Six Abandoned Railway Tunnels of the Wye Valley

[@jasonlewis7521]

Fascinating. I absolutely love your video's. Keep 'em coming. Da yawn.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Jason. Much appreciated. 👍

[@fordcolby8329]

i guess it's kinda off topic but does anyone know a good website to stream newly released tv shows online ?

[@rolandarjun6402]

@Ford Colby i dunno I use flixportal. You can find it thru google :) -roland

[@fordcolby8329]

@Roland Arjun Thank you, I signed up and it seems to work :D I appreciate it !!

[@rolandarjun6402]

@Ford Colby You are welcome xD

[@darrenhitchcox6345]

Tidenham Tunnel has now opened as a cycplepath, complete with low level lights and tarmac. Open times are restricted due to bats roosting in the roof, which goes along with the low level and dim lights. Cyclists are not encouraged to use any additional lights, again die to the bats. Did it a few weeks back and it is one the most beautiful rides. Path does a bit on the rough side when getting down by Tintern Abbey, but the rest is fine. Well worth a visit for sure

[@AlfieRayner-u9m]

The Tintern tunnels are open now, very cool to ride a bike in. Quite eerie.

[@chrisoconnell6528]

Newland tunnel had old military ammo boxes in it. This was back in early eighties when I played in it as kid. At the northern end, near the road there was also an old concrete watch tower and air raid shelter.

[@marysweet8858]

Love the videos where you include the side by side maps - also appreciate your stance on where you will and won't go, means I can enjoy these with a clear conscience too👍

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Mary. We keep forgetting to use the maps!

[@McMieke]

Another great video from Mr Grumpy and Mrs Always Right.

[@pwhitewick]

well there is a grave stone heading if there ever was one!

[@HenrysAdventures]

Another great video! I believe the station building at Monmouth Toy have now been relocated to Winchcombe on the Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway. I used to love visiting Tintern Abbey as a child, I knew the railway once passed nearby but I've never seen the other end of the tunnel before!

[@Beatlefan67]

Very interesting - what a sad sight Monmouth Troy is... When our parents took us to Wales in 1967 quite a lot of the infrastructure was still in extant along this line.

[@pwhitewick]

Yup it's a shame there is little left now along the line. We didn't expect the portals of Monmouth to still be intact to be fair.

[@scrimperuk]

Many thanks for taking the time to bring us these very well done interesting videos. I have always been a fan of UK railway architecture and infrastructure rather than the actual trains that run on them. it makes me so sad to see these old tunnels abandoned after so much hard work went into building them.

[@pwhitewick]

Your first sentence sums up exactly why we enjoy exploring these areas too.

[@michaelpilling9659]

Brilliant architecture again. At least you found them ali. Shame you couldn't gain entry into any of the tunnels. Breaking and entering is never something you should consider. Thanks for being so professional. Wonderful video. Thank you.

[@peterengland6153]

I lived as a child in Newland in the 60's. Remember playing football in the magnificent church grave yard using the grave stones as goal posts. Remember visiting west end of Newland Tunnel, bricked up with steel access door from which emerged a grumpy old man who told us to bugger off. Pretty sure was told it was a mushroom farm. Track bed from there to Newland station then clear and firm, about half way along on right was a two storey brick building we used to play in where we found empty steel ammo boxes. The line from Coleford to the Quary still had trains running on it, also got seen and told to bugger off.

[@pwhitewick]

Excellent Peter, wonderful memories I am sure. What a playground that was!

[@chrisoconnell6528]

Hi Peter. I played there as a kid in the 80's. We lived in Rose Cottage.

[@gussmedways]

Got your bobble caught. That's gotta smart! Great vid again. Such a shame that whoever the "custodians" of these tunnels can't organise some sort of guided tour once in a while. The effort that went in to the building of them would be truly appreciated from within. Thanks again for your time and effort.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Russ. I guess people are too worried about potential liability etc? Who knows. But you'd have thought a clean up would be worthwhile!

