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Thursday 19 December 2013

Breadsall Greenway Extension


Work on Phase 2 of the Breadsall Greenway is now proceeding in three places.
Firstly at the Morley end as shown in John Swan's pictures linked from the previous post.
Secondly on the new crossing of the A608 road just past the Brookside Road/ A608 junction, and thirdly on cutting a swathe through the woodland where the new path skirts the SSSI Nature Reserve in the old railway cutting.
From the top end of the existing path at Sixoate Gate, the crossing of Brookside Road will be much improved with a 3m wide tarmac path replacing the existing narrow pavement. The route then crosses the main road and runs parallel to it through the woodland.
 
                                                  Improved crossing of Brookside Road.

                                                                    Much wider path.

 With pavement for walkers (left) and wider track for cyclists (right). Both will be tarmaced,
  
 Close by the main road, but apart from this short section, there is a good hedge separating it from the path. I would expect any gaps in the hedge to be filled with fencing eventually.

       In keeping with the existing Breadsall Greenway, the extension would appear to be quite scenic.
 
 
This all brings back memories of the early days of the Breadsall Greenway. We did a trailblazing ride in January 2006 and that was a day to remember indeed. The then overgrown and derelict railway path got more and more difficult the further we went. Mud, running water, impenetrable undergrowth and yet more mud, so we gave up eventually, having  to climb out of the cutting up the 45 degree banking with our bikes being pulled up on a rope which Mavis happened to have in her saddlebag.
 
Alan Locke took this photograph of us at the start of the ride and later said "Poor mutts - little did they know what lay ahead!"
Sustrans had previously told us that this route would never be built as it was not a commuter route and "went nowhere".
 Nevertheless, Derbyshire County Council got on with it in 2009 and the rest is history.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Many thanks Les for the update on the Greenway extension at the A608 end. The access from the Lime Lane end is quite hazardous, due to being a 'rat run' for very fast traffic. I did it on foot, and was able to nip on to the grass verge whenever a vehicle approached. Some signalled and gave me a bit of elbow room, but others did not! I have neglected my cycling and therefore resigned to walking at present. Not sure that cycling would be any safer than walking though.

Unknown said...

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