Walking The Glenfarg Tunnels of Scotland. 

When my parents moved back to Scotland in 2005, they had an abandoned railway line behind their cottage. When my dad died five years later, the line was in the process of being relaid. My mum was so looking forward to seeing the huge machines roll passed. She died in 2013, just weeks before the machines reached her house. I hope someone sees sense and reinstates this line as they have with other lines in Scotland.

Most likely that spot where the roof appears to be plugged originally was a shaft for ventilation & light during construction, as the tunnel is curved. However, on many of the longer tunnels, there'd be three or more teams of navies tunnelling towards each other via vertical-shafts in the middle, as well as the horizontal bores! As for those square (tapered?) holes in the walls, my guess is that after the lower part of tunnel-lining was laid, timbers were placed there to support the roof form-work, then once the concrete had set, the timbers were removed, & the form-work lowered. In this way the form-work didn't have to be disassembled, then reconstructed, but simply moved further along & then raised into position!

When I was young we'd drive up to the north coast every year and the road used to follow the railway all the way up to Lairg, and we'd count all the times we passed under or over it. 29? This started in Glen Farg. Every year they would build the new road further north, and there would be less crossings. Glen Farg went first. I missed it. The old road through the glen was dark and twist. Thanks for the memory.

That is cracking, enjoyed it all the more as I've done the tunnels a couple of times over the years. The first time was back in 1990 with my pal Mike Mather and we went through them in both directions. On walking south having come out of the tunnels and crossed the viaduct I was walking in the up cess, or on the left hand edge of the southbound line, and I found a very large lump of coal in the grass. It had obviously fallen from the tender of a steam loco which had been under the coal plant at Perth shed at least 23 years earlier. In the book "Exploring Disused Railways in East Scotland" by said pal, there is a section covering this part of the line and one of the photos on page 49 is of a very youthful me holding the piece of coal I found! Usually the north tunnel is full of farming equipment as the local farmer uses or used to use it to keep his equipment (ahem!) dry. Fun fact 1, Glenfarg Viaduct could have been yours for the princely sum of £1 fifteen or so years ago as the BRB wanted to off load the responsibility of its maintenance. Fun fact 2, that part of the line was used on at least one, maybe more than one, occasion as part of the route of The Scottish Rally sometime in the late 70's or early 80's (happy to be corrected). The Glenfarg line via Cowdenbeath gave THE shortest route between Edinburgh and Perth at just under 48 miles (I don't do km). Edinburgh to Perth via Stirling is around 64 1/2 miles and the route via Kirkcaldy and the Newburgh branch is around 56 miles. And yes it most definitely was a platelayers hut, no question.

Well Paul, I learned something today. When you said that was a platelayers hut I had no idea what the heck you were talking about. Good thing we have Google. In the states, I think our equivalent might have been what we called "Trackwalkers". They would walk a specific section of track, inspecting it of course and making minor repairs, like pounding down track spikes that had lifted up, replace broken track bolts and looking out for broken rails. I'm sure they oiled and maintained switches also. Great video!

This is extremely local to me and I commented on your video of Saughtree on the Borders County railway. This was one of three lines to diverge at Bridge of Earn and was the most direct route from Perth to Edinburgh. This line was lost for the motorway in the 1980s but my local line through Newburgh was retained but only had 4 or so trains a day. These days the single line works to max capacity as the quickest route Edinburgh - Perth - Inverness. When I first moved here over 10 years ago the disused station was still in existence but has since been demolished - there are still proposals to re-open a station here. The old station l,ocation at Abernethy between here and Bridge of Earn is still there to see. The line was double track to just East of the village - a southerly route took you re-join the main Dundee-Edinburgh line at Ladybank. a northerly branch was a local line to Tayport and Wormit. There was a wooden halt at Lindores just a mile out of Newburgh too. I have walked these tunnels many times and the viaduct at the northern end is a great structure.

This was definitely the prettiest video I've seen so far.

What amazing structures, now left to nature....

There's a film from winter 1968 of a train ride up Glenfarg bank into Kinross via Milnathort and it looked surprisingly busy for a doomed line. The M90 covers most of it today.

Well worth the wait, cracking images. Thank you all 👍

You missed the abandoned sawmill with all it's kit still in it. The tunnels have also been used on a couple of car rally routes.

