The Cycling Scot
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Route Map
  • Where to go in Scotland
    • Aberdeenshire
    • Angus
    • Argyll and Bute
    • Central Scotland
    • Dumfries and Galloway
    • East Lothian
    • Edinburgh and Midlothian
    • Fife and Clackmannanshire
    • Glasgow and the Clyde Valley
    • Islands
    • Perthshire
    • Scottish Borders
    • Sutherland and Caithness
  • Advice About Cycling in Scotland
    • What kind of bicycle?
    • Cycle Clothing
    • What gear to buy
    • Taking your bike on the train
    • Coping with traffic
    • Best cycling guide books
    • Best novels about cycling in Scotland
    • Family-Friendly Bike Holidays in Scotland
    • Mountain Biking Guide
  • Travel Writing Projects/Working with Me
  • Best Cycling Books
  • Diary of a Cycle Commuter

Cycling disused railway lines. Book review of "The Lost Lines of Britain".

30/12/2014

2 Comments

 
Much of Scotland's traffic-free cycle network is composed of former railways lines. They are a delight for cyclists as they often traverse stunning countryside and provide the means to avoid busy roads. Not only that, the remains of the railway in the form of bridges,stations and tunnels area point of interest along the route. Julian Holland's "The Lost Lines of Britain" provides inspiration for those who enjoy both the cycling and the railway history of these routes.
Picture
Maud station on the Formartine and Buchan Way. This is a cycle route that was once the rail line linking Aberdeen to Peterhead and Fraserburgh. Maud is where the line split with one track heading to Peterhead, the other to Fraserburgh
Many of these lines were closed as part of the Beeching cuts in the 1960s. Dr Richard Beeching proposed wholesale closure of unprofitable routes and stations in order to tackle the significant losses that the railways were making, largely due to increasing competition from road traffic. Some might say that the cycle network was the only beneficiary of the Beeching cuts.

Holland's book is hardback and full of photographs of the railways as they were and how they are today. It is too large to take with you on a cycling journey and is more suitable as an armchair source of dreaming and planning future adventures.
Picture
A former railway workers' shelter along the Formatine and Buchan Way

The book is about Britain and most of the railways are, naturally, in England. The chapter on Scotland has seven railways, including the Formartine and Buchan Way, which I have cycled and written about. Most of the other railways are ones that I did not know much about and did not know that there were cycle routes on them, so the book has given me some new ideas.
Picture
A misty scene along the Formartine and Buchan Way
The book is not aimed at trainspotters, so there is no need to worry about it being filled with engine numbers and technical explanations. It is mainly composed of photographs that are a fascinating look on the past and the present condition of the disused lines.

I was fascinated by the present-day photographs of the Lochaber narrow gauge railway with its American-style trestle bridges. I had no idea that this can be found in the hills outside Fort William until I read this book.

At the end of each chapter there is an information box "walking and cycling the line" which provides a route description and all the basics needed to plan a walk or cycle. This also includes some suggestions of places to visit.
If you enjoy cycling along old railway lines in Britain and are interested in the history of those lines then this book is a must. The size of the book makes it impractical to take with you on those cycle trips, but it can be used to begin the planning process and get you excited about what you are likely to see along the route.

You can click on the image of the book to purchase it from Amazon.

2 Comments
Richard link
4/1/2015 04:51:13 am

That book sounds like a good read. There's an old train line from Padstow to wadebridge in Cornwall which is now called 'The Camel Trail' I've cycled a few times.

Reply
Colin
4/1/2015 09:23:12 pm

Thanks Richard. It is a really interesting book. He has written a lot of books like this, so I am going to try to get hold of some of the others. I heard about the Padstow cycle route and I would love to do it one day.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    My name is Colin Baird and I want to see all of Scotland by bicycle. Follow my blog on Facebook:

