| Camel Trail | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The trail beside theCamel Estuary, nearTrevanson, 1987 | |
| Length | 18.3 miles (29.5 km) as of 2024 |
| Location | Cornwall, England, United Kingdom |
| Trailheads | Padstow 50°32′16″N4°56′05″W / 50.5377°N 4.9347°W /50.5377; -4.9347 (Camel Trail (Padstow trailhead)) Wenford Bridge 50°32′41″N4°42′14″W / 50.5447°N 4.7039°W /50.5447; -4.7039 (Camel Trail (Wenford Bridge trailhead)) |
| Use | Hiking,Cycling,Horseriding |
| Grade | 0.23% |
TheCamel Trail is a permissive cycleway inCornwall, England, United Kingdom, that provides a recreational route for walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders. As arail trail, the route has only a slight incline following theRiver Camel fromPadstow toWenford Bridge viaWadebridge andBodmin, at a total of 18.3 miles (29.5 km) long.
An estimated 400,000 people use the trail each year, generating approximately £3 million year for the local economy.[1][2]
The trail is jointly managed byCornwall Council and the Camel Trail Partnership.[3]
The trail follows the trackbed of two historic rail lines—a section of theNorth Cornwall Railway between Padstow and Wadebridge, in addition to theBodmin and Wadebridge Railway (B&WR) between Wadebridge and Wenfordbridge along with a short branch toward the formerBodmin North station.[4]
The Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway was originally built at a cost of £35,000 following a study commissioned in 1831 by local landowner SirWilliam Molesworth ofPencarrow. The line was originally used to carry lime-rich sand from theCamel estuary to inland farms for use as fertiliser.[5][6][7] In 1862, the railway started shippingchina clay which, became its most reliable trade.[8] Additionally the line would be used to ship slate from inland quarries to ships in Padstow, and also to transport fish landed in Padstow inland; primarily to London and other cities.[citation needed][when?]
In 1868, theLondon and South Western Railway (LSWR) purchased the B&WR without parliamentary consent.[6][8] Although anultra vires purchase, the acquisition would become legalised in 1886.[8] In the interim, the LSWR nonetheless supported the B&WR and sought to connect the isolated railway to its own network via the LSWR-backed North Cornwall Railway.[8] The now LSWR-owned NCR line fromHalwill Junction reachedWadebridge station in June 1895, and then Padstow in March 1899.[6][9]
In 1923, as a part of the railwaysGrouping Act the lines were taken over bySouthern Railway, and then again byBritish Railways (BR) duringnationalisation. Under BR, the lines repeately changed hands between theBritish Railways Southern Region and theBritish Railways Western Region, causing management issues.[10] As quarrying and fishing diminished, and lorries reducing delivery by rail, the railway lost much of its freight traffic.[11] Despite this, the line's passenger services remained frequently used by holiday makers and students.[12][11]
Like much of the British Railways network, over the course of the 1960s the services betweenPadstow and Bodmin's three stations (Bodmin Road,Bodmin General and Bodmin North) were subjected to closures as a part of the "Beeching Axe"—an attempt by the UK government to increase the profitability and efficiency ofBritish Rail.[5][12] As a result, passenger services between Bodmin and Padstow were terminated, with the last passenger train running in 1967.[7] Freight services continued between Bodmin Road and Wadebridge until 1978.[5][7] The last services on the line to close were the china clay freight services from Wenfordbridge to Bodmin in September 1983.[5][13]
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With the cessation of Padstow–Wadebridge services,Cornwall County Council purchased the trackbed from British Railways and in 1980 converted the bed to a public trail.[13] Following this, the trackbed of the Wadebridge–Boscarne stretch was also acquired by County Council.
