Lanchester Valley Railway Path
Encyclopedia
The Lanchester Valley Railway Path is located in County Durham
, in northeast England. It uses the route of the railway originally built to carry iron ore to Consett Steelworks. The single-track line opened in 1862, with stations at Bearpark
, Witton Gilbert, Lanchester, Knitsley and Consett. The line was doubled in the 1870s with the opening of collieries, especially Langley Park
. Regular passenger services closed in May 1939 although occasional excursion trains continued until at least 1954. Goods traffic ceased in 1965 and the line was formally closed on 20 June 1966.
The path is 19.5 kilometres (12 mi) long and suitable for walking, cycling and horse riding. At the western end of the path south of Consett, the route links with the Sea to Sea cycle route
. The eastern end of the path meets up with the Walney to Wear
route. There are many beautiful sites along its route, the ruins of Beaurepaire at Bearpark
being one.
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, in northeast England. It uses the route of the railway originally built to carry iron ore to Consett Steelworks. The single-track line opened in 1862, with stations at Bearpark
Bearpark
Bearpark is a village and civil parish in County Durham in England. It is situated two and a half miles west of Durham, and a short distance to the north of Ushaw Moor....
, Witton Gilbert, Lanchester, Knitsley and Consett. The line was doubled in the 1870s with the opening of collieries, especially Langley Park
Langley Park, County Durham
Langley Park is a village in County Durham, England. The historic city of Durham lies to the east whilst the larger city of Newcastle upon Tyne is to the north....
. Regular passenger services closed in May 1939 although occasional excursion trains continued until at least 1954. Goods traffic ceased in 1965 and the line was formally closed on 20 June 1966.
The path is 19.5 kilometres (12 mi) long and suitable for walking, cycling and horse riding. At the western end of the path south of Consett, the route links with the Sea to Sea cycle route
Sea to Sea Cycle Route
The Coast to Coast or Sea to Sea Cycle Route is Great Britain's most popular long-distance cycle route and is based on minor roads, disused railway lines, off-road tracks and specially constructed cycle paths...
. The eastern end of the path meets up with the Walney to Wear
W2W
The W2W is the name of a cross-country cycle route in Northern England, regional route 20. It runs from Walney Island in Cumbria to Sunderland on the River Wear .-History:...
route. There are many beautiful sites along its route, the ruins of Beaurepaire at Bearpark
Bearpark
Bearpark is a village and civil parish in County Durham in England. It is situated two and a half miles west of Durham, and a short distance to the north of Ushaw Moor....
being one.