[@bencarter2334]

Went in the Tidenham Tunnel and walked along the entire length of it. It was in the 1980's, it wasn't blocked up!

[@saltleywsc]

Another cracking video thanks guys ...and glad to see the coffee cup has made a comeback

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Saltley. Yup it snuck in there again 😂

[@billyruss]

This area was one of my first stomping grounds in the search for disused railway tunnels back in the early 1980s. I've visited all, and walked through most, of the tunnels you visited, and this video brought back so many memories. I've walked Tidenham on a number of occasions - the first time in 1980, when a friend and I ventured cautiously inside after a freight train had passed through just minutes earlier. At that time, it was definitely a single tunnel - no evidence of a shorter one at the southern end, although I'm intrigued by the map you showed, and will have to investigate further! It's got a kink at either end, so the walk through it is for the most part in total darkness, broken only by a thin sliver of light (and a lot of water) coming down from the single remaining airshaft somewhere near the middle - it's kinda eerie! There's a copy of the picture I took at the time of the southern portal at: www.geograph.org.uk/photo/243896 Thanks for another great video - keep it up (especially the tunnels!).

[@pwhitewick]

I'm very very jealous Bill. Would love to have walked through. Thanks for sharing your experience with us, love this. 👍👍

[@davekirwin]

Some great tunnel hunting P&R! Like the old/new plan side by side map views. Mrs always right - lol!

[@pwhitewick]

......and of course. Mr Grumpy... 😬😁

[@davekirwin]

@@pwhitewick Naturally, but I didn't want to mention that...in case you got grumpy! lol. I didn't realise the Scot map had a side by side option, I must look into that.

[@pwhitewick]

@@davekirwin be careful it's highly addictive. (Understatement).

[@davekirwin]

@@pwhitewick I bet. I have spend a while* looking at old maps of my home town and then finding interesting things to note down/explore. *several hours

[@Brian-fp6kl]

40 years ago our swimming club stayed in an old sleeper carriage converted into a campsite with Kerne Bridge to our right and the Old railway station was used as accomodation and canteen. Crossing to the opposite side of the bridge at the end on your left,, there is a pathway running parallel to the river..By memory and around 200 yards down that path is the tunnel entrance. It was 1982 dark, scary but we squeezed through some corrugated iron and walked to the other end, it felt like miles and we exited in what looked like a wood. We had to then climb over a fence and walk back by road. Happy days!

[@rogerphelps9939]

You got to Welsh Bicknor just over the river from the old cable works at Stowfield in Lower Lydbrook. My dad worked there many years ago.

[@shadrana1]

Instead of grave robbers you are tunnel explorers,keep up the good work guys.

[@jambarreturns9060]

I am now a Total Fan, your attention to detail is amazing, as are your Coffee Mugs Lol 😂

[@edwardphilibin3151]

I came here to comment on the coffee mugs. Especially Rebecca's. Paul's is a bit on the nose. 😉

[@MartinZero]

Great video, love those tunnels 👍🏼

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Martin. 👍

[@MrLargePig]

Y'all do quite a bit of searching, in the service of the channel. It's quite remarkable how many abandoned tunnels there are, in Britain. Well done, carry on.

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you Mr LP. We shall do just that. 👍👍

[@JuliaHopewell]

Have just had a look at "The Greenway" four years later, on Google. What an amazing job they have done! Hoping to try a cycle/walk along here; - or at least part of it! Thank you for showing us.

[@pwhitewick]

Here you go.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6are5qshpeNfZo

[@fivestarsupplies]

I rode along tidenham tunnel on Monday. It's now open from tidenham quarry to tintern.

[@pwhitewick]

Fantastic news.

[@fivestarsupplies]

@@pwhitewick you will like it.

[@Latiasracer]

The one with all the abandoned bikes and stuff in was eerie - very post apocalyptic!

[@pwhitewick]

Yes indeed, also had a lot of water running into it and we couldn't really capture that well on camera.

[@oneteaminbristolbcfc]

Anyone else here just to ogle at Rebecca!!! How lucky is this guy!!!!! Got a beautiful wife, who gives a shit about what he wants to do!