In 1983, Nigel Wiggett opened Bridge Bike Hire in Wadebridge, the first bike hire along the trail and first in theWest Country.[14] Since then, more bike hire vendors have been established Wadebridge, and joined by ones in Padstow, Bodmin, and Wendfordbridge.[3]
After the closure of the Wenford's clay freight services, theNorth Cornwall District Council (NCDC) acquired the Boscarne–Wenfordbridge trackbed for use as a footpath.[13] In 1988, NCDC requested funding to make improvements to the Boscarne–Wenfordbridge stretch so as to integrate it with the rest of the Camel Trail.[13]
In 1991, theWadebridge and Egloshayl bypasses were constructed, removing much of the traffic that those passing through Wadebridge along the trail would otherwise have to contend with.
In 2002, the Camel Trail Partnership Trust was established to co-ordinate management of the trail between local town and parish councils along the trail, the NCDC, Cornwall County Council, the Chambers of Commerce of Bodmin, Wadebridge and Padstow, theEnvironment Agency,English Nature and theForestry Commission.[2]
In 2006, two further extensions to the trail were completed. The first was from Scarlett's Well car park in Bodmin, following into the town.[15] The second was from Poley's Bridge nearSt Breward, to Wenfordbridge through the old clay dries, which was made possible byImerys donating the land.[citation needed]
In 2009, Cornwall County Council and the NCDC—along with the rest of Cornwall's district councils—were disbanded and replaced withCornwall Council, which inherited the ownership and responsibilities of the Trail that were held by the County Council and the District Council.[3][16]
The trail is managed and maintained byCornwall Council and the Camel Trail Partnership.[3] The bike hire shops operating along the Camel Trail in Padstow, Wadebridge, Bodmin and Wendfordbridge pay an annual licence fee the council, which is used to help with the trail's maintenance.[3]
As an erstwhilerailway turned mix-use trail, the trackbed was built such that trains would have only a moderate incline and smooth turns—making it suitable as a cycle trail.[17] Only a small part of the trail passing throughWadebridge is on roads, with the trail also infrequently junctioned by rural backroads.[3]
The Camel Trail shares the Padstow trailhead with theSaints' Way trail. The Trail also constitutes part of theNational Cycle Network, with the Padstow–Dunmere section a part ofRoute 32, and the Bodmin–Wenfordbridge section overlapping withRoute 3.[18][19] The trail also constitutes part ofThe Cornish Way.
Between the Wadebridge and Padstow, the trail passes through theCamel Estuary section of theCornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[3][20]
The then newly createdBodmin and Wenford Railway sought to reopen the Wenford branch to allow for china clay to again be moved from Wenfordbridge by way of rail. A separate company, Bodmin and Wenford Rail Freight Limited, was set up in 1992[21] but the line was not reopened. There were objections from cyclists as at this point the rail bed had been used for the Camel Trail[22][23] and the china clay drier closed in 2002.[24]
Following the closure, attempts at potential expansion has since changed to the route fromBoscarne Junction towardsWadebridge, although this route also follows the Camel Trail. The Bodmin and Wenford Rail Freight company was renamed as the Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway Company Limited in 2004 to facilitate this scheme.[21] Initially referred to as 'The Wadebridge Trailway'[25] it became the 'RailTrail' project in 2008. It was supported by theNorth Cornwall District Council but only by a single casting vote. There were objections from cyclists, environmentalists and some residents of Wadebridge. A bid for government funding was made in 2020.[26]
In September 2020,Scott Mann,Conservative MP forNorth Cornwall, stated his support for linking up the Camel Trail with theTarka Trail, arguing it would increase the economic benefits brought in by the Camel Trail.[2]
On 18 December 2020,Sustrans published a study regarding a potential extension of the Camel Trail fromWenfordbridge toCamelford and on toDelabole. The study also looked at another proposal regarded branch of the Camel Trail fromWadebridge toLaunceston (via theNorth Cornwall Railway trackbed) and on toLydford (via theLaunceston and South Devon Railway trackbed.) The study split plans into trail segments—typically between disused stations or towns—and assessed both the feasibility and value of each segment.[27]
| Deliverability of each segment | Value of each segment | |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Impact Value | Higher Impact Value | |
| Less challenging deliverability | ||
| More challenging deliverability |
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Download coordinates as:
50°30′20″N4°49′02″W / 50.5056°N 4.8171°W /50.5056; -4.8171
