New Off-road Route

There are few defunct railway lines now available for conversion to off-road cycle paths, but one exists locally, that running from Little Eaton to Denby.

Derbyshire County Council are in the process of purchasing it and it will be a very long time before we are cycling on it, but this week some of the track has been removed and that is a step in the right direction. There is/was a level crossing on Station Road in Little Eaton and this is being removed.

A multi-user path will make a perfect extension to NCN Route 54 which currently ends on the Derby side of Little Eaton, taking users on a nice scenic route parallel to the B6179 (old A61)  road and almost but not quite link with the Ripley Greenway at Marehay.  The B6179/A61 road was, prior to the building of the nearby A38 trunk road, the main road from Derby to Chesterfield via Alfreton. It would seem that to join the two greenways a section of this road will have to be used.  Not a big problem however, as it is fairly cycle friendly, having on-road cycle lanes and relatively little traffic, since the A38 has most of it.

There was talk of the line being used to facilitate some flood alleviation works but I do not know what the current situation is.

Will ride over and take a look when my busy schedule allows ..........................................

In the meantime here is a photograph taken on the very spot in 2009.



Left to right - Peter Roberts, Ian Dent, Stewart Limb, Tony Allcock, Mavis Ratcliffe, Phil Harris, Martin Aldred, Peter Ford,  Old Uncle Tom Cobley (camera) and all. 
 What a handsome group, and how young we all look.
We were on our way to the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley for what was supposed to be a free lunch. This did not materialise  however, proving the old adage that there is no such thing.
I think that the offer was surreptitiously withdrawn when they saw how many of us turned up!