Our first walk of the year was a great success and everyone enjoyed it. Starting in North Common, we walked northward along the Dramway footpath as far as Shortwood, crossed over the ring road, and came back along the railway path.
For most of us, it was the first time we had walked along this stretch of the Dramway footpath, and many of us were not aware that it existed as a something separate from the railway path. It has its own bridges and even a short section of tunnel. The old stone sleepers are still there in places, and you can even see the holes where the rails were attached on some of them. In fact, in one place, we discovered a barrier that appeared to be made from a section of old Dramway rail (which has a much smaller cross-section compared to conventional rail).
Coming back along the railway path, we encountered the old Mangotsfield railway station, which is now a small park, but the platforms on both sides are well-preserved. In its day, this was a major hub, as it is situated on the junction of two lines.
Even though the two paths are quite close to one another, we managed to avoid going on the same piece of path twice. Nevertheless, at various points on the way back, we could easily see the path we had walked in the other direction.
Before returning, we stopped off at the café at the Warmley Waiting Room and enjoyed a warming cup of coffee (or tea, etc). Afterwards, a group of us had lunch together at the Holly Bush.
It was a little bit chilly, but we were all wrapped up well. We had been hoping the mud would be frozen, but it turned out to be not that cold.
Below is the route we took, starting at the bottom and going anti-clockwise.
Great weather to start the year with and all that history!