Exploring the Disused Railway of Bevercotes Colliery

Please watch: "The Most Beautiful Closed Railway in the UK? Scarborough to Whitby Railway Episode 2"
• The Most Beautiful Clo... -~-
Join me as i walk and explore this Branch Line to a disused colliery site, the line closing in the late 1990's.
We start off at the site of the former Ollerton Colliery, before meeting the branch via a well used pathway with no fence around 500 yards from the severed mainline connection.
Crossing and passing beneath bridges, through a 350 yard long tunnel as eventually we meet the site of the former Bevercotes Colliery.
Additional railway images by Wilbert B. His fantastic images can be viewed here: www.flickr.com...
Also George Edgar, who's fantastic collection can be viewed here: www.flickr.com...
#disusedrailway #abandoned #railway
/ @trekkingexploration Additional Music by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0.
www.scottbuckley.com.au

[@grumpybore863]

I've spent this evening watching several of your vlogs. very pleasant way to pass the hours!

[@TrekkingExploration]

Good Morning. I'm pleased to say there is a new one ready to go later today 😁

[@jontownsend8090]

Great walk, very interesting. It would make a great cycleway, especially through the tunnel as an added bonus.

[@mwspireite5713]

Hello again, I recently commented on your Harworth colliery video. I recognise some of your routes on this film due to the fact I travelled underneath them on a Taggs bus to Lound Hall training centre in the mid 80s whilst being transported from Sutton in Ashfield to Lound Hall as part of my Mining Craft Induction Training. What really upsets/disappoints me is the apparent lack of will of the local councils and authorities to actually turn these disused colliery lines into actual country trials that everyone can enjoy, which is what's happened in my home area with the Five Pits and Silverhill trials. Thanks for trying to keep these old routes alive, and we should all shame the local authorities into making these long lost routes accessible for everyone!

[@HenrysAdventures]

Another great video! Really enjoyed this one.

[@martinmarsola6477]

Thanks you for the walking tour, especially with the inclement weather today. Your the best! Cheers mate!

[@johnjephcote7636]

Last time I climbed up onto the Maun bridge it still had flat-bottomed rail on good concrete sleepers. I read the article in the Railway Magazine on building this bridge. It involved some heavy engineering.

[@trainsinkansas576]

EXCELLENT Learning so much I feel like I've been there. Love the music. Have a great day a great day in deed. Meriden, Kansas

[@daz4643]

KZbin brings us together Jerry. Greetings

[@stanwakefield4927]

This was my playground when I was a child. Many a good memory including live trains

[@jiginc1]

Now I know I’m getting old. I can remember seeing part of this line being built. We were staying at the Walesby Forest Scout camp and the line was being built across part of it. One day a fire was seen by the line and a fire engine came across our camp to put it out. The fire engine got bogged down trying to get out and during a reverse ripped off it’s very large mud flap. A friend of mine took it home and after cutting it in half fitted it to his A35 van. The thinks you remember. Must have been 1959 ish. Great video

[@HeadstockFilms]

We used to call this "Mummies Tunnel" back in the day when trains ran through it. I remember the odd child running through it for a dare!

[@nigelkthomas9501]

I rode this branch in 1992 on the “Dukerries Collier” railtour.

[@steadyred1832]

I walked the northern part of the branch after rail traffic stopped, amazingly a signal close to the colliery site, near to the River Maun was still displaying a red aspect, despite the rails being completely overgrown. That white paint "NUM Picket line" was from the strike of 1984/5, a piece of history good or bad. Amazing the colliery was opened and closed in such a short time period 1965 to 1993.

[@frankfitzgerald5832]

Another great video Ant.....enjoyed the tunnel...Great to see the stills under the loaders....Frank & Lee

[@TrekkingExploration]

This was a long long day. The moment I got to the other end, a huge thunderstorm unfolded. Great fun 🤣

[@MakeAllThingsBeautiful]

i really enjoy these walks, very close to Bevercotes was Lound Hall training centre for all the North Notts miners, 1000,s upon 1000's of lads like me straight from school went to Lound Hall and Bevercotes ... namely to pick up a rather large weekly wage in cash, there were sometimes hundreds of us on Friday so this walk is very poignant as the coach used to set off for me from the top of big barn lane mansfield and picked up at Rufford, Blidworth, Bilsthorpe, Ollerton and other places so criss crossed the train line never really noticing it.

[@matdriver1]

Just got to watch this one , excellent, this is one to carry out. Brilliant, the amount of things i will be able to do and on my doorstep

[@TrekkingExploration]

Hi Mat, this was one of my favourites from last year. It was fun trying to beat the rain too which I eventually lost out too. I'd like to do it again the opposite way, and have a better look at the pit site too 🙂

[@matdriver1]

Trekking & Towpaths I carried out some work at the pumping house the year before last and was inspired by how they have renovated the building and kept many of its original features. My brother in law works at Kirton, so no stranger to that part. Never knew the bridge was there

[@thomaspolice9400]

Before the chaos of 2020 the old Colliery coal loading site was a regular haunt for 'illegal' Raves. Great walk and thanks; I have been unable to walk far for a few years now so this and your others area wonderful way to enjoy things I should have done when I was fit.....but then I was working!!!!!!

