The Walk - EP 74 - The Cursed Railway Walk (Part One) - Denstone To Alton - Staffordshire
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 3 янв 2024
- There are some mischievous forces at play I tell ya!
On New Years Eve I walked 10 miles from Denstone to Oakamoor via Alton Towers Station and back on the former 1849 North Staffordshire Railway.
When I got home, I managed to delete the video files, leaving only the drone footage.
But undeterred I headed out again after new years to film the walk again.
On the second stomp, I crashed and lost my drone. But at least I still had the drone footage from the first attempt, so I could still produce the video... Couldn't I?
For some reason, the audio cut out completely as I walked between Alton Towers and Oakamoor.
So deleted files, a lost drone and missing audio means I have walked 20 miles, only to be able to bring you half the walk!
But I shall return to complete the walk from Alton to Oakamoor because the history and remains are fantastic.
I hope you enjoy the first part!
Instagram - / ickewalks
Support the channel below:
Merch - Check out the shop here - garethickeshop.teemill.com/co...
CBD - Head to www.supremecbd.uk and use the code 'GI40' for 40% off everything.
EMF Protection - Fix The World Morocco - EMF Protection for your home at www.ftwproject.com/ref/518/
Nutrition - Head over to madtravnutrition.com and check out their top end range of coffee, Manuka Honey and Mushroom Tinctures. Use the code ‘Gareth’ and get yourself 10% off all products in the range.
Great walk Gareth, i'm local and have walked, jogged and cycled the route many times over the years.
If this line was still operational you would have a train running from Uttoxeter Racecourse with stations at JCB World Headquarters Rocester (pronounced Roaster btw!) - Denstone College and Alton Towers on to Oakamoor. Bloody goldmine for tourists.
In the late 1970's it was possible to walk from Uttoxeter to where you started at Denstone along the track bed, sadly all under farmland now.
Thanks for this. I'm always pronouncing places wrong! Would be a great line that. Like you say, a goldmine.
Intresting tour Gareth as always.
Thanks mate
Hello Gareth, I enjoyed this a lot, I watched part two as that's what I found first an journeyed back to part one, its very good an for me significant that you had to return so many times!
I was going to comment on the Alton Towers cable car rides above the garden, an then you went an mentioned them yes bloomin exciteing me an a friend had our lunch on them not realising how good it was going to be.
My Father Raced at Alton Towers in 1957 it was part of the short circuit racers for motorcycles an sidecars, I vaguely recall it burnt down at some point? When I went in the early eighties it had no floors an roof missing.
I've long been interested in the old world an how it transitioned in to the beginning of the new world or our time period, in your films they're may be evidence of this.
The reset of 1851 the repurposing an alteration of some significant structures to suit the desires of the new folks in strong positions.
The sheer quality of construction of these canals an railway lines an supporting bridges an tunnels an stations an given the volume of them up an down the country its hard to comprehend how they did it all an in often short shift.
As you say Alton castle looks like it could be from many parts of Europe it sorta looks like one empire haveing fun with beautiful designs.
I grew up on a remote farmhouse in Derbyshire the kitchen floor had an assortment of red an mainly blue engineering bricks layed over on there sides an sloping down an angled to the back door, so when you mopped the floor it all ran straight out of the entrance, these where no doubt commandeered via the platforms of closed stations, that's perhaps why in that static kitchen there was always as sense of going places.
From Ashbourne heading I guess to Leek an Uttoxeter there was a big tunnel not far from the town it was quite scary as it all went black an only when someway in you curved to see the light, last saw that as a kid maybe worth a look if you haven't allready is it the tissington trail?
Thankyou for going to all this effort an I hypothesise that we kinda or our near ancestors inherited much of this an the controllers came in with changers here an there but overideingly the enormous infrastructure was allready here, our farmhouse was a case in point lots of black iron plaques on buildings proclaiming workd done in the mid to late 1800s but we knew that the buildings existed on much earlier records an had fine bricks older than Victorian, the shippern was engulfed in the land that sat two stories up one side an down to the foundation tother side, very Mudflood esq, that rabbit hole, in fact the whole acreage was like as if it just poured in all of a rush, so I grew up aware that summit is a miss much of it that folks with horse an buggies or carts it's a bit of a stretch to see them building all this old magnificence the complexity an the volume within the time constraints.
Apologies for long comment I'm down in Hampshire Nr Salisbury years back I bought an old bicycle from a nearby village it was a bit of a time warp an had in the seat bag old railway tickets from the Ringwood to Salisbury line circa 1950s quite an emotive moment finding them.
