Opening an Abandoned Tunnel. Bath Two Tunnels Greenway.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ส.ค. 2020
- Thanks for watching, and a huge thanks to Frank and Mark for their time.
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Well who knew that "enormity" means something bad!... I assumed it just meant "big". Apologies, hopefully you knew what I meant!
The Whitewicks - the OED says that it is legitimate in modern English to use it both as referring to something bad that has happened, and referring to a big serious project -the enormity of the task. Language evolves, and usage changes, even if the pedants stamp their feet and stick fingers in lugholes! For instance, it was pedants of a couple of hundred years back who tried to force Latin grammatical rules onto English, insisting that you cannot end a sentence with a preposition nor start with a conjunction. In fact, both are perfectly acceptable and always have been. So, you stick with the enormity of your projects! :)
It means “very great size or importance”.
I live near there and they are not abandoned
@@me_ch0nky674 - Well not now - that is the entire point of the programme. It is about how they took the abandoned tunnels, worked with the local council, and brought them back to use.
@@me_ch0nky674 Well done for showing your ignorance and not even watching the video.
Always a pleasure to see Bath Green Park Station so well preserved. Back in the day I used to catch trains there from Bristol as it was one of the last steam hauled to survive,
Great video about as a fantastic route, thanks for the tenacity of Frank, Mark and others. I walked the route on the day of the official opening on 6 April 2013 and have returned many times since. My former neighbour and steam loco driver on the route, Fred Epps, had some great stories about the two tunnels, notably having to lie on the footplate floor with a wet handkerchief over his mouth if the steam and smoke were particularly bad, and enjoying the lovely views on the Midford and Wellow sections, notably in the spring and summer months.
A youtube journey: Watched a clip of Paul McCartney & David Grohl @ Glastonbury posted by WFPK Louisville (a fan's of them singing "I saw her standing there")
I clicked on said fan's channel and watched a video of a human taking this trip nonstop (camera attached to front of bike) at, what appeared to be, a rather high speed, and no commentary. That got me interested and yours was the first video suggested that I clicked and am so glad I did.
Will be watching more of your journeys from Louisville, Ky USA
Another fantastic video thanks Paul. Love the area but those tunnels were fabulous. Just loved it. Thanks so much for taking me along. Please take care
I hope that other local authorities are embarrassed by the fantastic performance of Two Tunnels, Frank, Mark and the local authority. Other authorities have sat on their hands and kept their tunnels and other resources tightly shut. In this case massive ground works, a bridge and I sure other enormous challenges have been overcome and everyone can use the facilities. Shame on those authorities, super well done Two Tunnels.
PS: Raise the seat on the girlie bike if poss, muck more comfortable.
PPS: Canny waders, hope we see more of you in them??
Affirmative on all counts
Too right on the seat. It's best to have the leg almost fully extended at the bottom of the stroke, much better power delivery and way kinder to the legs.
My pal Mike has a sound clip of a class A4 chime whistle as his text tone. A couple of years ago he was down there with his bike on holiday. One day I texted him to remind him about the derelict canal locks at Combe Hay nearby. At the point when I sent the text he was cycling south thru Combe Down. As he reached the portal his phone picked up the signal and he received the text and it would’ve probably been the only time an A4 has sounded it’s whistle whilst exiting the tunnel. I have been there back in the 80’s and it was oh so very different then. Great vid guys, thanks.
Update - October 2021 my son and I walked from Bath to Midford and back, the walk through the tunnels was breathtaking.
Loved watching this project from a distance from 2006.
What a wonderful project & achievement. Lovely video, thanks indeed.👍👍
Well done Frank and Mark and co. Couldnt have happened without you.
Absolutely right.
Hear, hear.
Hi Tony and, totally agree, well done Frank :)
I was at Bath Uni in the 70s. We held one of our student charity rags in the middle of Combe Down tunnel.
It was totally open with the old track bed ballast in place and some rails here and there. Midford station was also largely intact, certainly the signal box and platforms.
Nice video! I wish our abandoned railroads and tunnels were preserved like this in the USA. Sadly, our authorities dont care about preservation, only destruction and cheap reconstruction of history.
Well done!
We face the same issues here!
Cycled it with the family last month. Travelled down from Bedfordshire especially for it. bath is a lovely place and the cycle route didn't disappoint
When Frank showed the picture of the day when the first sod of earth was lifted with the silver shovel I can be seen holding up a two tunnels banner in the background with a friend. It was a great day and I visited the site many times with my partner and watched the southern entrance of Devonshire tunnel once again being exposed after all those years of being burried. We looked forward to cycling through the tunnels to Midford but sadly she died in the Month the tunnels opened in March 2013. Thank you both for doing the video.
