Starting Point - Harrogate Station. Finishing Point - Starbeck Station. Distance 8.5 Miles.
The Nidderdale Greenway is a foot and cycle route between Harrogate and Ripley that mostly uses the former Harrogate to Ripon / Pateley Bridge railway route. Initially opened in 1848 as part of the Leeds and Thirsk Railway which became part of the Leeds Northern Railway and the North Eastern Railway. The NER built the branch from Ripley Junction to Pateley Bridge, opening in 1862. The Pateley Bridge branch closed to passengers in 1951 and goods in 1964 and the mainline through Ripon closed to passengers in 1967 and goods in 1969. More information about the Leeds and Thirsk Railway and the Nidd Valley Railway can be found on the Wikipedia pages.
A large Asda supermarket has been built on the former goods yards next to Harrogate station. The Nidderdale Greenway begins on the northern edge of the Asda car park. Initially it follows what was once the trackbed of the lines into the goods yard alongside the surviving line on to Knaresborough and York.
Below - Former line in to Harrogate goods yard.
The path runs along Grove Park Avenue before crossing over the surviving railway on a bridge at the same site as the earlier footbridge close to the site of Dragon Junction. It is interesting to note from comparing old and new maps that much of the site of the old rail connected Corporation Depot is still in council use.
There was a triangular junction, it seems strange that the closed route we take was the mainline with the surviving line in the York direction referred to as the Dragon Loop. At the site of Bolton Junction the line meets the side of the triangle coming from Starbeck which I will cover later.
One of the most interesting features on the route is the remains of the interchange with the Harrogate Gas Works railway. Shown as a Mineral Railway on the old map the line was narrow gauge and with a very low tunnel on the route the engines had very low cab roofs. The railway took coal to the works and bitumen from it.
Below - The end of the ramp near Bolton Lane crossing. The narrow gauge line ran on top of the ramp and loaded bitumen in to standard gauge wagons alongside the ramp. A closer look at the side wall reveals a coating of bitumen.
Below - On the corner of the ramp an information board provides details about the gas works railway.
Below - From Bolton Lane there was a gateway to access the lower level narrow gauge sidings.
Below - The bitumen covered wall were bitumen was loaded from narrow gauge wagons on the ramp to standard gauge wagons below.
Below - A bridge carried the narrow gauge line on to the ramp over the lower level sidings.
Below - The north end of the ramp next to the bridge that took the narrow gauge track on it across the lower level sidings.
Below - A piece of old rail that seems to have been used on a fence alongside the standard gauge sidings
I walked a little way along the former narrow gauge line. These days it just looks like a footpath following the stream through Willow Wood. A lot of housing has been built in the area and there are just a few remnants of the railway. A set of bridge abutments amongst modern housing and one portal of the infamous low tunnel in someone's garden.
Below - Former Harrogate Gas Works railway in Willow Wood.
Returning to the mainline it's not far to the next major structure, shown on the old map as Nidd Viaduct, also sometimes referred to as Bolton Viaduct.
Below - Nidd Viaduct.
A short way north of the viaduct was Ripley Junction where the single track Pateley Bridge branch left the main line through Ripon. Sadly the main line route is not currently accessible. Further north on the mainline was Nidd Bridge station, though further from the town than the branch line station at Ripley Valley this would have served as a link for Ripley from the main line. The site of Nidd Bridge station is now in various industrial uses with some of the station buildings and the station master's house surviving.
Below - Former Ripley Junction.
Below - A view along the trackbed north of Ripley Junction.
The path pops out on the A61 and crosses the road in to the grounds of Ripley Castle. Originally the line passed under the road but the road has been widened since and the bridge filled in. Ripley Valley station was on the west side of the road, the site of it is now in industrial use.
With Ripley being the end of the route following the railway I returned to Bolton Junction to take the side of the triangular junction in to Starbeck.
Below - Former Bilton Junction
The bridges that carried a footpath and Kingsley Road / Bogs Lane over the railway survive.
Below - Footpath bridge on the former Bilton Junction to Starbeck line.
Below - Kingsley Road / Bogs Lane bridge.
At the site of Starbeck North Junction the path emerges on to The Avenue where it is a short walk to Starbeck station.
Below - Starbeck station and its signal box. Originally the platforms had buildings and canopys but it now just has waiting shelters and automatic ticket machines.
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