I aim to keep extra diesel here so if there's any fuel shenanigans an your traveling back an forth I can help.
I look forward to watching your other walks.
Cheers
I'm just about to upload a Tissington trail walk actually! But will definitely have to do Ashbourne tunnel. I was actually supposed to do it on the drive back after finally completing this one, but it started raining! I agree, I think it was significant that I had to keep going back again and again.
I look forward to seeing that episode, we did school orienteering or something that quickly degenerated in to kiss chase especially in the tunnel, an so when I emerged arm in arm with a girl from tin town the teacher snapped what's going on here, err sir she tripped over a trolley I was just getting her to safety! Well she safe now etc..
It seamed pretty big but we where kids, can't wait to see it again, tin town I'm guessing was a site of a tin mine? don't know though to us kids it was just an exspesssion.
Ashbourne had I believe more pubs per capita is that population than kinda anywhere else we knew and atleast three chip shops, an every pub did chips so you where well sorted on those fronts, the saracens head was good an historic quality chips too.
Shrovetide there was a cobblers that made the balls each year from cork an thick leather heavily decorated in paint an gold, from memory it heralded from Derby, thrown off on friargate street, but became to hardcore for the town so moved to Ashbourne the game of uppers against the downers ball deployed in the car park, one year some blokes got it in to a car an simply drove off, which was funny,
I followed the scrum down the river under the town all great fun till the scrum about turned an came charging back at us an what with bicycle wheels supermarket trolleys again an breeze blocks on the river floor in the dark it was frankly terrifying
Probably worth going as you live in that neck of the woods if the safety bods still allow it?!
Significant your three was it attempts yes perhaps ponder as to why did you work on the branch line in a past life?
I wonder what Lydar would show of all those Earth works? Maybe Alton Towers is more significant than we know?
It's a fab series your doing Gareth it's a great half hour escape in the company of someone who's sound! Cheers
Awesome video as always
Seems you had a lot of excitement on this trek. Looking forward to Part 2. Hope you wore your boots this time.
I am out to make part two on Sunday. History is amazing in the last part.
Really enjoyed that, enjoying your content. Loved that bit at the end with the part buried canal bridge, and the station before hand. Incidentally speaking of Alton. I didn’t know until last year that Alton is where the saying sweet F A comes from. Quite a sad, horrible story if you ain’t looked it up. I’ve been to a couple of places near large posh manors where the “lords” of the realm had their own private facilities. Not wanting to go anywhere near the plebs of course, us filthy creatures lol. It’s funny really. A lot of these “people” that “owned” millions of acres of OUR earth hated the thought of railway travel originally, especially if it meant cutting through their estates, because they hated the thought of us plebs travelling through their parks. Cheers.
Ah yes. That's Alton in Hampshire, that story. Used to go there a lot. There's a great railway walk down to Fareham from there actually. Must film that one.
Glad you like the video mate. Appreciated!
Channel looks great. Have subscribed.
@@IckeWalks nice one, cheers me duck!
You had quite the experiences filming this pal,strange forces indeed, thanks as always for the walk,time and effort and history brilliant as always, happy new year look forward to seeing what the year brings for you.
Cheers mate, I am somewhat daunted given how its started!
Stunning views 👍
It's lovely round there. One positive oil having to do it three times!
Stunning video, beautiful camera work, such a gorgeous location, looking forward to Part 2...
Thanks mate. Third time lucky!
Hi Gaz. Great videos.. I know you have already covered the Newton Abbot to Teigngrace line but If you are back down in Devon at any point and you want some more information on the line or the canal and granite railway next to it please feel free to get in touch. There is a lot more I can tell you about the area, also my friends yard is located on the site of a former Atmospheric railway engine house nearby.
Oh amazing! I'm going to head down in the spring to walk the other way on the line from Bovey so will definitely do this! Thanks!
No problem. I have been following you for about ten years. Speak to Kev at Locksbridge Tea Garden or Dan at MT Tums. They should point you my way. Many many thanks to your Dad by the way 🤙🏻
@@robbedward3619 appreciate tthis mate
Great video as always Gaz, I walked that line in 2020, fantastic seeing it again. Loved your coat, where did you get it from?
It's so lovely I did it three times! :-) Mountain warehouse that one. Really affordable store that one.
@@IckeWalks thanks Gaz. You certainly have determination to get us good videos out ☺️