Why You Should Visit The Forest of Dean's Abandoned Railways (EDS21) 

Impressive perseverance. Please ensure that Rebecca's revenge for that wet hug at the end is recorded and uploaded.

The Forest really was my stomping ground back in the late 70s (I hail from Gloucester originally), in search of the many tunnels hidden within (most of which were still not yet bricked up by the time I visited them). Fantastic nostalgia trip to see these locations again. When I first visited Haie Hill and Bullo tunnels, they were bricked up (without a doorway) to a height of about 12', so I didn't even consider trying to get inside. On a subsequent visit with a much hardier Yorkshire pal of mine, he scoffed at my southern weediness and promptly got hold of a nearby abandoned telegraph pole which we both manhandled to provide a means of entry and exit. We didn't consider the nearby Blue Rock tunnel worth the effort, though :-) Thumbs up for the dogged determination in the face of such adverse weather - another great video. I, for one, love the choice of music, too!

You two are martyrs to the cause, thanks for going out and filming it all that rain.

Hi Guys, great video, as always. Impressive perseverance in the rain. My Father's Cousin drove a shunter at Bullo Pill, so it was great to see the line featured. Looking forward to the next video. Thanks, Ken

Brilliant video despite the weather. The FoD is my current home and when you were investigating the small cutting behind Hales builders where Nailbridge halt used to be you were barely 150m from my house further up the hill through the trees. There are a number of books on the Forest of Dean branch and Severn & Wye railways by Pope and Karau which I've bought which have quite a lot of photos and history of the tram roads and subsequent railway as well as the mines which was the original driver to establish these routes through the Forest. The Hawthorns tunnel which is the 2nd and longer tunnel beyond Drybrook halt was used as an ammunition store by the Admiralty during WWII. You can access this via the far end as the door had been left open.

You two don't half suffer for your art - and our enjoyment!!!! (When we were there it was about 80°F.😎😥!!!) As usual you've sniffed out some great finds, looking forward to Pt.2

I think Rebecca is wonderful, how she allows Paul to drag her to all these locations. If you want an easier life Rebecca, then I'm 75 only go out every 7 -10 days to the supermarket. Would only ask you to do a bit of cooking, and housework, and the rest of the day is your own. What do you think? What do you mean boring? Oh! Well back to making the videos then.

Another great video! There's definitely something intriguing about the Forest of Dean¬!

Hi Paul and Rebecca, thank you for an interesting video The Forest of Dean has so much history of tramroads and railways a wonderful place to visit. Looking forward to the next video, thank you all for your time and dedication. xx

Great video. Loved the rain. I could almost smell the wet vegetation although you may not agree! I should tell you we have only had 1 shower of rain in some 6 months now. ⛈👍👍😎

welcome back guys - top work and dedication -Thanks!!

Really interesting , thank you so much for sharing you walks with us

Those sleepers were a lovely find, and I love the platform for the halt with a bench on it, that was really nice. I feel for you about the rain. I was filming yesterday and ended up talking to a gopro under a brolly for most of it! Well done for sticking it out though, that's dedication for you!

Another fabulous vlog. Thanks. Great viewing as always 🙏

Great video guys, keep 'em coming

Brilliant Video, as usual. Keep up the Fantastic work the pair of you.

Great video Paul and Rebecca,looked like you had a lot of fun weather aside, typical when you plan something lol, what a great walk,love the disused station episodes, keep up the great work, looking forward to your next video 👌👍😀

Love the FDR, some years since I visited. They had not opened through to Parkend when I was last there, we walked the old track bed from the furthest point they had laid track to (Cannot remember the name of the signal box) up to Parkend.

Fantastic enjoyed . ,please keep up the good work ..

Your dedication has my admiration, come wind rain or anything else, your aim to do every disused station will go down to the wire, a BIG thank-you from all your followers - now get on and do some more, lol

Still enjoy the video even in the rain.I must say it was nice to Watch in the warm and dry

There is nothing such as bad weather, only bad equipment! Nice video though. I'm thinking some wet weather EDS branded gear. Wet suits perhaps? Flippers and snorkel?

