Having been inspired by @mookster visit to this site not so long ago, I set out towards Gloucester way on my day off work, as I had another few sites on the list to visit there anyway.
History
Hunting Butts tunnel often gets overlooked but it is the shorter of the two tunnels on the Honeybourne Line. It has track laid through it and it is used to store rolling stock although the Cheltenham end of the tunnel is fenced off with a robust steel palisade. Hunting Butts tunnel is just 97 yards long and was originally envisaged as a deep cutting. However, this would have severed the gallops then used by the new racecourse so, perhaps with an eye on future revenue afforded by the racecourse the GWR agreed to build the tunnel and it was completed in the Autumn of 1904. Cheltenham Race Course station was completed in 1912; six years after the line had opened throughout.
As has been often documented, the Honeybourne Line was effectively closed in 1976 following a freight train derailment on what is now known as 'Chicken Curve' north of Winchcombe, probably because of movement in the embankment. This is a problem that has beset this location since the 1920s and in January 2011 finally collapsed, severing the line. No through trains traversed the route after that date and it was officially closed later November 1976. However, British Railways did not start lifting track until 1979
The Explore
Not gonna lie, this was a bit of a trek to get to and as I wasn't sure exactly how to access the site, it took a bit of to and fro-ing before I found my way in. This involved traversing over quite a few fields which to the naked eye looked relatively dry but within 100 feet, I'd added an additional stone in weight to each foot. Going was slow to say the least before I got there but hell, I saw a herd of wild deer and a flock of pheasants on the way there, so that was a bit bonus.
And just because I can, here's a beautiful lone tree in the fields opposite the site that caught my eye.
The site itself is located not far from Hunting Butts Farm, which (lets be honest) is the best name ever and it seemed that the farmers had taken to hanging fresh fox corpses along the site access points as a deterrent. This doesn't sit well with me at all as I can't abide animal cruelty but thankfully I was able to find an entrance not littered with carcass.
It's a fantastic site and surprisingly long. I was a bit disappointed to see that many of the trams and loaded cargo featured in past posts are no longer there, so I can only assume they'er slowly disassembling the site. It was a fun little explore though and it was interesting to watch the ravages of time increase the deeper down the line I went.
Unfortunately I didn't manage to get too many shots inside the actual tunnel.
Having knelt down to change the lens on my camera, I could hear this almost inaudible beeping. Checked my phone, no not that. Checked my camera, not that either. What the friggin hell could be beeping? Finally I realised it was coming from underneath the tracks I was crouched beside and given that this site is absolutely 110% not operational, I could only assume it was a trespassing sensor alarm and so I got out of there pretty sharpish. It's a good thing I'd stopped to change lenses or I'd probably not have heard it and gotten collared by farmers brandishing dead foxes.
Would love to go back to the tunnel some time and get some decent shots of it. Now I know where the alarm is hidden anyway...
History
Hunting Butts tunnel often gets overlooked but it is the shorter of the two tunnels on the Honeybourne Line. It has track laid through it and it is used to store rolling stock although the Cheltenham end of the tunnel is fenced off with a robust steel palisade. Hunting Butts tunnel is just 97 yards long and was originally envisaged as a deep cutting. However, this would have severed the gallops then used by the new racecourse so, perhaps with an eye on future revenue afforded by the racecourse the GWR agreed to build the tunnel and it was completed in the Autumn of 1904. Cheltenham Race Course station was completed in 1912; six years after the line had opened throughout.
As has been often documented, the Honeybourne Line was effectively closed in 1976 following a freight train derailment on what is now known as 'Chicken Curve' north of Winchcombe, probably because of movement in the embankment. This is a problem that has beset this location since the 1920s and in January 2011 finally collapsed, severing the line. No through trains traversed the route after that date and it was officially closed later November 1976. However, British Railways did not start lifting track until 1979
The Explore
Not gonna lie, this was a bit of a trek to get to and as I wasn't sure exactly how to access the site, it took a bit of to and fro-ing before I found my way in. This involved traversing over quite a few fields which to the naked eye looked relatively dry but within 100 feet, I'd added an additional stone in weight to each foot. Going was slow to say the least before I got there but hell, I saw a herd of wild deer and a flock of pheasants on the way there, so that was a bit bonus.
And just because I can, here's a beautiful lone tree in the fields opposite the site that caught my eye.
The site itself is located not far from Hunting Butts Farm, which (lets be honest) is the best name ever and it seemed that the farmers had taken to hanging fresh fox corpses along the site access points as a deterrent. This doesn't sit well with me at all as I can't abide animal cruelty but thankfully I was able to find an entrance not littered with carcass.
It's a fantastic site and surprisingly long. I was a bit disappointed to see that many of the trams and loaded cargo featured in past posts are no longer there, so I can only assume they'er slowly disassembling the site. It was a fun little explore though and it was interesting to watch the ravages of time increase the deeper down the line I went.
Unfortunately I didn't manage to get too many shots inside the actual tunnel.
Having knelt down to change the lens on my camera, I could hear this almost inaudible beeping. Checked my phone, no not that. Checked my camera, not that either. What the friggin hell could be beeping? Finally I realised it was coming from underneath the tracks I was crouched beside and given that this site is absolutely 110% not operational, I could only assume it was a trespassing sensor alarm and so I got out of there pretty sharpish. It's a good thing I'd stopped to change lenses or I'd probably not have heard it and gotten collared by farmers brandishing dead foxes.
Would love to go back to the tunnel some time and get some decent shots of it. Now I know where the alarm is hidden anyway...