Could the old Didcot Newbury and Southampton Railway be converted to a cycle path?

A little while ago I was looking at a video on KZbin about West Berkshire Spokes (link below) who have recently opened up a short section of cycle path on the old Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway which ran (unsuprisingly) from Didcot to Newbury and then Newbury to Southampton via Winchester. The line was opened in 1882 but closed and was abandoned in 1964. The section of line between Didcot and Upton is National Cycle Route 544. West Berkshire Spokes created another section on the old railway route between Hampstead Norreys and Hermitage. Negotiating with West Berkshire Council they have the ambition of creating an off road cycle route between Newbury and Didcot but the first and most difficult stage would be Newbury to Hermitage as most of the land was sold to farmers and most of the route has been "ploughed under" but short sections still remain.
This video is an exploration of what remains of the railway between Upton near Didcot and Chilton and if the route would be viable for a cycle path.
West Berkshire Spokes video presentation.
• The Story of the Hermi...

[@justinsheldon5015]

During lockdown , I ventured out across the Ridgeway and pieced together certain parts of the old railway in that area. I was trying to find an alternative route to get to the underpass on the A34 to rejoin the Ridgeway, with my map , when I flagged down a guy also riding to see if I was heading the right way. He was the farmer from Blewbury Farm and said he lets the young boys farm and he just rides his bike now. I was going , sort of in the right way, but said I had to cross the railway bridge, which is near another farm with barns. Then go right. If I went straight on, over the bridge and up, I would head to the gallops and Ilsey ( I believe) . He said his father used to drive the trains from Didcot to Southampton during war times. His father recited to him that the soldiers would be singing at the top of their voices on their journey into the unknown. Wartime passed and as his father became elderly , he would take him up to the bridge and his father would say, 'I can still hear them singing'. Something which made me realise the journey they were taking, many would not return. Hampstead Norreys station is nothing now other than a piece of cast iron for the crane that used to be on the platform. The track which is made to Hermitage , we used to ride it on mtb's , many years before it was opened up and it is nice for people to use and to ride under the bridges is quite different. Local scum used to tip rubbish, fridges, cookers and anything off the bridges onto the ground before it was opened up, so that's great its not happening now. Heading into Newbury and the bridge over the Kennet is now one brick stantion on one back and houses on the far side. Heading south of Newbury, towards Broughton 'old station' and south from there is a footpath in places. We have cheekily ridden bikes there and have done no harm as the base is still there. You do ride through the station ( cant remember which one) and then follow the A34 down. In the Autumn is interesting, as you find apple trees , randomly on the side of the grounds, with lots of apples on them, which could have been an apple thrown from a train many years ago. Would make no sense to how they got there otherwise. We, as mates , head down , make that vison of trains in past times using the track. Obviously there is plenty of miles I haven't searched, but there is videos here from other KZbinrs showing the disused bridges further south. Good luck with finding out more of the track, but Oxfordshire and West berks arent interested in heritage like this.

[@alanprioroutdoors]

Thanks for watching :) I'm hoping to make this into a bit of a series once the weather warms up a bit. The problem is that down to around Chilton, the land that the railway sat on, is owned by a landfill company that are using it for hard core and topping it off with topsoil. Once finished and handed back to council ownership it could provide a foundation for an active travel route but no sign of that just yet. As far as I can see it should be possible to cycle down the track from where ownership of the line falls into farmland up to around the area of Compton but then it becomes troublesome as Highways England (the owners of what is termed the "burdensome estate") have put fencing up preventing access although I have noticed there are some ancient trackways that could be used instead of having to ride on the B4009 which by all accounts is a race track. West Berkshire council do have the section between Newbury and Hermitage on their Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure plan LCWIP. (Link below) but large sections of the route have been "ploughed under" in the 50 years its been shut but they are still hopeful to re-establish the route with landowner approval. www.westberkshirespokes.org/have-your-say-on-the-lcwip-and-active-travel-schemes/

[@justinsheldon5015]

