Work begins to reopen disused Northumberland railway line to walkers and cyclists

Work has started to transform a disused Northumberland railway into a "greenway" for walkers and cyclists. The Alnwick to Cornhill Line closed 71 years ago and has undergone virtually no maintenance since the last trains ran.

However, it is expected to reopen this summer as a greenway for walkers, cyclists, horse riders, and wheelchair and mobility scooters.

In February, the Borderline Trail Community Interest Company (CIC) signed a 25-year lease with Northumberland Estates in February to start the transformation of the former line, with work on Phase One now underway, heading south west out of Alnwick towards Rugley Farm.

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The first steps involve the clearing of 75 years of leaf mould and soil to expose the gravel of the original railway track. Then, that will be covered with stone and whinstone measuring two-metres across, aimed at allowing users to pass each other safely.

Another aspect to the early work includes unblocking drains, removing seven decades of silt and detritus to prevent water from overflowing onto the track. A third includes replacing a bridge removed at the start of the line at Greensfield in Alnwick, which is currently being built in Salford and could be installed by August of this year.

Colin Davidson, chairman of the CIC said seeing diggers getting to work is a "good start", and hopes it could spark more investment. He told ChronicleLive: "The initial objective is to make a really good job of the first part and use that as a springboard so people will get behind it."

The eventual objective is to create a Greater North Northumberland Greenway Trail, across almost 100 miles of the county's former railway lines and current cycle routes. The CIC hopes to use greenways to connect the Pennine Cycleway (NCN68) and the Coast and Castles Cycle Route (NCN1), which currently only connect at Berwick-upon-Tweed.

However, Colin also says that the group are "not getting ahead of themselves", due to budget constraints - and the fact that much of the work could rely on volunteers. He continued: "At the moment, we've got to cut our cloth according to our means, and we're using what we have as wisely as possible to progress the line along the valley there.

"We need three things; enthusiasm, which we've got in bucket loads; money, which we're working on; and the agreement of the landowners, but that's much further down the line."

Overall, the group says that the reaction to the Greenway has been "overwhelmingly positive." And Colin sought to address a few environmental concerns that have been raised in some quarters. He finished: "All we're looking to do is that two metres, and everything either side of that, we will do nothing but enhance it.

"We're not going to interfere with it at all, we're going to leave the wood for the beasties to get into and we'll be sowing wildflowers. Maybe annually we'll push it back a little, but no further than the two metres to preserve the track.

"Anything beyond that, crack on Mother Nature, that's all yours."