[@xX_TheRealDatSpeedyF_Xx]

Just found this video and found it very interesting. I grew up near to Ollerton (in Egmanton) and remember visiting the Tesco on the site of Ollerton Colliery. I remember going under Tuxford Road bridge many times when I was younger. I live in Australia now in another coal mining town in NSW (Singleton) and have done some work at the coal mines in this area - I was too young to work in the mines in Notts. They are mostly open cast though and much larger in scale than the UK. They are all still going but will close in the next 20 years I would guess. Thanks to the poster and I will certainly check out some of your other videos.

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thank you for watching and you're kind comment. Funnily enough I walked this again in the opposite direction last week with the drone this time too. It'll be on here very soon ☺️

[@nigelkthomas9501]

Last time I saw Boughton Brake tunnel there was still some track in it!

[@TrekkingExploration]

I believe it got lifted early 2018

[@chrisbayly5457]

Thoroughly enjoyed the journey..

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thank you 😀

[@ericshaw4018]

Great video. I believe the Calverton colliery branch has recently been made into a footpath. My grandfather worked at the calverton colliery. I remember these colliries working. A great shame the colliries are still working.

[@TrekkingExploration]

I'm doing this one next week, so we'll see how much has been converted. Thanks for watching :)

[@kevinwilson2872]

Those old buildings you looked at are plate layers huts used for storing fish plates and other parts used by track maintenance Gangs

[@chrisandjaneonnarrowboatpo3917]

What a fantastic video. Many thanks chris 👍

[@TrekkingExploration]

Morning Chris, thanks for watching and the kind comment 😀

[@nigelkthomas9501]

Having watched this video from start to finish I can honestly say the best thing for the Bevercotes Line would be to lay a narrow gauge line, say 15” the same as the Kirklees Light Railway, the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway and Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway. What do you think?

[@TrekkingExploration]

It would be a nice little route for a narrow gauge 👍😀

[@daystatesniper01]

Nice upload ,you should try to locate the old mine shafts as they are normally capped with a concrete dome

[@TrekkingExploration]

I did plan to look for them, the bloomin thunderstorms got too bad though. I'll maybe go back oneday

[@thomaspolice9400]

@@TrekkingExploration I am told that all the gear was left down that pit.

[@bobtudbury8505]

i worked here for 4 years , the biggest white elephant colliery ever built

[@barrieking5939]

Bhow about a walk along the Wollaton canal, or whats left of it. Cheers.

[@MakeAllThingsBeautiful]

.. i really suggest you check out Lound Hall, looking on google maps much of it is gone but it used to have a mining museum there and quite a few hundred yards of training mining tunnels. Bevercotes is an enigma really, a feeling of being a cold cursed pit, not like others with village and club and community, 'Bevercotes' looks like it is still a hamlet ... not 1 pit house! All the miners seem to of disappeared but in the case of Bevercotes absolutely vanished, where did they go ..

[@TrekkingExploration]

Yes with most mines i think most miners lived within walking distance, yet this has hardly anything around it. They must have come in by car and coaches.

[@thomaspolice9400]

​@@TrekkingExploration A lot of the newer houses in Ordsall (Retford) were built for Bevercotes Miners. I believe quite a few of them then went on to work at Thoresby after Bevercotes closed? Strange how Bevercotes was so modern and yet closed after such a short life.

[@neilmurphy5189]

The weigh bridge and part of the building is still there in a fashion

[@linofreek52]

Great videos ! Just a note the music is far louder than your voice which means its a big problem when listening through large speakers ..you get blasted out . I noticed a few on here get the music far too loud ..while narration is too quiet perhaps you dont bother getting the levels during edits ..who knows ?

[@TrekkingExploration]

Thanks for watching. Since this was published almost two years ago I've adjusted the levels accordingly 😀

[@linofreek52]

@@TrekkingExploration Good i was not being picky .. i have a sound system and it really stood out lol .. like the videos though !

[@seamusmcevoy2011]

Hi Guys, the northern end of this walk is about 45 minutes from me, so when I get some free time I'm definitely going to do it - looks great for a good old explore!!! Could you tell me where to access the southern end, I quite fancy that as well.

[@TrekkingExploration]

Sorry Jim only just seen this one, did you ever go?

[@westers1514]

Another line that I walked back in 2005; it's strange to see it without rails and sleepers, and so overgrown.

[@TrekkingExploration]

I remember a year before I did this i walked it as far as the tunnel, track still down but removed after the tunnel. This was a bugger getting to the other end, simply in the middle of nowhere 😂

[@westers1514]

@@TrekkingExploration Lol - I hated that tunnel walk; to start with it was fine, daylight illuminated things, but then it got darker and darker, until I could not see a thing. A sensible person would have turned around (remember, the rails and sleepers were down, so trip hazards everywhere as you could not see your feet,) however I had to get to the end. Inching along the tunnel, my legs brushed against something in front of me, and I near messed myself (the dark does strange things to your head,) however it turned out to be some sort of solid metal wire, and not the giant rat that I assumed was there 🤣😁 I walked back across the fields, and rejoined the line at Brake lane and carried on towards Bevercotes. You could track the tunnel as you walked through the field - every so often were the grilled vent holes from it.