@@alanprioroutdoors Being I live in Thatcham and work in Newbury and a cyclist, WBC have no idea on making cycle routes sadly. Nothing is thought out from using common sense. We have lamposts in the middle of cycle lanes, painted grey !! ( Floral Way) , we have lanes in the roads with sectioned 'Orcas' to stop traffic from entering, but also , they dont have a machine to sweep it, so saw the workers sweeping area by hand ( A4 Colthrop). The Orcas , in the dark and being dirty and shocking LED lights make them invisible in the rain and winter. They believe they have done their bit for healthy lifestyle and involving alternative environmental travel, but they need better understanding on real cycling and safety. Not just ' we did what the government wanted' We all see poor cycle markings in pictures, from all councils. My route to work, the cycle lane just stops halfway there for no apparent reasoning. It would be good to 'think' that more recreational routes for us cyclists are considered , but sure they are very far down the cost chain . With our council tax increasing at the highest level every year for terrible decisions and wasting finances I doubt in my lifetime a lot of the routing will every appear. Think Readings third bridge with RBC and Oxfordshire ........ Oh, Oxfordshire appears again ! I believe that the bridge near Hamstead Norreys was/ is going to be filled in, as it then means they dont need to inspect it and repair anymore. I suspect this is probably the arrangement Oxfordshire have with the landfill senario. There is a lot of amazing history around us and it will be lost forever for future generations. I am planning of looking further into the airfield at Hampstead Norreys / Ashampstead as that is of interest too. I believe soldiers were flown from there and it was attacked by the Germans too

[@alanprioroutdoors]

@@justinsheldon5015 Its funny as I recently held up the A4 cycle way through Newbury as a shining example of what could be done compared to the abysmal attempt made by Wokingham Borough Council. Its West Berkshire Spokes who are championing the Newbury to Didcot cycle path but although they have the support of West Berkshire Council, the report in how to achieve it is being commissioned via Sustrans (who have a much better idea of what needs to be put in place) and I would imagine their partner charity, Rail Paths will get involved as they have the technical expertise in revitalising victorian railway infrastructure.

[@skin150263]

I think the apple trees are almost certainly a result of people throwing apple cores out of carriage windows. The route of the former Somerset and Dorset line between Bath and Bournemouth also has a lot of apple trees alongside the trackbed, presumably for the same reason.

[@jamesgilbart2672]

Greater use of this route as an official cycle path would great and form a useful link. Lets hope organisations like Sustrans and local councils make that dream a reality!

[@alanprioroutdoors]

Since making this video, West Berkshire Spokes and Sustrans have been talking with West Berkshire borough council and got this route included on the LCWIP....however after Sustrans carried out their survey and submitted 3 proposals, the council decided to go with the cheapest option and use existing rights of way and shared use paths rather than negotiate with landowners to reacquire the the land that the former railway sat on. I looked at that route in a follow up video (also on this channel) and the surface isn't great - best done on a mountain bike 😢

[@jamesgilbart2672]

@@alanprioroutdoors Thanks for the reply and explanation. Shame that the council took the cheaper and less cycle-friendly option.

[@alanprioroutdoors]

@@jamesgilbart2672 Obviously West Berkshire Spokes are pushing back on that :)

[@skin150263]

It would certainly be a very nice idea as it would be a lot less hilly than going by road, to say nothing of less motor traffic. It probably wouldn't be technically too hard to do this between Didcot and Newbury, but south of Newbury quite a bit of the A34 has been built on the line of the trackbed. Having said that, there are alternative cycling routes and some short sections of the trackbed have been turned into cycle routes. I live in Oxford and many years ago I cycled to Newbury and although I tried to make use of as much of the old A34 as possible, that isn't possible along the whole route. The cycle ride really wasn't a pleasant experience. It would definitely be amazing to be able to cycle all the way to Southampton on a mostly traffic free route. Let's hope it happens one day. The B4009 more or less parallels the old railway between Newbury and Hermitage, but I don't know how suitable it is for a cycleway.

[@alanprioroutdoors]

Part of the submission by Sustrans to West Berkshire Spokes is a plan to use a shared footpath approach rather than following the line of the old railway due to refusals by landowners to give up their land. The B4009 is a bit of a deathtrap though with the majority of it being a 50mph road. Between Upton and Compton the plan is to use existing rights of way (Byways). I think the most difficult sections to sort though are between Compton and Hampstead Norreys and then Hermitage to Newbury

[@alanprioroutdoors]

Subsequently found out after making this video that the Countryside act allows landowners to infill railway cuttings and use them as landfill sites....