Chalford Railway Viaduct 2nd Attempt 

You did well, Ron. And as you say, the old canal certainly looks better with water in it!

Love seeing the golden leaves on the top of the canal and the canal with water in it too. Shame the New Red Lion is no more. I remember walking over that accomodation bridge, but someone had a load of outdoor gym equipment and ropes off preventing access across last time I was there. Well done on finding that huge great rail! Good view of the arches at that time of the year with the trees mostly out of leaf. Great work - and well done for having another go. Take care & hope you have a good week Ron. Paul

More revealed on this explore: arches - at least some - are partially infilled, which I suppose also helps stabilise the steep hillside behind the track. How nice to see the canal in water, which gives some idea of it's beauty when this section is fully restored. I salute your perseverance, those roads/tracks look pretty steep.

Good morning Ron. Another great adventure. For a minute I thought you were going to attempt to cross the canal by the fallen tree which would have been most entertaining . Have a grand day. Pete Tanya and Syd

Hello Ron. Greetings from Poland A Very heroic second attempt to get close to the railway arches. What shame there's no direct foot access. A nice walk, lovely video and how beautiful early autumn looks. The water in the canal brought it back to life and the rope burns on the bridge showed Mann and horse working g together all those years ago

Another great vid Ron, Chalford is a beautiful little village.

Reporting in late Ron, don’t put me on jankers I am no good at peeling potatoes. You definitely deserve a mention in dispatches for your tenacity, I was going to say persistence but could not spell it. Well done enjoyed the video.

Morning Ron, very confused by the rope burn marks. You would normally see them where the tow path goes under the bridge. I think I've finally worked it out with the horse going round and then being unhitched and rehitched. The barge having the momentum to carry on under it's own way to the other side. Awkward though. When I was up the midlands on a barge they had a spiral affair bridge for the horse for when the tow path changed sides. A wonderful invention. Simon

We will give you an 'A' for all the effort you put in. There is obviously no flat ground around Chalford. Next time we will rent you a helicopter. The falling leaves remind me of my favorite season. Beautiful. Take care! Jim

Well done on a gallant second attempt, Ron. That viaduct is sited in an extremely awkward place. I doubt you would get to it with a drone either, way too many trees. It reminds me of the viaducts at Hook Norton, buried in trees. Lovely views of Chalford in the sunshine and a nice explore. Heavy rain inbound for the weekend! Take care. Ron.

Mornin' Ron, Petes just beaten me too it!! Clearly the OS map indicate the path crossing over that fallen tree at 6:25 ..... well I call it fallen, but maybe the right description would be somewhat rustic .... and precarious!! It was a lovely walk and you were rewarded with some Autumn sunshine and enough fallback to make out the viaduct. I suppose the only tantalising detail is sight of the rock face in the arches. It made me think that there would need to be periodic inspections and there will be a way to access it but perhaps that is done by approaching from the track at the end of the viaduct and gradually making your way along. You know, Brunel lacked a bit of foresight here, a well engineered track at the base of the viaduct and he could have made a bit of extra money renting out the lock ups, and more importantly it might have become the set of The Sweeney or Minder!! Autumn is closing in on us too, we have a wet and stormy weekend forecast, but its often forecast but never arrives ..... a kind of reverse Micheal Fish if you will. The good thing is that I have officially opened the walking season and on my first jaunts out came back with some Holm Oak acorns and what I think is a horse chestnut, but I'm not sure yet. Anyway, have a great weekend, all the best!!

I like this Area Very Much, with its Streams, Trees & Flora/Fauna and of course the Ancient Tech and Engineering that’s being Absorbed back into Nature, tho they Don’t Make it Easy For us Folks that Want to Appreciate it tho I did Enjoy the Notice about the Sheep Lol - To my Eye The Old Bridge was Reminiscent of Greek Temple Doorway,and that Huge Rail Repurposed as a Retainer is A Mystery to Investigate Further - Be Careful What Secrets your Discovering as you may get a Visit From the MIB dept (Men in Black)😉

Good morning Ron and thank you for yesterday's video. You were certainly tenacious in your quest to get up close and personal with Chalford viaduct and I think you achieved the best that was possible. It is certainly unique as one of the few viaducts that is actually cut into a hillside and, at 19 arches long, must have been an incredible feat of engineering to construct. Back in 2017 high tensile netting was used to cover a very large area of the cliff face above the viaduct which needed stabilising. Then, in 2018, the viaduct underwent significant repairs and, as a result, all the vegetation between it and the canal was cut back giving excellent unobstructed views along the whole length. Now in 2024 it just shows how quickly nature takes back control again. Another way to view the viaduct may be from one of the hills to the north of Chalford viz: Chalford Hill or Avenis Green. However, as the vegetation goes right up to the viaduct, a view from there may not be possible either. Apart from getting a permanent Way job on the railway I don't think there's much chance of getting any nearer Ron. Talking of which, being a member of the P.Way team at Pontypool and Blaenavon Heritage Railway, we are supposed to be removing a trap point tomorrow. However, the weather is forecast to be monsoon conditions, so much of day sitting in the cabin and drinking coffee will probably be the outcome. Thanks again for this weeks offering Ron and sending best wishes to you, Pauline and all the PW (permanent way??????😅) family. Regards Trev

Blimey this takes a bit of working out. Ron, I sure the back road from Frampton Mansell to Oakridge Lynch passes under your viaduct. (Old Victorian Map, cross referenced with Google Earth). Might be worth a little trip out to Frampton, and drive down that back road, because I think you may find what has almost eluded you.🙂👍

Hi Ron, I think waving at the driver is definitely more important than getting the shot! That's a great idea with the "squirt bottles"...I wonder if that would work with OVM when she exhibits antisocial behaviour...only one way to find out, I'll report back. Whatever the outcome, that was a great walk, and you had all of that almost to yourself...amazing! Thanks and see you soon. James (and soon to be dampened OVM).

Ron the lengths that those early constructors went to to build a railway never fails to amaze me so thanks for shedding, at 2nd attempt, some light on a practical examples of this. Now, and I am almost ashamed to admit this, amid so much expertise of your fellow contributors, but which exactly is the line that we see? At first I assumed it was the main Stroud/London line but is it the one that used to carry the spent nuclear flasks from Berkeley power station? I am in no doubt that many of your colleagues will enlighten me. Thanks and stay well. Peter

That was a great attempt. We just don't want you hurting yourself in pursuit on our behalf (I was getting a bit concerned with your breathing) I take it the Railroad thought it was less expensive or easier to build the viaduct rather than excavate a step into the hillside rock. I think you were obligated to wave, since the driver gave you your own special one horn salute!

Good afternoon Ron. Definitely A grade for persistence and getting us a view of the viaduct. Someone else further down mentioned the infill so wonder if that is recent. It’s not an elderly persons or sisters place to walk now. Bit steep round there. Interesting railway relics you uncovered too. Back for more scones and coffee too? I hope the wrist is recovering another week on. I fancied some sea air after seeing your window view last week so got the train up to Morecambe yesterday where the station is very close to the seashore via Piccadilly and Lancaster. So a cone of chips and a latte sitting on the sea wall looking over to the Cumbrian coast for a 30 minutes was perfect. I discovered if you google the station on Rail Enquiries website you get a plan of your prospective station and also a map showing the area 10 minutes walk from the station. Very useful when it’s somewhere new. Well all for now and where are you and Pauline going next? 🚶‍♂🧍‍♀