Penarth : the rail trail

A few weeks ago I took you on a tour of parts of the Cuckoo Trail, a walking and cycling trail that runs along the path of an old railway line in East Sussex. Well, here in Penarth in south Wales, we have our very own rail trail.

This is part of what was the railway line to Barry but, just as with the Cuckoo Trail, this local line also fell foul of the Beeching cuts in the 1960s. Goods trains stopped running to Barry on 7 October 1963 and trains stopped running through to the cement works (now long gone) in Cosmeston in November 1969, according to an article on Penarth railway station on Wikipedia.    

The passenger trains now stop at Penarth Station and, for two kilometres beyond that – though, unfortunately and rather short-sightedly, not accessible directly from the station – the trail has been converted, in part, to a much-used walking and cycle path. Also unfortunately and short-sightedly, the old track bed from Cosmeston to Barry was not retained in public hands – it would have been a wonderful public resource and environmental link to have a walking/cycling track along the entirety of the old railway line.

Though most of the indications of the former halts and stations have now disappeared, the four railway overbridges are all still in place, carrying road and pedestrian traffic across the rail trail. A couple have odd-looking metal attachments still hanging from them – some sort of signalling equipment perhaps?

The trail is edged on both sides by houses and, indeed, encroached upon by a later housing development at one point – you simply walk along the pavement for a short distance. Though the trail only continues as far as Cosmeston Drive, it still provides a pleasant stroll along a tree-lined alley, which, depending on the season and the aggressiveness of the council strimmers, is also lined with wildflowers.

The rail trail also provides a nice sheltered spot to search for wildlife, mostly of the winged or small-and-crawling varieties, though a friend whose garden backs on to the trail has quite recently seen a fox, and I once spotted a slow-worm in greenery next to the tarmacced path (thanks to an inquisitive cat). You can see just a few of my local finds by heading on over to earthstar, my daily nature blog, and putting “Penarth rail trail” in the search box.

East Sussex : Once was a railway

Every time I visit my friend Jill in East Sussex we go walking along part of the Cuckoo Trail, which runs very near where she lives.

This was once a railway line, running from Heathfield in the north to Polegate in the south, but the line was closed on 13 June 1965, a victim of the Beeching cuts. The railway was known as the Cuckoo Line because of an old tradition, dating back to the 1300s, whereby a cuckoo was released at the Heathfield Fair to celebrate the coming of Spring. The fair continues to this day but now, thankfully, the cuckoo bears more than a passing resemblance to a pigeon! 

As has happened with many of the railway lines that were scrapped as a result of the Beeching cuts, the tracks were removed and the land converted to a now-very-popular walking and cycling trail. And, though the trains are long gone, the Cuckoo Trail still retains many hints as to its former use. These are some of them.

The dotted line on my map marks the approximate route (hand drawn by me, so not entirely accurate). In Hailsham, the Railway Tavern sits opposite where the station used to be and, just along the appropriately named Station Road, is the former Station House, now a private residence.

As you head north from Hailsham, you pass under some of the sturdy old bridges that carried traffic across the railway line.

Concrete bollards can be seen at various places along the trail, some with numbers on top. I’m not sure of their purpose, though I did find one that was definitely a milepost, marking a distance of 21¾ miles from or to somewhere.

At Hellingly, you can see several reminders of the trail’s railway past. A bench has been cunningly crafted using old carriage wheels, and there’s a post with an intriguing jumble of ironmongery attached – purpose unknown.

Through the scrub and small trees, you can catch glimpses of the former Hellingly Station building, now a private house, and part of the old platform remains.

As far as I’m aware, the old location where the full platform has been retained, at least on one side of the track, is further north at Horam. Here, there is another fine old brickwork bridge and more old paraphernalia – perhaps this post held lights or a signal of some kind.

I haven’t yet walked the full 11 miles of the Cuckoo Trail but, if I do, I’ll certainly be on the lookout for more fascinating paraphernalia and interesting signs of the trail’s past life as a busy railway line.