    Categories

    All
    Aberdeen
    Aberdeenshire
    Addiewell
    Airdrie
    Airdrie To Bathgate Cycle Path
    Airth
    Alba Cola
    Alloa
    Alloa To Dollar Cycle Route
    Altnabreac
    Angus
    Architecture
    Argyll
    Auchterarder
    Aviemore
    Baird Monument
    Bakery
    Balerno
    Ballater
    Bathgate
    Beach
    Bed And Breakfast Reviews
    Beer Reviews
    Bettyhill Hotel
    Biggar
    Bike And Go Cycle Hire At Stations
    Bike Clothing
    Blackness Castle
    Bonawe Iron Furnace
    Bo'ness And Kinneil Railway
    Book Review
    Bookshops
    Borders Railway
    Bowhill House
    Branklyn Garden
    Brechin
    BrewDog
    Bridges
    Broch
    Broughton
    Cafes
    Cairngorm Brewery
    Cairn O'Mount Road
    Caithness
    Caledonian Railway
    Carnwath
    Castles
    Chocolate
    Christmas Food & Drink
    Coffee
    Colinton Tunnel
    Colonsay
    Commuting
    Copenhagen
    Craigmillar Castle
    Crichton Castle
    Cupar
    Currie
    Cycle Routes
    Cycling Books
    Cycling Mirror Review
    Cycling To Work
    Cycling With A Buddy
    Dawyck Botanic Garden
    Deeside Way
    Deskford
    Disused Railway Paths
    Disused-railway-paths
    Dollar
    Dornoch
    Dornoch Castle Hotel
    Doune
    Drem
    Drummond Castle Gardens
    Dryburgh Abbey
    Dumbarton Castle
    Dumfries And Galloway
    Dunblane
    Dunmore
    Dunrobin Castle
    Dunrobin Castle Station
    Dunstaffnage Castle
    East Linton
    East Lothian
    Edinburgh
    Edzell Castle
    Falkirk
    Falkirk Tunnel
    Fallen Brewing
    Ferry
    Fife
    Flowers
    Folding Bikes
    Fonab Castle Hotel
    Gardens
    Garelochhead
    Gigha
    Glasgow
    Gleneagles
    Glen Esk
    Glen Lonan
    Golspie
    Haddington
    Hailes Castle
    Helensburgh
    Helmet Review
    Helmsdale
    Highland Cattle
    Hill Of Tarvit Mansion
    Hills
    Hostels
    Hotels
    House Of Dun
    House Of Mark
    House Of The Binns
    Huntingtower Castle
    Indoor Cycling
    Inveresk Lodge Garden
    Inverurie
    Island
    Jedburgh Abbey
    Kelso Abbey
    Kildonan Station
    Kinnoull Hill
    Krispy Kreme
    Lanarkshire
    Larbert
    Lauder
    Leaderfoot Viaduct
    Library Of Innerpeffray
    Linlithgow
    Livall BH60SE Smart Helmet
    Loch
    Loch Earn
    Loch Leven Heritage Trail
    Loch Turret
    Longniddry
    Maps
    Meadows Festival
    Melrose
    Melrose Abbey
    Microadventures
    Midlothian
    Montrose
    Moray
    Morton Castle
    Mountain Biking
    Musselburgh
    Muthill
    National Mining Museum Scotland
    Netwongrange
    New Bike
    Newstead
    North Berwick
    Oatcakes
    Oban
    Oban Chocolate Company
    Only In Edinburgh. Book Review
    Orkney
    Outer Hebrides
    Penicuick
    Perth
    Pitlochry
    Preston Mill
    Published Writing
    Puncture
    River Tay
    Roslin Glen
    Rosslyn Chapel
    Scotstarvit Tower
    Scottish Borders
    Scottish Borders Abbeys
    Scott's View
    Smailholm Tower
    Splendid Book Of The Bicycle
    Sportives
    Standing Stones
    Stately Homes
    Stations
    St Boswells
    Stow
    Sunglasses
    Sunset
    Sutherland
    Tantallon-castle
    Taynuilt
    Tea Room
    Tempest-brewing-co
    Temple Of The Muses
    The Counter Canal Boat Cafe
    The Elphinstone Hotel. Biggar
    The-pineapple
    The Unknown Sculpture
    Thirlestane Castle
    Tips
    Train Problems
    Trains
    Traquair-house-ale
    Travel Writing Competitions
    Trimontium
    Union Canal
    Vogrie Country Park
    Vulpine
    Walk
    Wanderlust Magazine
    Waterfall
    Water Of Leith
    Wemyss Bay Train Station
    West Lothian
    Whisky
    Wick
    William Wallace Statue
    Your Piece Baking Company

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Route Map
  • Where to go in Scotland
    • Aberdeenshire
    • Angus
    • Argyll and Bute
    • Central Scotland
    • Dumfries and Galloway
    • East Lothian
    • Edinburgh and Midlothian
    • Fife and Clackmannanshire
    • Glasgow and the Clyde Valley
    • Islands
    • Perthshire
    • Scottish Borders
    • Sutherland and Caithness
  • Advice About Cycling in Scotland
    • What kind of bicycle?
    • Cycle Clothing
    • What gear to buy
    • Taking your bike on the train
    • Coping with traffic
    • Best cycling guide books
    • Best novels about cycling in Scotland
    • Family-Friendly Bike Holidays in Scotland
    • Mountain Biking Guide
  • Travel Writing Projects/Working with Me
  • Best Cycling Books
  • Diary of a Cycle Commuter