Rights of way on old smj trackbeds

[Peter Vale-Humphreys]

As a wellesbourne Walker whose interest in railways and the oks smj in particular, are there restrictions on all or any sections of the smj. Yesterday I noticed a new private property sign on the over road bridge near Walton and Fosse. Horses/riders use it but does  that really preclude walkers? Interested to have responses. Like to observe the countryside code but is there scope to venture ? Thanks,  Peter 

[Simon Stevens]

I'm aware of a few sections that are reasonably accessible on the Western section:

• Most of the Gloucester Loop Line between Alcester and Salford Priors
• from where the river bridge was at Broom to Bidford Road is a nature reserve
• near Cranhill the trackbed is a privately owned nature reserve that the owner has said we can visit
• between Binton Bridges and the site of Binton  station is a short permissive footpath
• from Luddington Road, near the racecourse entrance, to the roundabout on Seven Meadows Road, Stratford
• Severn Meadows Road itself of course but there's no pavement
• Part of Goldicote cutting is a nature reserve

I haven't explored further east yet, can anyone else add to the list?

[Stuart John Dodd]

When I was a child in the 70s we would walk to the left of the bridge to the stream where the overbridge had been rmoved, looking from the opposite direction to Walton, we understood that the track bed to the right belonged to the Hutsby's and was private. In 93 I worked on their estate for a season and saw that the old station at Etington, which belonged to them was still intact, the station building itself had been extended and was used for the grooms accomodation, the weighbridge was still in use and calibrated by weights and measures on which we weighed the grain lorries and the goods shed was used as a  fertilizer store. One afternoon I changed an air tank on a Leyland lorry in there. the track bed from the station to the Walton bridge was being used by the Hutsby's exclusively for exercising their horses, it was my understanding that there was not a right of way but I think there was a path from the station to the village of Ettington.

[Hugh Jones]

There is a footpath following Severn Meadows Road but is separated from it by a hedge and includes a short section of track

Simon Stevens said:

I'm aware of a few sections that are reasonably accessible on the Western section:

• Most of the Gloucester Loop Line between Alcester and Salford Priors
• from where the river bridge was at Broom to Bidford Road is a nature reserve
• near Cranhill the trackbed is a privately owned nature reserve that the owner has said we can visit
• between Binton Bridges and the site of Binton  station is a short permissive footpath
• from Luddington Road, near the racecourse entrance, to the roundabout on Seven Meadows Road, Stratford
• Severn Meadows Road itself of course but there's no pavement
• Part of Goldicote cutting is a nature reserve

I haven't explored further east yet, can anyone else add to the list?

[Hugh Jones]

In 1950s i camped in the field near the bridge, it still looks the same now except there are no passing trains

Stuart John Dodd said:

When I was a child in the 70s we would walk to the left of the bridge to the stream where the overbridge had been rmoved, looking from the opposite direction to Walton, we understood that the track bed to the right belonged to the Hutsby's and was private. In 93 I worked on their estate for a season and saw that the old station at Etington, which belonged to them was still intact, the station building itself had been extended and was used for the grooms accomodation, the weighbridge was still in use and calibrated by weights and measures on which we weighed the grain lorries and the goods shed was used as a  fertilizer store. One afternoon I changed an air tank on a Leyland lorry in there. the track bed from the station to the Walton bridge was being used by the Hutsby's exclusively for exercising their horses, it was my understanding that there was not a right of way but I think there was a path from the station to the village of Ettington.