Upper Tweed Railway Path Project Interim Report on Progress of the Work of the Project Team
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Upper Tweed Railway Path Project Interim report on progress of the work of the Project Team Report & Appendices 1 to 4 – August 2013 West end of Neidpath viaduct ! THIS PROJECT IS BEING PART-FINANCED BY THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT AND THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY SCOTTISH BORDERS LEADER 2007-2013 PROGRAMME Upper Tweed Report Authors Railway David Gray, John Grimshaw Paths Upper Tweed Railway Path Project Interim report on progress of the work of the Project Team Contents 1 Introduction and summary ..............................................................................................................................................3 2 History of Railway Development in the Upper Tweed Valley ..........................................................................................4 3 Summary of existing local walking, cycling and horse riding routes .............................................................................7 in the context of the railway routes, with comments on how sections of paths would augment these 4 The UTRP Study and Development work January to July 2013 ..................................................................................12 5 Technical details and maintenance matters. ................................................................................................................15 6 A record of consultation undertaken since the project was first mooted .....................................................................16 7 Proposed programme of work .....................................................................................................................................20 including the setting up a local Charity to oversee the development of the project and to take responsibility for its construction and maintenance, the securing of legal agreements and their format, winning planning consent and raising funding 8 Estimates of cost of the works and potential sources of funds ...................................................................................22 9 Outline programme of work to complete this preliminary study and consultation work ..............................................23 Appendices 1 Summary of Access in the area and the relevance of the Upper Tweed Routes by Vyv Wood-Gee, Countryside Management Consultant ..........................................................................................24 2 Mapping for trial Solway Firth to Firth of Forth coast to coast cycle route ..................................................................44 3 Detailed estimates of cost for each section .................................................................................................................50 4 Typical fencing and gating arrangements along the proposed path: Technical details and examples ........................52 Credits Field coordinator - David Gray Access advice - Vyv Wood-Gee Additional photos - Jenny Baker, Damion Willcock Layout - Jane Debney UPPER TWEED RAILWAY PATH PROJECT • REPORT & APPENDICES 1 TO 4 • AUGUST 2013 • PAGE 3 1 Introduction and Summary Map of Scotland’s Great Trails and National Cycle Routes in the area surrounding the Upper Tweed Valley In January 2013 The Upper Tweed routes could be the catalyst to joining Upper Tweed Railway Path Railway Path Group commissioned up these wider networks. Possible connecting paths John Grimshaw and David Gray to Modest extensions of the Upper report on the potential of the 39kms Tweed routes could resolve a number of former railway and to make solid of these loose ends and it may be progress towards realising paths along worthwhile pursuing this wider context these corridors, and to setting out their in order to provide a greater focus on place in a wider network of routes. the need to put in place good paths We found that the routes of these long in the Upper Tweed area itself. In Peebles abandoned railways were remarkably particular we consider that there would intact and that they could indeed form be considerable merit in promoting a the basis of attractive and useful paths. cycling route linking the Solway with the We have spent a good deal of time Forth. These Coast to Coast routes are Symington Biggar drawing up practical details for each very popular with the public and this section of a route and in discussing one could start or end on the Solway at these with the individual landowners to a point due south from the great Forth see how to achieve a route which they Railway Bridge, at a point not far from could support. The discussions and the now demolished Solway Viaduct! negotiations are ongoing. This would be the only north to south Coast to Coast route in Scotland. The wider context of these potential routes in the Upper Tweed area is Whilst our brief does not really extend in the area, particularly around Peebles, Finally we sketch out recommendations fascinating. The existing networks of to resolving the details of all these links and it reports on the Access policies for making progress and a possible longer distance routes, and Scotland’s we are planning to test this Firth to and programmes of the two Councils. timetable and programme for achieving Great Trails, exhibit a curious void in Firth ride in September, because the what is inevitably a complex project, this area. The Clyde Walkway, the economic case for developing these The Project has identified all the key one which has many strands, and will Annandale Way and the River Ayr Way relatively remote routes, the Talla branch landowners. Negotiations are ongoing be delivered in stages over a number of all stop someway short of a common in particular, will rely on the hold it and we anticipate progression to an years, before it is finally all in place. meeting point on the hills south of takes in the public’s imagination and agreement, one way or another, with Biggar. The Southern Upland Way consequent popular use. each separate landowner. Reusing former railways for paths deviates southwards to bypass this has proved to be one particularly This interim report in the meantime has The Upper Tweed Railway Path Group same area which otherwise is on the appropriate use for these formations. a number of more mundane matters to has undertaken a considerable work direct line from Sanquhar to Selkirk. The generally level, and often hard attend to. It rehearses a brief history in consulting widely and enlisting local National Cycle Routes pass to the surface, makes for exceptional ways of the railways on the area which have support. We have augmented this west up the A74 corridor and to the through the countryside. This has been long tempted surveyors with the easy and summarise the overall effort in this east north of Innerleithen. It is all most demonstrated between Peebles and connection between the Clyde and report. strange and can perhaps be seen on Innerleithen, and can be equally so the Tweed Valleys. It reviews the local the map, where the creation of good here. walking, cycling and equestrian routes paths along these Upper Tweed railway UPPER TWEED RAILWAY PATH PROJECT • REPORT & APPENDICES 1 TO 4 • AUGUST 2013 • PAGE 4 2 A Brief History of Railway Development in the Upper Tweed Area The Tweed and the Clyde were Railways to Dalkeith for Edinburgh accounts for the completeness of the Innerleithen railway path this year 2013 always a tempting corridor for early known as “The People’s Railway” in former railway formation to this day. and has received planning consent railways connected as they are by the 1855. It remained independent until 11th Interestingly the Talla line is currently for a route largely on the railway from level summit valley between Biggar July 1861 when it was finally taken over being used for the route of a pumping Eddleston to Leadburn. This will and Broughton. Indeed as early as by the North British. main to Tweedsmuir. eventually create a mostly traffic free 1807, Thomas Telford proposed a route to Edinburgh. The Upper Tweed The Caledonian Railway opened All these railways were only a single double track of rails for a horse drawn Railway Project has hopes of piecing through from Symington in two stages track, with the exception of the 2 miles waggonway from the Monklands together a useful and, memorable from Broughton Station to Rachan Coalfield via Biggar and Peebles to 1860 - Symington and Broughton route from Peebles to Symington and where the Talla Branch ran parallel Berwick-on-Tweed – a distance of 125 connected to the Caledonian southwards to Tweedsmuir. to the main line to Peebles. This is miles. It was not to be and a railway main line at Symington significant for our project because it will along the full length of this route would 1864 - Broughton and Peebles enable the farmer to continue to run not be finally opened until 1866 when farm vehicles and livestock over the line the Innerleithen and Peebles line was The North British railway constructed which acts as a hard standing, but allow eventually completed. the Galashiels and Peebles section also a pubic path to be built through and in two stages. The valley remained a target for fenced off on the separate formation. railway developers and in 1836 it was 1864 – Galashiels to Innerleithen The closure of the railways predated calculated that the direct route from 1866 - Innerleithen to Peebles and the Beeching Cuts to some extent. The Newcastle to Glasgow via Peebles was connection across the Tweed first section to close completely was some 31 miles shorter that the new linking the North British Station the Peebles and Broughton (Caledonian