Great video, thanks guys and gal.

Really appreciate all that you do. Dedicated to the cause and top job too. 👍

I love your channel my friends keep up the fascinating abandoned railways love it it has historical significance for future generations.

Current mood: manic laughter. 😁

Well done guys. Medals all round for wet weather filming. Very interesting video. Shame about the vandalism.

Interesting as always. Keep on the good work.

What can you say - just "train-soggy" - but despite the appalling Forest of Dean weather, well done for producing an entertaining video as usual!

Lovely stuff! Proper adventures!

Doesn't matter what the weather is like if you enjoy what you are doing and it looks like you are. Another interesting trip

It's England, it rains. I was there May June 17 and had lovely days followed by pouring rain. 28 days and it rained probably 20! Though heavy rain in the morning and beach weather in the afternoon

hey paul and rebecca , great interesting video again , i would like to say a big thank you for getting out there in our rubbish weather to bring us great videoes to watch , you deserve more subs , almost 10 k i see , :)

Well done,thanks

Amazing video.

Great video guys 🙂🍻🥂👍🏻

Admire your dedication in that ghastly weather, another very interesting, if wet video. On an entirely different closed line, Kirkheaton station, closed 1930, was located on Shop Lane, and guess where the patient vehicle for the hospital went along today to pick up other patient. No, I was unable to trace where the station might have been, lol

Looks like one of my bike rides recently. Great British weather lol.

Congrats to you both for persisting - despite the fact that it was clearly persisting down out there !!

For drippage prevention, waterproof trousers over the top of wellies, not tucked in, raincoats only are for City streets and don't wear jeans, they take ages to dry out and wet clothes leach heat from you, you've got hundreds of wet weather days to go, walking trousers would be a sane investment.

Another great video guys. Inspires me to do something similar for the disused Roxburgh Line here in New Zealand. Thank you.

Could be classed as a stone Buttress propping up the rock? Good to have a Matt on-board local knowledge is always marvellous. Well done keep the gear dry and functioning. Good quality with prevailing light., good quality content and good quality presentation.

That rain reminded me of the downpour I was in on the 16th August when I was in Cornwall Funny enough that was raining ok in the morning and in the afternoon got worse but another great video

Entertaining, artistic and informative. No more needs to be said. I look forward to the remainder of the series. Should cover the next decade or so...

Well done

You looked not only soakes Paul...but shattered too lol. Thanks both for the entertaining videos

I don’t think the water will kill you. In Australia we would really love it. Thanks for taking me along. Loved it

Brilliant back in the shire

Whimsey Halt sounds like a Midsomer village and I want to live there and solve railway-related murders.

Nice one - I love the Forest of Dean, but don't get there often enough...

good video and very wet cheers

All right, then, warm shower and a cuppa. Don't catch cold on our account!

Well it is exciting

super video.. my golly you two are suckers for punishment.. love you both and wish i could join you. thank you again for the entertainment

Looking forward to seeing the Haie Hill tunnel!

It is still raining now. When the forecast says 90% rain, it means there is a 90% chance that you experienced rain in the past hour, _not_ the next hour. More relentless rain is forecast for the UK until the end of the week, owing to a kink in the jetsteam, and this will be followed next week by bands of heavy rain moving in from the Atlantic, so there is a 100% chance you will get wet.

Can you not mention rain Rebecca looks terrified ! great video tho and superb soundtrack ! think emergency boat would be more use in that weather !

Nice 🚂video

I bumped into matt today in the forest of Dean.

It seems many of the stations and possibly the line shut down a mere 6 days before I was born (61 years ago) and to be honest it appears to be in better condition.

Hope you weren’t offended by what I said was only joking. Quite often here we will run outside when we get heavy rain to cool off. I really really enjoyed video

Suspect the paving will be headed for a kitchen floor or barn conversion floor!!!!

With this line having at least 3 tunnels - 1 of them very long - between the main line junction near Bullo and Cinderford, is another tunnel video in the offing, as they are always good?