[@Roblilley999]

I have watched the video on your say so.... it is indeed tunnel heavy. Great, keep going, don't stop believing.....

[@pwhitewick]

We appreciate your view. Please come again.

[@Roblilley999]

@@pwhitewick One main problem, no biscuits in the first class lounge

[@callumsmart2208]

Love watching these videos I have just had the privilege to walk the long tunnel from chepstow to tintern. It looks like they are turning it into a pathway opening April 2021 the tunnel was open for maintenance and had the chance to see them installing light and tarmac sad the old line is being ripped up thre was hundreds off meters off line just ripped up and thrown to the side. I wanted to message you to show you the videos as I thought you guys might enjoy them I have not put them on KZbin because they are only basic video shot on a phone sorry for long message again keep up the great videos

[@kevdaniels6292]

The old line has been taken away by the Forest of Dean railway and will be reused. The tunnel has now had lighting installed and paths have been laid leading to and from the tunnel The plan is to open the route to cyclists and walkers in April

[@gorsjack]

Great video once again both.... 👍👍👍👍👍

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Andrew, enjoyed this one

[@paulsealey2822]

great video as allways and like the change in the channel name

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Paul. Yup we wanted it to reflect 90% of our videos rather than my name. Hopefully it'll help with some subs. 👍👍

[@kevdaniels6292]

Great video - thanks

[@chrisoconnell6528]

I used to play in Newland tunnel as a kid.

[@co.agmusic]

Great video and very close to where I live

[@thewhiteroom23]

Also the rickety bridge over the Wye at Tintern was a former tramroad bridge to the wireworks.

[@pwhitewick]

Presumably for a local quarry works of some kind?...... Had we known we would have taken a closer look 😬

[@gregruthen3844]

Interesting as usual.

[@dcvariousvids8082]

The Tidenham Tunnel is open to the public, since April 2021 to walkers and cyclists, except when the resident bats are roosting.

[@andreabeck4409]

I love tunnels! Something about them just draws me to them. Shame you couldn't access any :(

[@pwhitewick]

Stay tuned, we've got some amazing ones coming up in the next week or two... 😁

[@andreabeck4409]

@@pwhitewick can't wait!

[@jeffdonovan8639]

Great video.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Jeff.

[@davidsimpson7326]

My father worked during the war in the tunnels. He told me the RAF stored bombs there. Used to venture through them when I was a child.

[@pwhitewick]

Very jealous, so many closed and sealed now.

[@malcolmclivery3261]

Just a note to keep you up to date with the cycle track, Greenways had hoped to finish the project this year but because of the virus, according to the website , a meeting will now take place in September 2020. They made progress in the summer of 2019 but there is still lighting to be done in the tunnel and a landslide not far from the north portal will cause problems, but should be overcome with the right equipment, also some vegetation to clear to link up with the rest of the footpath. The gates that @danielglover climbed over are gone replaced by temporary fencing.The gates that you saw at the Tintern tunnel have gone at the south portal and it has been opened up, a lot of vegetation has been shifted, in preparation for the bridge into the station, but the northern portal is still gated, safety I should imagine because of the river, although this can be accessed by a steep climb down from the footpath. As mentioned by your comment column, the old bridge you walked across was an access to the wireworks which had to built to support the local industry or else the railway to Monmouth could not proceed, blackmail!.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks for the update Malcolm. Very much appreciated.

[@malcolmmayers1157]

Hi, really enjoying your videos. I’m from the Forest of Dean myself and didn’t realise there were so many tunnels in close proximity of my home. After finding a few over the last week, I am struggling to pin point certain ones on my map. Could you please let me know what resources you are using to find them? Thank you

[@philipthomas8893]

Great film and details. Sadly, many of the old trackbed will eventually display due to vegetation, encroachment by property owners and lack of walkers? Imagine if the Wye Valley line had been preserved for steam, a lovely journey now lost.