What a brilliant idea well done to all concerned thanks for the video
Very welcome
Mates and I rode the two tunnels. Ended up in a manual contest through the 400m tunnel. None of us managed to keep the front wheel up the whole length. There's a platform, or what remains, along that stretch. Ended up playing on it, lovely big hop down. Really awesome place to ride.
What a brilliant video - very informative. We're going on our first cycling expedition since COVID started and we're heading to Bath to try out this and another route. Now whilst we cycle it we can appreciate the good work Frank and Mark did. I love the presentation style and we can't wait to do the ride on Friday😊 !
Well done Frank and Mark great job; and whitewhicks for bringing me some inspiration, feel good warm and fuzzies to my predominantly locked down day.
Went to uni in Bath a year before this route opened, and utilised it almost as soon as it had opened. Had no idea that it had just opened or anything behind the scenes, but what a magnificent route it is! One moment you're in a residential city the next you are in the middle of nature via a piece of history one could not even imagine! Cycled along, ran along it, most importantly enjoyed it immensely
. I hope Mark and Frank read this and know how grateful I, and I can imagine a great deal of others, are! A great idea executed beautifully for the masses to enjoy free of charge! Well done chaps! Great video 👏
I ‘just about’ remember my Dad taking myself and a friend on one of the last trains before closure. A little Googling suggests that might have been Saturday, 5 March 1966, from Bath to Bournemouth and return on a Great Western Society Special hauled by 8F steam locomotive No 48706. I could have only been 6 which might explain the hazy memories, although I recall the engine coming to a halt on one of the inclines back into Bath and having to make steam before setting off again. Possible they want to ensure they we in good shape for the tunnel as I’d heard stories of engines slipping and so coming to a halt, unknown to the crews in the dark, and as you mentioned, becoming asphyxiated on the open footplate
It is a shame there does not seem to be much on TH-cam on the tunnels but I was fully aware it was incredibly unhealthy for driver and fireman. They look very low and narrow!! Love the blue sky....as it's a particularly grey winters day up in Teesside. Brilliant to watch again!
We often watch our videos back for the same reason!... a little artificial sunshine is good for the soul. Yes I'd love to know a little more detail of the plight of the firemen!
I walked the line with Mark, Frank and a host of supporters a few months before work started, then though the tunnels on opening day. Huge amount done in such a short amount of time. Just wish that the climb up to Odd Down was easier to cycle so that I could use the route more often.
Great vlog guys as always. This is a truly remarkable achievement by the Two tunnels group which has provided a wonderful resource for so many people. I used to check to see the latest vlogs that Frank used to post when the build started. A very big thank you to the Two Tunnels group for their persistence and determination much appreciated by countless users. Many thanks to the Whitewicks for this vlog.
I walked the length from Midford to the Bath end of Devonshire Tunnel last summer. A great experience, and your film has fully done it justice, thank you!
I love the history of there S&D. There is a lot of archive footage available of films by Ivo Peters. Nice to see what had been preserved.
Frank and Marc (and the rest of their group) did a great job out there! Beautiful route they gave to the world to enjoy! And you both did a wonderful job of making a really nice video about it!
Cheers Gilles
They paved paradise and put in a cycle route
Nice video. I used to walk the linear path to school as a kid. Spent my teenage years messing around at Watery Bottom (the valley between the Two Tunnels), went to a few raves in & around the Tunnels, saw in the Millennium in the Devonshire Tunnel & now enjoy cycling through them as an adult. Great work by Frank & Mark the Two Tunnels project is great.
I was in Bath this summer for the vegan fair at Odd Down. We turned off right before the Devonshire Tunnel and I was definitely curious. I'm glad to see this video to learn more about it, must go back next year to cycle through both tunnels.
What a fantastic story, and it's nice you could provide recognition to Frank, Mark and the others involved in that project.
It's a great thing that such people exist, and as you observed, many people benefit.
Wow either this is a very random coincidence or TH-cam's suggestion algorithm is seriously spooky - saw this vid in my suggestions - I actually designed & built the electronics inside the boxes that play the music in the tunnel!
Haha.... clearly Bath Two Tunnels is something yo may have searched before. The algorithm worked! Kudos to you for playing your part in this amazing project.
The speaker depicted along the tunnel in this video looks like an old toilet seat .. go and have a look .. I had to laugh 😂!