The joys of the British weather guys; well done for persisting though. You're getting wet, so we don't have to - or something like that. I found this little piece, which may be of interest to you, or your viewers: glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/BerryWiggins.htm I always find it interesting how the railways tied places together; in this case Forest of Dean, Hoo Junction and Manchester. Three otherwise unrelated places; one GWR, one LMS and one SR, all brought together by a bitumen tanker. Looks like 10K subs will be long before Christmas - great job !! Cheers for now, Dougie. P.S. Maybe a sign of your successful status, if you're getting offers of "product reviews", even Chinese sleeping bags.😉

Wet! Very wet! Very, very wet! Is that weather typical for the Dean Forest? Looking at all those bracken and fern covered cuts makes me think that being wet is a way of life there. What did they quarry there? Building stone, slate? There must have been profit involved if the owners paid for all that work to be done, especially those steep cuts and track work. I have to hand it to you, I would have stayed home warm and dry rather then venture outside on such a wet day!

Nice

Whimsey Halt Station opened on 3rd August 1907 and closed 7th July 1930 Paul I looked on Wikipedia

Nice one again, 5 stations a day for the next 4 years you will have them all cracked😨🤔

I appreciate your dedication and sense of duty. Nice masonry, amazing how little trace is left of such extensive infrastructure after demolition. Maybe even all those highways will prove not to be the permanent blots on the landscape that they are now. You might wish to add a water pants to your outfit...

Try the fallowfield loop line in Manchester

The amount of times I've walked up the Blue rock line, and I've never noticed the round wall 'propping up' the rock! I'll have to take a look at that tomorrow. Did you like the wood carving of the old guy taking a rest? He scares the s**t out of my wife every time we see him! 😂😂

I don't live very far from Ruspidge Halt. If I'd known you were driving through town I could've have given you a wave.

You bring nerdiness to a completely different level, you do realise that visiting every disused station is likely to take up the rest of your natural life, think what you could do with just a fraction of that time doing stuff for charity for example,

Whitewick & Whitewick , the new Livingstone & Stanley.(African explorers)

Nailbridge and Drybrook same

Steam Mills Crossing same

Bonus: It was 10% wetter than it should have been! :D

As soon as you approach Wales, it rains lol....

That middle Guy looks like the Farmer from Shaun The Sheep. LOL (For Real!)

Am sure if you wish Rebecca to continue accompanying you, you'd be best not to do name calling like calling her an old culvert...! Great vid as ever guys

You may have misunderstood, it wasn't a 90% chance of rain, it was a chance of 90% rain!

I'm from forest of Dean

👏❤️😁Xx

Get some waterproof trousers! 🙃

I was born there

As Alfred Wainwright once said....there's no such thing as inclement weather, just unsuitable clothing. Perhaps time to invest in some rain proof trousers ...and decent coat for Becky. I also live in jeans, but once they get wet they are useless. Thanks for putting up another class video. Look forward to the funnel video next !

#EveryPremierInnAndTravelLodge You have great camera gear. Now you need to invest in decent walking gear. Proper boots,jackets and waterproof trousers.

Surely there are hundreds of better things to do than that in the Royal Forest of Dean. Come on man

Poor Rebecca! Get her an umbrella of her own for Gawds sake. Shame on you. With her excellent summarising she deserves one. Lol Shame about the weather but a great video nonetheless.

Great footage except for the ruddy muzak that displaces the real soundscape.

I thought videos were meant to be on a Friday.... 🤔

No problems with wildfires then.

You need to invest in some waterproofs

And I know where more Abandoned places around there

Full marks for commitment. Soggy jeans are horrible!

Haven't seen the video yet just wanted to be the first to comment. Sad or what.

Matt's quite the mouth breather isn't he?

Well Paul well Rebecca if you were doing Railway archaeology in a wet miserable day Paul I hope you took your wife out for a nice lunch or a nice dinner after you got back to your hotel yours Jeff Rosebud Melbourne Victoria Australia

Dunno how I missed this one last week, but it means I get to watch two this week so it's all good. You guys are absolute troopers for enduring that deluge to entertain us lazy armchair dwellers.