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Longest Planned Walk Between Stations

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dmacw

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What's the longest scheduled walk that is a permitted route. Farnborough North to Farnborough Main seems a fair trek, maybe at nearly a mile? (I've done it enough times!) is there longer out there?
 
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bnm

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Yeovil Pen Mill to Yeovil Junction is on some permitted routes with routeing guide easements.

2¼ miles by road, maybe slightly less distance using public footpaths.
 

rail-britain

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I've been asked about Paisley Gilmour Street to Paisley Canal before, doesn't appear to be valid
Example :
Johnstone - Hawkhead, have to travel via Glasgow Central

Yet, a Carstairs - Glasgow is also valid from Lanark, now that is some walk!
 

wintonian

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Try and beat Hayes & Harlington to Kensington Olympia, valid on map CS (and others).

Google says just over 10 miles although admittedly it's not exactly scheduled.
 

route:oxford

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Kyle of Lochalsh to Mallaig?

27.4 Miles. (some of which on a ferry obviously).

Or slightly shorter

Henley-On-Thames to Marlow?

7.2 Miles


From memory, there is an easement to permit outbound travel from Glasgow to Kyle to return via Mallaig. Likewise a similar easement for , London-Henley/Marlow to return following a walk along the Thames path.
 
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igloo

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Try and beat Hayes & Harlington to Kensington Olympia, valid on map CS (and others).

Please forgive my ignorance, but what is it that makes this walk valid?

Likewise a similar easement for , London-Henley/Marlow to return following a walk along the Thames path.

I'm probably being dim, but I can't see which easement this is? Searching for "Marlow" in the easements section of the routing guide I only find "300358 Customer travelling to stations on the Marlow and Henley on Thames lines via Didcot Parkway may travel via Reading. This easement applies in both directions."


Thanks
Ian
 

John @ home

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Please forgive my ignorance, but what is it that makes this walk valid?
We know from question 9 and answer 9 in this correspondence that ATOC say "there is nothing to prevent a customer using a route that involves a walk between stations (one is not breaking the "no doubling back" rule by doing this)."

In this particular instance, I think wintonian was making reference to the fact that there is currently no passenger railway service over part of the line between Hayes & Harlington and Kensington Olympia, so a passenger wishing to travel by a Permitted Route including this link must walk or use another method of transport.
Searching for "Marlow" in the easements section of the routing guide I only find "300358 Customer travelling to stations on the Marlow and Henley on Thames lines via Didcot Parkway may travel via Reading. This easement applies in both directions."
Unfortunately this particular Easement does not appear in the National Routeing Guide. It used to appear in the National Fares Manual, which was available to purchase until 2008. When the paper Manual was replaced by a fares CD, local easements may have fallen out of the public domain. The wording of the Easement, which is still in effect, is
'Thames Path' easement of CDR route validity:

Twyford – Henley-on-Thames
Maidenhead – Marlow
Slough – Windsor & Eton Central

CDR tickets issued to stations on the above First Great Western branch lines are valid to return from stations on the other branches, provided that the ticket is issued to the furthest point. This is to enable customers to walk the Thames Path (this easement is therefore sometimes referred to as the 'Thames Path Ticket').
I agree that it's not a lot of use if it's secret.
 

185

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I've walked from Hadfield to Marsden but I reckon that doesn't actually count :(
 

sbt

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'Thames Path' easement of CDR route validity:

Twyford – Henley-on-Thames
Maidenhead – Marlow
Slough – Windsor & Eton Central

CDR tickets issued to stations on the above First Great Western branch lines are valid to return from stations on the other branches, provided that the ticket is issued to the furthest point. This is to enable customers to walk the Thames Path (this easement is therefore sometimes referred to as the 'Thames Path Ticket').
I agree that it's not a lot of use if it's secret.

Has anyone pointed this out to the Ramblers Association and/or the Long Distance Walkers Association about this? Its the kind of thing they like to get 'sorted'.

Or even Natural England, who are responsible for the Thames Path. Are the Easements in the footpath guides?