A few weeks ago I was trying to remember the name of the shorthand typing used in court. Didn't look up anything related or even say anything. Next time I went on TH-cam the second video down on my recommendations was about stenography. Spooky Indeed.
We used to walk through that tunnel in the 70s scrapping sticks against the wall to stop walking into the sides.. we were about 15 and did so in our lunchtimes from Ralph Alan school Bath, Fun days.
I visited Bath in June 2005 as part of my exploration of the route of the S&DJR, having been introduced to its fascinating history by a couple of TV programmes in the '80s ("The Train Now Departing - Return to Evercreech Junction" and "All Change at Evercreech Junction") and thence by the photography/16mm cine films of the S&D in its working days in the late '50s and '60s by Ivo Peters. I walked through the linear park and down/up the earth banks where that new bridge has now been installed to the north portal of Devonshire tunnel and was met by a huge bank of earth where the portal should've been. I similarly walked part of the route from Midford northwards to Tucking Mill viaduct- similarly blocked off by concrete walls.
It's great to see that in the intervening 15 years, so much has been done to bring this part of our railway heritage back to life for the enjoyment of the walking and cycling public. Thank you one and all for your efforts and also to The Whitewicks for exploring it on our behalf.
Memo to self - "I must go back to Bath & the S&DJR - only this time, bring a bike!"
Don't know what it is, but I love going through tunnels -- on foot, bike or via train. Thanks for this fascinating journey.
And well done Frank & Mark!
Well all do Ian
Wow, remember walking through the tunnels when I was at Bath University, in the early 1980s. Wondered what had happened and assumed they would be locked closed. Now want to go back and do it again.
Thank you for keeping our history relevant guys! and thanks for the video too .. wow 2 great guys done great i imagine the council will always MAINTAIN this now! :)
Absolutely fascinating film, really love the S+D from watching Ivo Peters old films.
You guys must do more on this old line👍🚂
I always found Radstock quite interesting. Not fully aware of the history of it apparently being the 'industrial hub' of the North Somerset coalfield, but did it have TWO level crossings on one road within a short distance of each other?
That is Brilliant. In 2018 I was fortunate enough to travel to Paris and there were a number of disused train tunnels. Well disused by the publique anyway. Once I saw them it set off my imagination as to why they were no longer in use.
Nice video guys 😃🍻🥂👍🏻
I grew up in Bath and spent many time walking the Linear route, I lived just down the road from it :D. There was one time way back when, they opened up one of the tunnels, which still had the stones from the track inside. We had to bring a torch, that was a wonderful experience to walk through. Which makes me love seeing what they have done with the tunnels today!.
Absolutely. A credit to the guys and girls involved.
Ran the 2 tunnels marathon on through these a couple of years ago - great to learn a bit more about the background (wasn’t much time to stop and read the info boards during the race!)
Well done, all.
The S&D (or rather the S&DJR) was an idiosyncratic victim of Beeching Axe, that had suffered by travelling through GWR territory and being owned by MR & LSWR (& their successors post Grouping), so when BR(WR) took over there was no love lost. In today’s heritage climate (Pre-COVID) many sections of the line from Bath to Bournemouth etc would have been worth preserving. But the track was ripped up, much of the infrastructure - particularly bridges over River Stour - demolished. My parents lived in Bath toward the end of the operations of the S&D. So true that ‘we don’t know what we have got until it is gone’.
At least the legacy of the cycle route, for part of the way, uses the line of the trackbed.
Well done to your guests; rightfully adding veracity to the history of this video story.
Amazing use of the old tunnels, I might have to go visit
I live 10mins from the Devonshire Tunnel,used to walk through both the tunnels when I was young with a torch 🔦 still walk through the Devonshire one to get to Moorland Road shops🙂
Absolutely loved walking (very slowly) through the tunnel (a week/two weeks after dislocating my knee). Beautiful and very interesting. Such a lovely visit. x
Rode that route a couple of years ago......amazing stuff...great video.
Great video, I especially liked the "shoter" of the two tunnels.
They were lucky, usually have to fight counsils tooth and nail for projects like that,. Thanks for the informative video.
I liked the giraffes joke the best
Wow so exciting..😩
I'm glad you thought so and more importantly took the time to comment. Thanks
GREAT VIDEO GUYS!!
Absolutley fabulous video. Thanks guys for showing us this remarkable cycleway/footpath/jogging track/etc.
