, because father had an incident with some mud, and refused to gO any further….
Oops!
😄😄
Good evening
It is pleasant this kind of walk, along an old section of railway.
When I was still living in Paris there was a large section in the middle of the city as well and it was a beautiful walk as well.
PS; Are there any vestiges of this past left along the promenade (rails, buildings …)?
At the town end, the railway station buildings are still there, but now divided into three smart homes. And at the other end of the surviving length there is a railway building, also now a small house, and a railway worker’s hut. And then in town there’s the remains of the railway bridges, one cut off completely to make way for a main road, but the other still intact and with a preservation order. So yes, still some good traces of the railway’s past. And then come to think of it, the allotment gardens where I have my plots, were originally provided for railway workers back in Victorian times. It was considered a right.
thank you for these very interesting explanations
Regarding the plots of land to cultivate, it is true that in the past many were found near the railway stations (certainly reserved for workers)
My kind of walk. Thank you.
Happy you could join me, Ana.
Love the Highland cattles!
They do have lovable looks, Teresa.
Old choo choo trains!
The last photo is a delight.
There was an old line that ran behind the RAF camp we were stationed at in South Wales. As kids we would sometimes sneak down and wait by the tiny crossing at the foot of a large embankment and if the train stopped holler up at the driver to allow us to ride the footplate to the end of the line, about a mile further along. It sounds like something out of Just William or the Famous Five! Short pants and runny noses, I expect!
Of course, I’m pretty sure they weren’t supposed to but my brother and I and another friend once got to ride the train.
Good old days, indeed, Ark. The world would be Wenlock’s oyster if the line were still running.
From the years reading your blog, Miss T, Wenlock is pearl enough even without the line.
🙂
Aw that’s sweet. But it would be splendiferous to get on a train and do the Severn Valley Line once more. Part of it still exists of course – steam trains too – Bridgnorth to Kidderminster.
Don’t the Heritage Society have any ‘pull’ in this regard?
It’s too late for our end of the line – much encroached on by main roads, building; also a lot of subsidence along the river sections. Sad though. But then there are some really good sections for walking/cycling along, not just our short bit. One involves a rather good pub!
Ah, now you’re talking.
Bottoms-up!
👌👌👌📷
🙂 🙂 🙂