Castleman's Corkscrew
Having read a report by the AOTC recommending its re-opening, I decided to walk Castleman's Corkscrew from Brockenhurst to Wimborne to see what 60 years of post-Beeching abandoment had done to the line.
Lymington Junction
I took this facing west with my back to Lymington Junction where the line originally branched off.
Joining the Trailway
After fighting through the undergrowth for a few hundred metres, I ended up in someone's driveway, through which I was able to reach a portion of the trackbed that's now a permissive cyclepath. Note the mossy sleepers leaning against a tree.
New Deck, old Bridge
A Bridge Vault
Holmsley Station
An abandoned platform quite far from the original station building which has been converted into a café.
Level Crossing
This level crossing cottage has been converted into a holiday let.
View From the Level Crossing
BTW 101.23
This bridge was the furthest I managed to get while following the trackbed, as the cuttings past this point were all flooded. I decided to try to persevere in following the line regardless, as I was hoping to catch a bus from Ringwood.
Bridleway Bridge
Unfortunately, I didn't think to take any photographs after this one. After this cutting, the line was completely submerged as the culverts beneath the trackbed appear to have all silted up. The trackbed was carrying more flowing water than the nearby Avon Water and it was completely impassable. I ended up having to take a large detour across Cranes Moor before reaching Ringwood via Moortown Lane, about forty minutes after the last bus left.