WOW!!!! This place is amazing! The stone and masonry are awe inspiring! Great video!!!

As a Perth local, I've walked this and I can tell you that this is one line that should never have been closed. It takes considerably longer to travel from Edinburgh to Perth now than it used to by train. Definitely should be a candidate for re-opening for Edinburgh - Perth & Edinburgh - Inverness services. And im sure the people of Glenfarg, Milnathort, Kinross & Kelty would like to see a rail service re-instated. The earth works required to build a new track bed adjacent to the M90 . . . At least through the narrow valley at Glenfarg . . . may prove prohibitive though.

Gosh I really enjoyed that just love bridges and tunnels. That scenery was wonderful too. Thanks so much for taking me along, please stay safe and take care

May or may not have driven a car through there 25 years ago... Had I done so, I might have seen that that cottage still had a floor then, and that it looked out over a lovely little pond.

I loved this. Thank you for all your work and exploring. Hope you enjoyed my country 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The greenery is beautiful too.

Lovely stuff, thanks so much for your weekly output.

Another cheery video to soothe away my stresses of the day..

Fascinating video once again, and it's great that you can walk through the tunnels in their entirety. Once again, some wonderful stills photography. Incidentally, Simon came across as a nice chap.

That was really good, thank you! I also think that square patch was the remains of the base of a shaft. Zooming in shows the outline is simply discolouration, and so there is clearly something going on above it. And as for the slim refuges on the first viaduct, they are probably just an “extra bit” to top-up an already generous clearance (well that’s my theory anyway)! Looking forward to the next Scottish one!

Built to last these tunnels. Hope the lines reinstated.

So glad you done glenfarg tunnels I plan to do this in the near future, been on viaduct at northern end but not ventured in tunnels and local to the area

hey paul and rebecca , another great video , really enjoyed it , love it when you come across old buildings still up , loved the drone shots and pics at the end , well done and thank you , :)

Having moved from Perth to Fife in 1972 - but returned each weekend to visit my grandmother; I am very familiar indeed with Glen Farg and have literally witnessed the gradual disappearance of that railway line [I can just remember seeing a DMU running southbound, alongside the then A90 where you began your walk], the growth of the M90 motorway [back then it extended only as far north as Kelty, with the section from there to Arlary, near Milnathort, under construction]; the disruption to the surrounding landscape and its gradual return to nature. The section north to Arngask Bridge [Glenfarg] and that from Bridge of Earn to Perth were also built and opened before the final section avoing The 'Farg; as the tortuous route nowadays known as the A912 and B996 are locally known. I walked through the tunnels in Autumn, when the trackbed between the two [and just before the overbridge you've shown] was under four inches of water and several more of mud - so well done for going in the summer...

Finally got around to watching this. Really loved that tunnel it was awesome. Also loved the drone shot, beautiful place. Loads of history around that place.

Another great video exploring tunnels and I enjoyed the soundtrack and aerial views too.

Excellent and interesting material as always! Thank You!

Interesting as always, loved the plate layers hut find. Look forward to your next video. All the best you two! Take care

There’s a small tunnel from the 1830s built by the S&D railway near me, if you’re ever in County Durham id happily show you a few of our old rail bits

Brilliant video! That platelayers hut is a great survivor!

Absolutly love seeing more of your Scottish adventure

Very enjoyable and informative video. Thank you.

Nice One Love The Tunnels Good Walk Cheers

That was fabulous. Thank you so much. What an education.

5:05 What a photo worthy view! Great and interesting architecture!

Great video, I can't believe I've only just found this now. I grew up in nearby Clackmannanshire and I know this area well. Such a shame the line closed well before my time!

Great to see that parts of the old line still exist. I'm from Dunfermline and travelled a number of times on this line between Dunfermline and Perth during the early 60s. It was basically shut down so the M90 could be built on the trackbed. During the early 70s I walked parts of the line, especially at the southern end, at Cowdenbeath and Kelty. It is so tragic that so much of the line is gone forever, just like the Dunfermline-Alloa line which closed around the same time, while plans for reopening are being pushed using the Dunfermline-Kincardine freight line.

