Scotland still has hundreds of miles of `dismantled railways', the
term used by Ordnance Survey, and the track beds give scope for
many walks. Some track beds have been `saved' as Tarmacadam
walkway/cycleway routes while others have become well-trodden local
walks. The remainder range from good, to overgrown, to well-nigh
impassable in walking quality. This book provides a handy guide to
trackbed walks with detailed information and maps. It is enhanced
by numerous black and white old railway photographs, recalling
those past days, and by coloured photographs that reflect the
post-Beeching changes. The integral hand-crafted maps identify the
old railway lines and the sites of stations, most of which are now
unrecognisable. The `Railway Age' is summarised and describes the
change from 18th century wagon ways and horse traction to the
arrival of steam locomotives c.1830. The fierce rivalry that then
ensued between the many competing companies as railway development
proceeded at a faster pace is recounted. Although walkers may be
unaware of the tangled history of the development of the railway
system during the Victorian era, many will have heard of, or
experienced, the drastic 1960s cuts of the Beeching axe. However,
in more recent times Scotland has experienced a railway revival -
principally in the Greater Glasgow area but with new stations and
station re-openings elsewhere. The long awaited 30-mile Borders
Railway from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, the longest domestic railway
to be built in Britain for more than a century, is something on a
very different scale. Early passenger numbers have exceeded
expectations and towns served by the line have seen significant
economic benefits. Many railway enthusiasts cling to the hope that
more lines will be reinstated. Meanwhile, those walks offer a
fascinating and varied selection of routes that can fill an
afternoon, a day or a long weekend - an ideal opportunity to get
walking!
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