[@TrekkingExploration]

It's an odd one as being straight and reasonably short i thought it won't be that dark..... I had the same recently in Cromer Tunnel, that's about 100 yards long. I thought I won't need much light. I was very wrong 😂

[@westers1514]

@@TrekkingExploration Yeah, it makes you realise how little light penetrates.

[@westers1514]

@@TrekkingExploration 😁😁 Yep, that's exactly what I thought, and how wrong I was too.

[@kevanparker908]

Back in my school days of the 1960's many of my school friends left my town of Ripley Derbyshire to go to these new mining towns of Bevercotes sadly my father was seriously ill with Leukemia so well many friendships ended! On alighter note why are all you super explorers frightened of spiders? Martin Zero and the Whitwicks?

[@metalmicky]

Could you cycle all the route you have taken ,and is it classed as trespass ?

[@TrekkingExploration]

It's mostly ballast. At the Bevercotes end it blends into a country park footpath. At the ollerton end there are numerous paths onto it near the tunnel. The Last stretch to the active line is now fenced off

[@maryellis3661]

Question who owns the land the trackbed is on

[@TrekkingExploration]

Probably still network rail. It would make a brilliant cycle, walking route to the country park at the other end

[@jayblazed564]

these videos definitely gets the likes i would like one day to join either yourself or someone else on a joint railway walk round my area there isnt much in the way of disused railways but i have one local to me

[@TrekkingExploration]

Hey Nooby thanks for the kind comment 😀 Where abouts are you from? You never know one day....

[@jayblazed564]

I'm in the Cambridgeshire area I have one line which has one platform still remaining and a couple of station building dotted around but as you say you never know one day I'm looking into doing similar things as you for fun I'm a complete railway and canal enthusiast

[@TrekkingExploration]

Oh i was close by an hour ago, just left Ely for Nottingham. Yes i love the canals ❤️

[@jayblazed564]

@@TrekkingExploration well enjoy our area again soon we have so good rivers and history of that nature

[@joannaknowles8789]

Hiya Hun, how did you get around the Retford road bridge? which is fenced on either end.

[@TrekkingExploration]

Hello I replied earlier and it disappeared 😂 There is a way around. You go into Boughton Estate, get onto and follow bentinck Close to the top. There is a grass area that takes you back to the track bed 😉 Give me a shout if you get stuck 🙂

[@joannaknowles8789]

@@TrekkingExploration Hello, thank you, i was just looking at google maps and noticed where you mentioned. but of coarse being google maps i could not tell if there was a fence there. thank you for answering what i needed to know about a fence . Ill be going back again to continue my journey thanks for your help :)

[@TrekkingExploration]

@@joannaknowles8789 excellent. There are a few little paths onto the line, then you are almost at the tunnel 🙂

[@joannaknowles8789]

@@TrekkingExploration what is the roof like in the tunnel is it safe or is it falling apart ie bricks sometimes fall down.

[@TrekkingExploration]

It's fine, it's a curved concrete roof so no loose bricks. It was maintained until 3 or 4 years ago. I went 3 times last year as its only around the corner from me, no issues at all

[@janepatricia8779]

Very interesting,its a shame parts are over grown & neglected. 🤔

[@freddiebozwell7049]

Loving the video but music gets a bit too loud for neighbours, just an observation, cheers!

[@TrekkingExploration]

Cheers Friddie, the music has been tamed since this one was done last year :)

[@jasinere35]

walked it & its much the same on this vid to my experience

[@TrekkingExploration]

Hi Jason, i guess now the rails have gone it'll soon get taken over and become impassable.

[@jasinere35]

bridge over river is 2 in one with bridle path following the river you then approach the stocking yard under the bevercotes village & access road to colliery then onto the rapid loader foundation sadly the rails end further down

[@jasinere35]

im hoping someone takes it over & puts a path down along its length as this one bed is literally undamaged & still has every bridge in place which is more than I can say about some trackbeds in & about south Yorkshire area which got sold off & destroyed by every means possible

[@TrekkingExploration]

@@jasinere35 i agree. It's a good flat route, ashame to be wasted

[@jasinere35]

althou ollerton does have a couple of disused beds coming out of it none of them are footpaths one of which goes southwards to bilsthorpe pit converted to industrial & country park where the trackbed goes into Sherwood pines past centre parks & back round to thoresby passing clipstone headstocks other is test track which ends at markham moor powerstation that actually has a station next to it but carries on as a footpath to Lincoln & lastly is the one we both covered

[@djp120970]

Great vid, it was black over bills mothers at times

[@TrekkingExploration]

That rain eventually caught up with me. I knew it would 😂

[@user-bx3rg7yb1d]

Nice seeing some of our graffiti in a video. "What a mess". That's the sesh spot you disprescting

[@johnclay5101]

num picket line.