[@tonystone9367]

I want to send a mug saying Mr always Left to you guys ! :-)

[@jonathonbrambell8047]

Great video but on the last tunnel you visit the track still seems to be in place ? Any info on were it stops as its not on any other clips . 🙃

[@pwhitewick]

Hi Jonathan. Yes the track goes from the main line off on this branch and into the tunnel. It had been cleared recently as the track is being donated to the Dean Forest Railway. 👍

[@tomstickland]

That fence at Tintern appeared in about 2017 between two visits I made there.

[@pwhitewick]

So many have propped up All Over the place of late.

[@tomstickland]

@@pwhitewick this man has a solution kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4PEdKaDq7V6b9E

[@tomstickland]

The Coleford line replaced a tramway which had some other tunnels which are still there.

[@pwhitewick]

Yup someone emailed me about that last week and sent a load of pictures. Fascinating stuff, wish we could have got there.

[@oddwad6290]

Tunnel number #3 . It's so sad to see trash in tunnels and other historic places . Graffiti is worse . Nice video just the same .

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Montie. Yes it was a really big disappointment to see the tunnel full of rubbish. Hopefully someone will show it some love one day soon.

[@Sim0nTrains]

Great video! was it me or did some of those tunnels gates had letterboxes on them?

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Simon. The front often looks like a letter box when a tunnel is locked. It's actually part of the lock itself. So the underside is open and if you had the key you could reach in and up to unlock it.

[@Sim0nTrains]

@@pwhitewick Ah so it kind of protecting the lock so no one could break into the tunnels?

[@pwhitewick]

@@Sim0nTrains yup exactly that. That style seems to be very popular.

[@MarkJT1000]

Don't believe him. Trolls live in these tunnels and even trolls get post, sometimes. 😃

[@jamiedavies8393]

Great video. Does the tiddenham tunnel come out by the quarry. Also did the railway continue across the wye into tintern station.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Jamie. Tidenham Tunnel is the southern most tunnel on the line, the south side of the tunnel is around 1 mile NW of the now Quarry. If you mean the old Tintern Quarry I understand that was on the north side of the Tintern Tunnel and yes, immediately after that it went across the Wye and into Tintern Station. Must have been a magnificent sight.

[@jazzguitarwithandy]

Yes the northern portal is Tintern Quarry where there was a loop apparently. I believe the track is still down. The bit you can walk is a footpath on the old track bed from the quarry right up to Tintern tunnel. At the north portal of this tunnel there used to be a bridge over to Tintern station. If you head to Tintern station you can see the tunnel entrance above the stone support of the bridge.

[@johnholdsworth5272]

Tuddenham tunnel is supposed to be opening as a cycle /walking route in April 2021

[@kevinfieldhouse5314]

Sorry to have to correct you but you were wrong about Netherhope tunnel. There was never a shorter tunnel then the second long one. The tunnel entrance is where you see it when standing on the bridge and carries on to where it comes out of the rockface beyond the road out of Woodcroft closer to Boughspring. That old OS map does not show two tunnels at all. The tunnel is below the long garden at the rear of the cottage and goes off towards the left at an angle I have walked the tunnel in my younger days from start to finish and believe me, there is no way it could have been two tunnels.

[@pwhitewick]

OS 25 inch 1892-1914 shows two tunnels. As I think I may have mentioned sometimes cartographors made maps based on projections so there is potential that this may be the case.

[@pwhitewick]

Footnote 2: Now had this confirmed by two different sources including network rail that there was indeed two tunnels. The first shorter one was just about 40 yards long.

[@paultwyman319]

There were two tunnels. The southern one was very short and the cutting was covered over after several falls. If you're lucky and careful you can see the keystones from the north end of the original south section and the south end of the north section.

[@sergeant5848]

With respect to railway infrastructure; The contempt with which modern civilisation treats its vintage and historic buildings is a disgrace. Thanks for detailing and recording what might be left before it's completely gone.

[@victoriasmith3884]

Rebecca white you looked awsome love your youtube video

[@Leonard_Smith]

Well you did warn me that the fringe was subject to change...Looking foxier than ever, and the tunnels weren't bad either...