Very nice video guys 😀🚇🛤🏚 loved the tunnels the viaduct and even the little old shack by the wayside! Can't wait for your next adventure 🏃🏻🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻👍🏻

Loved it!

Good stuff. Many thanks.

Yep, you sure have done this a little justice. Brilliant video.

Excellent as always, guys. Thanks so much. Peter A :) :) :)

Very interesting. The plate layers hut is like the ones on the Inverness to Perth Junction Railway. Built of sleepers. Often have the remains of a cast iron stove inside them.

Great content never seen railway tunnel concreted lined before.

You go on some amazing walks and see a lot of stuff .

Another great video guys, scenery out of this world,love the drone footage,nice to see that entrance portals not bricked or fenced off.🚂🚃

Ooh nice! Watching now 🤩

There is a campaign to reopen this line. I hope it succeeds.

What an amazing video as always my friend, enjoyable and fantastic! This is the bar set for my videos!

YAYY. My neck of the woods. I’ll watch it later with added interest. Done them several times.

Wow! Looks like it is still summer in Scotland!

Funniest 'Paulism' so far....when talking about the middle of the tunnel "it will be pitch dark"...Paul, we love you....(and Rebecca too obv....)

Thanks for that!

Wow, those abandoned holiday cottages.

Good video, good music, no foul language, all that's missing in this one is a trained lock picking bodyguard with lots of lighting.....me. I have to say, the stone and brickwork are outstanding and really quite beautiful, the work of true artisans. This applies to most of your videos of these places. Thank you. Enjoy your tea. Those tunnels would be great for growing mushrooms, or movie locations.

Nice video, thanks for showing what remains. Beat you there by a few years though (summer 1963)!!!!

Next time you’re planning a trip to Scotland, there’s a nice tunnel with a really interesting, unusual, hole in it close to Peebles.

Another great video, just makes me chuckle, Simon in his T-Shirt, the pair of you all wrapped up. Lol, keep up the good work thanks ;-)

What a interesting life’s you two have thanks for a very interesting video. This should be a cycle track.

Superb tunnels.

Interesting to see the concrete tunnel and the method of laying it. Great video and a bit of urbex thrown in too. 👍

Great vid love the hidden beauty yoy fine your both awesome

Love the videos, just one thing- more Rebecca, she always has such good insights

I took a train south from Perth late 1969, in the days when you could sit in the front seats of a DMU and see through the windscreen. Surprised how narrow the Forth Bridge is from the track.

I always wondered why the direct Dunfermline-Kinross-Perth line got closed in favour of the slower Ladybank/Newburgh route, so the explanation that it was a cheap route for the M90 seems convincing. It would make it very difficult to reinstate the line though. The concrete in the middle of the tunnels is surely because it was cheaper - saving the more attractive stone and brick for the portals where they can be seen.

Paul and Rebecca , really like the video tour of the Glenfarg tunnels and viaducts. I have an idea for your consideration. How about a calendar of your most picturesque Tunnels and Viaducts ? I for one would buy one. I really like seeing the past captured in your videos and having a calendar of views to view during the year would be a special treat. Charles M

Very cool.

Amazing that the hinges on the door are still in and working eh.!W😲W!.

Another great video, both of you. Fabulous pair of tunnels - good to see that you can walk through them and that they are not bricked up (which always annoys me, because it totally spoils the look of tunnel portals, particularly if covered in horrible graffiti).

I love how the concrete was molded/shaped to look like masonry construction.

such a nice place

Paul and Rebecca go urbex! Lovely video. Thanks guys.

Aye, long gone are pristine Haymarket A3s roaring up there.

Those huts are called a Bothy in Scotland...

Marks on the roof will be imprint of shuttering boards :)

good won guys still wacthing the other ones been all over with you and not left my front room

P&R What you call "refuges" and in this episode inspection hatches are actuall for the advancement of a sheild for the tunnelers . If you measure between you will find they are generally equidistant its not how far you could run but how Long the sheild is or was. 9 out ot 10-yimes they were 34yds 6in. Watch blacwall tunnel "How the built it" Great videos apleasur to watch. TY

That's really nice - should be a cycleway...