I frequently cycle through the two tunnels en route to the Mendips. The tunnels are always poorly lit; and so I recommend having a non-flashing front light, especially on a sunny day when it can take your eyes some time to adjust.
@@ianhalsall-fox Fair point. The impression made during the video is that the tunnel is normally very bright, but wasn't because of the electrical maintenance work going on at the time.
Cyclists should not use a rear light either. I had to follow one using a very bright light and was really dazzled.
My favourite railway walk walked it the year the tunnels opened all the way from bath to Bournemouth, Longest and hardest railway walk I have ever done but so fantastic and show what can be done with reopening tunnels. Really enjoyed watching this and seeing it all again. Love the detour with the bike at the start!
Fantastic
Thank you
Now keep going along the B2B to Staple Hill tunnel! I've done the Two Tunnels a couple of times, it makes for a good long ride when you have already come along the B2B from Bristol.
What a fantastic use of an old couple of tunnels. Thanks for posting this and as others have said I hope it creates enough interest for other tunnels to be reused for out door activities. Nice to see older engineering up close and personal. Keep up the good work you two. Expat in CT USA.
Great video as always and you captured the essence of the Two Tunnels brilliantly.
Feel so lucky to live 2 minutes away from this fantastic route.
Another favourite section of the S&D to cycle is Sturminster Newton to Blandford with 2 re-instated bridges across the lovely river Stour.
Yes Andy I totally agree. I often cycle from Broadstone to Sturminster Newton on that very section of route
It’s a great walk too. I walked it from Bath to Midford two years ago and then caught the bus back from outside the Midford pub. Incidentally, there is still a canal bridge next to the pub, mostly buried, but both parapets are there and the top of the arch can be seen on one side. A good reminder of the Coal Canal, only 50m from the old Midford station. The Two Tunnels are worth the walk, even if the two miles of 1in 50 out of Bath makes itself felt!
Another excellent video. I was amazed when the Two Tunnels were reopened after the portal at the north end had been buried for decades - and what a brilliant result - and wonderful fun to cycle it! I sincerely hope that the walk/cycle route on the old S&D line can be continued on to Radstock and beyond.
Great video Paul and Rebecca, what a great story,a huge undertaking,a lot of hard work by dedicated people, beautiful part of the country and stunning route 😀👌👍
I love tunnels and all kinds of undergroundness.
What a marvellously thought out and executed project.
Lovely video and lovely work. Every town needs a Frank & Mark! 👍🏻
An amazing project! Thank you giving an insight into what made it happen. I visited the area with my family in around 2005, particularly around Midford. It was great to use the Two Tunnels Route as part of my charity walk from Bournemouth to Bath last year! Must go through there again when I’m a little less tired!
Great job from all involved it's always good to see these old line put to use in the modern world and that all the hard work from years gone by hasn't been totally wasted and is now popular again.
love the way you give the unforgotten features of these tunnels Paul eg The excavation/ventilation shafts which where as much a feat of engineering as the tunnels themselves. Brilliant work you and Rebecca😀👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you, you two are marvellous....a natural pair exploring closed railways! It’s great to see the tunnels open again with walkers, etc., enjoying them... but a shame that trains will never traverse them again. Keep up your good work and I enjoyed the novelty of seeing cyclists with lights on their bikes! Here in Bournemouth it’s rare to see an illuminated cyclist on dark nights! Finally, as a railway enthusiast I always enjoyed the view from my office window of Broadstone Junction, where the S&D from Bath joined the SR section. Unfortunately, an unpleasantly designed sports centre (with chemical stains leaching from the brickwork very soon after it was built) was built on the site of Broadstone Station ...but memories can’t be totally destroyed and a tiny section of the old footbridge still exists behind the ugly structure on a footpath. Thank again. Rob.
Good the tunnel is opened
Fantastic work, shows what can be achieved when all parties are positive and of a 'can do' attitude. That must be such a great route for the local community and visitors alike.
Another great video! I walked through those tunnels a couple of year ago. I went in thinking "I'd love to walk through the Channel Tunnel", I walked out thinking "That was good but I'm so glad to see daylight!
Great story about how this was all brought together. A friend and myself visited the area a few years ago, an August bank holiday weekend, we hired bikes and cycled the entire route, the weather was awful at times as torrential thunderstorms hit the area, the tunnels proved to be a refuge as well as a marvel of victorian engineering. I do believe we made it quite a way south from Midford station heading towards Evercreech junction.
For once, a total success story involving local authorities and committees. Well Done to the guys who kick-started the process; I'm sure the outcome has surprised even them.