I'd do it myself but it would be better coming from someone with more knowledge.
 

lyndhurst25

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Wasn't there a similar local easement to allow walks between Settle / Giggleswick, Horton / Clapham and possibly Ribblehead / Bentham? It's not listed online. Was it in the printed Fares Manual and is it still in force?
 

yorkie

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185 - I am guessing it doesn't count, because, although I am not sure I understand the question being asked, I think the OP is asking what the longest walk is between stations that journey planners will actually require a passenger to walk?

Of course there are many valid walks that can be done (indeed, it's valid to buy a Penzance to Wick ticket, and walk between St Erth and Georgemas Jn, to take it to the extreme) but none of these would be required walks.

There are some cases where journey planners will offer a walk, but the ticket allows the use of a route that avoids walking, but it would take longer and/or no train avoiding the walk at the time the customer wishes to travel.

There are some cases where journey planners will force you to walk (e.g. Broxbourne to Watton at Stone Route Hertford) as there is no valid alternative.

If we can establish what the OP has in mind, we can probably figure out which is the longest.
 

dmacw

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185 - I am guessing it doesn't count, because, although I am not sure I understand the question being asked, I think the OP is asking what the longest walk is between stations that journey planners will actually require a passenger to walk?

If we can establish what the OP has in mind, we can probably figure out which is the longest.

I'm interested in what the journey planner will come up in terms of walking, I'm less interested in what people have walked through choice. :)
 

yorkie

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I'm interested in what the journey planner will come up in terms of walking, I'm less interested in what people have walked through choice. :)
In that case, Mallaig-Kyle of Lochalsh can be discounted, as there are no tickets that I can find that would require such a walk.

A ticket from Arisaig to Plockton is either routed "Any Permitted" (intended for use via Aberdeen!) or routed "Aviemore" (intended for use via the Highland Main Line), in both cases travel would be via Glasgow. I doubt many tickets for such flows are sold.

Also, if the journey planner suggests an alternative such as LU/bus/metro, presumably that is also discounted.

In which case even Yeovil is in doubt. For many trains, a bus service is shown in the journey planners. At times when the bus does not operate, WebTIS says "Transfer from Yeovil Pen Mill to Yeovil JunctionPlease check operating hours for this service" while Thetrainline says "Travel by: Transfer. Train company: n/a", clearly there is no bus, but the NRT suggests passengers get a taxi (at their own expense). A walk is not actually suggested (but people may choose to walk).

So, if we restrict it to walks that ticket booking sites recommend, then I am not sure you're going to get longer than Hertford East to Hertford North? This is approximately the same distance as Gainsborough Central to Gainsborough Lea Road (1.3 miles), though Hertford has an interchange time of 34 minutes compared to 33 minutes for Gainsborough.
 

dmacw

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Also, if the journey planner suggests an alternative such as LU/bus/metro, presumably that is also discounted.

It's a fair point, a few times I've travelled from Twyford to Liverpool. I've connected out of the first train from Euston. This involved leaving Twyford at 02.30, arriving at around 03.15 into Paddington. The train left Euston just before 05.30, the journey planner did point out about checking operating hours of the tube. It was all official as the journey was on an advance ticket. So really I had no option but to walk the 3ish miles. (ok, I could have got a bus-at cost)
 

cumfy

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In that case, Mallaig-Kyle of Lochalsh can be discounted, as there are no tickets that I can find that would require such a walk.

Glasgow-[stn]KYL[/stn] return.

Easement allows return from Mallaig.
 

yorkie

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Glasgow-[stn]KYL[/stn] return.

Easement allows return from Mallaig.

I don't think this is any different to the Thames Path easement, or the easement that allows Pembroke Dock, Fishguard and Milford Haven tickets to be used interchangeably.

It's certainly not expected that you would walk between Mallaig and Kyle of Lochalsh! It's entirely optional, and travel would be by boat & bus, and no journey planner would provide this itinerary, let alone recommend walking!
 
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