Wrong Simon lol but off topic it now makes me wonder how many people in the world are named Simon lol but jokes/banter over now and back to commenting about the video. some of the features of the line like the cottage and the platelayers hut really look amazing indeed and for the tunnels and viaducts, they're awesome as well. Great video.

Ive got a abandond branchline suggestion, the Bethesda branch in North wales

7:09 If it was a vent shaft there could well be something left above in the hillside, if it was just for workers during construction it very well may be completely lost and covered now ?

What an interesting video. There is an easy access point where I've stopped off a few times on the bike when caught short and used the bushes. I've always meant to explore but never had the time. There's so much I haven't seen, and it really looks idyllic for an explore. I hate to say it, but it's passed me by for years. There's something about the word 'Farg'. It's very LOTR, and features in many names Glen Farg, Glenfarg, The Farg river, everything Farg. BTW try saying Arlary. Luckily the place is tiny so you may not have to. I have to ask, did you use the wee ice cream shop in Milnathort? If there's two places everyone on the planet possibly knows in Scotland, one is the Green Welly In Tyndrum on the way to Oban/Fort William etc., and the other has to be that nice wee ice cream shop in Milnathort. It has about a squillion flavours, is just off the junction for the M90, beside Loch Leven, and everyone stops there: bikers, cyclists, tourists, locals. Even Mary, Queen of Scots, when she was imprisoned in the castle on the Loch, used to enjoy a sneaky penny slider on the side with her jailer. But she nicked the keys when he was distracted and escaped so she wasn't daft. In winter it's down to one or two flavours and they stored fireworks in the empty freezer. I know that cos after one particularly good party one November where we painted my bike with luminous paint ( and wrote rude things in Russian on the stair walls- OK Your mother was a hedgehog- we couldn't remember the word for hamster ( never mind the bit about elderberries! ), we took the train to Perth next day and cycled back, stopping off for an ice cream with a thirst like a robber's dog, only to find the freezer full of fireworks and only vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Luckily they also do Irn Bru.

Cool! I’ve always wanted to go in these tunnels! I also believe that there are a few abandoned stations nearby!

Well done for the excellent video, yes, this is a line that should never have been allowed to close and reopening it will require major investment in various locations where the trackbed has been obliterated by the M90 and in other locations by buildings. Why can't we ever learn in this country to protect old railway routes for either reopening fully or usage as cycle or foot paths.

I subscribed! :)

Used to walk my dog through there and she used to refuse to go in. I had to coerce her every single time 😂 Bit creepy walking through alone. At one point you can't see light at either side.

Guys, you should really get a decent pay from the British tourism industry for your amazing videos. I am absolutely tempted to come (in case I can get in the UK annd Covid-19 is gone).

I assume the burnt out cavalier has been removed. Was in there years ago

In case you missed it . They are at Glenfarg .

Without giving away my advanced years, I can attest to having travelled on that route in the mid-sixties as a small boy, (jumpers for goalposts).

This line must of cost a pretty penny to build, and now its abandoned, for what? A highway that carries gas guzzling cars and trucks! It will only be when all vehicles are electric that highways make any sense! Great trip guys, great video as always!

Concrete is a really interesting substance. It was actually invented by the Romans (could even have been earlier than that). It's been discovered that Roman concrete is getting harder with age. That tunnel could therefore last well over a thousand years, excepting earthquakes (and yes, we do get them).

This is about 15 minutes from me. I've only ever got in part of the way. I'll need to get a decent torch and get a proper look.

👏👏👏

Hello Paul, I have a question. Why did the railway follow the terrain it did, necessitating the (admittedly fabulous!) infrastructure, when the M90 diversion seems to totally avoid any major 'obstacles' along the way? From what I can see there are no stations along the original route between Glenfarg and Bridge of Earn, so it looks like the planners took an unnecessarily 'difficult' route when they could have followed the M90 diversion - unless I'm missing something? Great video by the way 👍

👍😊

What magnificent engineering and construction, probably cost lives, yet just scrapped at the wave of a Whitehall pen. What a waste. Is the whole line walkable? Be a fabulous reinstated line..

Your videos keep appearing do I've not bothered subbing but as you've mentioned it I've subscribed.

Great video guys -are they not always- but Im having trouble seeing where this is

Whats the difference between viaduct and bridge? Great vid.