Looking at the tunnels, could the work not maybe have been done a wee bit more sympathetically? There seems to be an awful lot of metalwork around the portals but, I suppose, that's a small price to pay.
Green Park, despite being kinda deserted at the moment, seems to be in good health and at least it's not a ****** carpark now. I like all the information boards along the route, plenty of old photos etc - looks like a decent way to spend a few hours. If I ever find myself in Bath, I might be looking to borrow your girls' bike. I'm over six feet, so I'd look sillier than you Paul.😂
Another interesting episode and neatly put together. My only gripe is that the videos seem to be getting shorter, not rushed, but less leisurely. Still entertaining though, and educational, and there's plenty of variety. Gets the usual 👍 from me.
Cheers for now,
Dougie.
Thank you Dougie. Got to keep them wanting more!!
Awesome Projekt! Thanks for sharing it with us!
That was positively brilliant. Great video. Looks like a lovely walk/cycle ride.
I remember when this channel had 56 subscribers
Glad to see the content is still grand as it was back then
I remember them exploring in nappies using a trike
Thanks. Another place to add to my bucket list. Great job everyone.
Not a bad one for the bucket list
What a brilliant cycle route. Of course old trackbeds are perfect for cycle routes and in fact we have a couple close to us. For a while I used to cycle to work partly along an old track bed and you could still spot some old railway relics. I am sure there are plenty more that could be converted. Great stuff.
That looks very relaxing, thanks for another great video!
Thank you so very much for making these . Cheers from California!
I literally just went for a cycle along there now and I got back and TH-cam recommended me this video, I kid you not! It's such a great ride but I must admit that the orchestral music in the longer tunnel can be a bit eerie when cycling alone.
Once again a great video from you both paul&Rebecca very interesting reguarding the two tunnels
that was a fun video! thanks
Sherifffffffff
Superb video as always...and of my two favourite tunnels...and right as it's my lunch break! Today is a good day!!!
Glad you have done another S & D video. Sorry, I can't help it, I love the S & D.
A few more to come yet... 😁
Fascinating - thanks ever so much indeed!
Thanks Edward, much appreciated
The idea of filming and editing videos feels like an enormity to me, let alone a project like this! I've worked in IT projects before and don't miss them one bit. Great video as ever!
The weekly video takes its toll but settings yourself that goal means you stick to it.
great video, I was the guy that stopped and spoke to you the day you shot this video, in midford ( I was in a white van) keep up the good work guys
Ah yes, on the hill? We actually had two others stop and say hello as well.... Which is definitely a first! Thanks for stopping.
Lovely video, will need to add this to my list of places to visit now.
Many years ago, I wanted a Raleigh Chopper bike, my mother bought me a Raleigh Shopper instead!
It had wee wheels and a bag on the back, I hated it with a vengeance!
Your bike reminds me of that.
I'll stick to my cheap mountain bike, I prefer bigger wheels.
An interesting video, more old railways should be cycle tracks, but only if there is no hope of reopening them.
But the shopper has the most comfortable bike seat I have ever sat on!
Another nice informative video about something that I knew quite well before I left for Cornwall. Well done. Again, keep up the good work and stay safe, all the best!
Thank you.
My favourite walk Peasedown to Bath 9 miles, try and do it at least once a week, not this year though so reckon I've walked the 2 tunnels over 300 times. Always carry 2 torches, battery/wind-up got caught once when the lights failed in the Devonshire tunnel absolutely no light, completely black. Love it.
Thank you SO much guys.. great video.. I love learning something everything I watch..
Thanks Mark
Brilliant. Well done bath.
Superb as usual! Really interesting..well done to all involved.
Well done to all concerned. What a great project.
Great video . Very informative .
Hi folks. really enjoyed your new adventure. I'd love to do some cycling over you side of the globe if and when international travel resumes. In the meantime I look forward to your wonderful videos to help deal with level 4 lockdown in Melbourne. cheers, Greg.
What a great cycling route....and where you end up at just looks magnificent.
Cheers Karl. Bath Green Park. A favourite of Martins!
It used to be a nature reserve
Well done Frank and Mark.
good vid.Thanks.
p.s. our local cycle way,s been packed out this year,don,t know why.lol.
I was lucky enough to get to the opening day of these 2 tunnels and be one of the first few hundred to cycle through.
Still make an effort to visit if I'm in that part of England. Something so wonderful about being able to cycle so far underground.
Hope one day to be at the opening day of the Queensbury tunnel. That is if it doesn't get destroyed.
Nice countryside