[@pwhitewick]

#justthebeginning of the change.... 😬😲😂

[@Leonard_Smith]

@@pwhitewick Bring it on! I don''t frighten easily...

[@angelsone-five7912]

I am sure that some landowners like to push their boundaries a bit safe in the knowledge that folk are unlikely to challenge what they see.

[@pwhitewick]

Nice profile pic!

[@angelsone-five7912]

@@pwhitewick Thanks. Will be building a 5 inch gauge version thereof soon.

[@steveooooo4423]

Awesome subscribed and shared, you both rock, very attractive lady x🌈

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Steve. Enjoy.

[@Ukfreestyler]

Where are you on 21seconds with the water flowing into the tunnel, please :).

[@pwhitewick]

Tintern if I recall.

[@Ukfreestyler]

thanks ;) much appreciated

[@rogerphelps9939]

If the sign is illegal just rip it off.

[@drewcyprus3714]

Defo! I went last year after asking a friendly local chap where it was, as some of them are Damm hard to find if you’re not from the area

[@jamesmeer3471]

👍👍

[@pwhitewick]

Glad you approve Mark.

[@geoffwysham1731]

You said Wyesham! That’s us (although we Americans have dropped the “e”)!

[@johnholdsworth5272]

The tiddenham tunnel will open to the public..and bats... on thursday April 1st at 8am

[@Ian_UK]

Did you buy your own mugs or did you get them from each other?

[@pwhitewick]

Each other.... obviously. lol.

[@nickthorne1442]

🚂👍

[@terryhalford3549]

The whole site including the 3 tunnels at Newland was used by the RAF during WW2 for the storage of ammunition I have lots of photos inside and out of the three tunnels

[@peterengland6153]

Thanks, never knew that, explains why we found old ammo boxes as Kids.

[@bentyrrell8083]

I think speech house used to be used for the storage of munitions also. After WW2 when the American GI’s left, the surplus stock that was left over was dumped into mine shafts and capped over. I did get told that there were willies jeeps in the big ones along with munitions

[@terryhalford3549]

Ben Tyrrell it didn’t happen I’ve been researching the area for years it’s an old forest myth and there is plenty of those

[@bentyrrell8083]

Really??!! I’ve always believed it!! Was there nothing to indicate otherwise?

[@terryhalford3549]

Ben Tyrrell most of the US troops who came here arrived by train and left for the invasion of France the same way there was an ammunition storage depot here the second largest in the country it covered 36 sq miles

[@rogerphelps9939]

Why weren't these abandoned railway trackbeds kept in public ownership? That would have made it so much easier to establish public rights of way or reopening.

[@paultwyman319]

Work to reopen the Tidenham Tunnel has been completed but, because of the bats, it's colsed until April 2021 - if all goes well. Video of the work at kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2jPc2BtbrF6bKc

[@memofromessex]

I would love to watch these, but the music for me is just so awful.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks for the feedback MemoFromEssex. Sorry the music isn't to your taste. We generally try something a little different for the tunnels videos. I actually quite like the three used in this one but appreciate bit isn't to everyone's taste. 👍

[@memofromessex]

@@pwhitewick Sorry I am bit of an indie nerd who winces at the sound of anything dance-y. I have tried to like it, but I couldn't name a single artist that I have ever liked. I don't know how you are going to please everyone!

[@pwhitewick]

haha, @@memofromessex no worries. We tend to go a tad more "indie" when we do the "EveryDisusedStation" Videos. If I stuck some 'Faithless' in would you like it.... Everyone likes Faithless right!? ;-)

[@memofromessex]

@@pwhitewick Yep. Have a great weekend and thanks for the videos 😊

[@peterhynds7231]

I suspect many of the landowners are responsible for dumping domestic waste into the tunnels, most land owners are not very green at all and it's very common for most to dump vehicles in large numbers and other detritus simply because they can. It seems one rule for the average Joe in urban areas but farmers and land owners can dump what they like with impunity.