Trivia: Settlements without a station where the two nearest stations are on different lines

[DHB1950]

My first thought was Kimbolton in Huntingdonshire, but it turns out to be nearer St. Neots than either Bedford or Wellingborough. The village of Swineshead in the wilds of North Bedfordshire, a little southwest of Kimbolton, is 12 miles by road from St. Neots and Bedford, but 13 from Wellingborough or Bedford St. John’s and 14 from Huntingdon.

 

[Mintona]

Ross on Wye is about half way between Gloucester and Hereford.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Ross on Wye is about half way between Gloucester and Hereford.

That's as may be, but isn't Ledbury the nearest station to Ross on Wye, followed by Hereford?

 

[BeccaOnATrain]

New Mills Newtown - Manchester to Buxton Line
New Mills Central - Hope Valley Line

edit - Oh wait, sorry - completely misread the part that said "Settlements without a station"

 

[yoyothehobo]

dont know if it has been mentioned yet but Calverley near Bradford and Leeds is (by road):

2.4 (1.36 straight line) miles from New Pudsey station on the Leeds-Bradford Interchange line
2.4 (1.61 straight line) miles from Apperley Bridge Station on the Aire Valley Line
3.1 (2.53 straight line) miles from Horsforth on the Leeds - Harrogate line.

As the crow flies in brackets

 

[Mcr Warrior]

dont know if it has been mentioned yet but Calverley near Bradford and Leeds is (by road):

2.4 (1.36 straight line) miles from New Pudsey station on the Leeds-Bradford Interchange line
2.4 (1.61 straight line) miles from Apperley Bridge Station on the Aire Valley Line
3.1 (2.53 straight line) miles from Horsforth on the Leeds - Harrogate line.

As the crow flies in brackets

Where's Bramley station in relation to Calverley?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Rhoose is nearer than Bridgwater as the crow flies - completely impractical of course! Reminds me of the tale of the WWII soldier from northern Shetland who when asked for his nearest station, gave the answer of Bergen (as far as I can tell this story is quite likely to be true, although the soldier was wrong if so).

That's like a more extreme version of Molesey (Surrey) mentioned upthread. I lived in the Hurst Park area of Molesey for a while, and was rather disappointed that the letting agency had told me the nearest station was Hampton, on the wrong side of the Thames! As the crow flies this was indeed correct, but due to the river the information was as much use as a chocolate buffer-stop in summer.

 

[oddiesjack]

Buxworth, which had its own station on the Midland line between Chinley and New Mills South Jcn until 1959 (ish) lies pretty much equidistant betwwen Chinley (Hope Valley) and Whaley Bridge (Wessie route to Buxton)

Going back to the earlier discussion on Hayfield, the milepost on Hayfield Station used to say it was 2 3/4 miles from New Mills jct, and Glossop and Chinley are both 4 1/2 miles away, so i'd say that the two nearest stations are the 2 New Mills ones.

 

[yoyothehobo]

Where's Bramley station in relation to Calverley?

Further away than New Pudsey. Similar distance to Horsforth. Though Kirkstall Forge is closer than Bramley and Horsforth at 2.4 miles, compared to 2.5 miles.

Bramley being on the same line as NP. KF on the same line as AB.

 

[Acfb]

Definitely true for northern Scotland but in the south west there will be fair few settlements where the 2 closest stations are one each on the Ayr-Stranraer and Dumfries-Kilmarnock lines.

You'd probably struggle to find many examples in the Borders now with Galashiels and Tweedank only being a couple of miles apart.

Reston is of course now open but I can only think of Greenlaw - 17 miles to Reston and 18.5 miles to Tweedbank.

 

[Grecian 1998]

Not yet mentioned is Bridport, which is closest to Maiden Newton and then Crewkerne.

Bridport is also a similar distance to Axminster compared to the distance from Crewkerne.

I suspect very few Bridport folk actually use Maiden Newton as it's a slow journey through back lanes - there would be far more travel to Crewkerne or Dorchester stations.

Here's a more abstract one: Watchet is < 24 km from Rhoose Cardiff International and Taunton, but > 24 km from Barry, Bridgwater and Highbridge and Burnham. I originally looked at Minehead but quite a few in South Wales are nearer than any in England.

The nearest station to Lynton and Lynmouth is Barnstaple. Looks pretty even between Chapelton and Bridgend for 2nd place. I think Bridgend would certainly beat Umberleigh which is the next nearest Devon station with a remotely usable service, although I'm probably clutching at straws here.

 

[D6130]

Midhurst, in West Sussex - which formerly had two stations of its own - is 10 miles from Petersfield on the Portsmouth Direct Line and 12 miles from Pulborough on the Mid-Sussex (Arun valley) Line. In a different geographical direction it's also 12 miles from Chichester on the West Coastway Line, but only 8.6 miles from Haslemere, which is also on the PDL. So, in effect it's two nearest stations are both on the same line....therefore completely off topic! Sorry - I'll get my coat. Goodnight!

 

[Purple Train]

Although I think it's marginally closer to Whimple station than Exmouth station, the Devon coastal town of Sidmouth is roughly equidistant between the stations of Exmouth (on the Avocet Line) and Feniton (formerly Sidmouth Junction, on the West of England Main Slow Trundle Line). Not quite exactly following the thread to the letter, but I'd contend that it enters into the spirit.

 

[Rescars]

Find us one! It is difficult to avoid Barrhill+Stranraer, Sanquhar+Kirkconnel or Sanquhar+Dumfries without going somewhere that only Richard Hannay has been.

How about Newton Stewart or New Galloway. The latter is about equidistant from Stranraer and Dumfries.

 

[Magdalia]

It is difficult to avoid Barrhill+Stranraer, Sanquhar+Kirkconnel or Sanquhar+Dumfries without going somewhere that only Richard Hannay has been.

How about Newton Stewart or New Galloway. The latter is about equidistant from Stranraer and Dumfries.

Newton Stewart nearest are Barrhill+Stranraer.
New Galloway nearest are Sanquhar+Dumfries.

 

[Rescars]

Newton Stewart nearest are Barrhill+Stranraer.
New Galloway nearest are Sanquhar+Dumfries.

They were worth a try. I stand corrected!

 

[waverley47]

My favourite answer;

Carradale, on Kintyre (my neck of the woods) has it's to closest stations on two different lines.

West Kilbride is 40km across the Firth of Clyde and Arran, just edging out Ardrossan Harbour at 41km. These, while part of the same route, are technically separate branchlines.

Obviously however, these stations are across the sea, the only direct route being the three times weekly ferry from Ardrossan to Campbeltown, with a one way trip of approximately 3.5 hours to either station.

It gets very interesting if you measure the distance to the closest station accessible by road. The nearest station in that sense is Arrochar and Tarbet, a little over 80km in a straight line, and a whopping 138km and 3 hours by road.

I'm not sure anywhere else on mainland Britain could really compete with the Kintyre peninsula for road journey time to the nearest station by straight line distance. From Campbeltown to Ardrossan Harbour on a good day, not taking a ferry, you'd be looking at a 227km road journey, taking over four hours, more likely five, and on the way you'd pass within 1km of no fewer than 16 other stations!

 

[Rescars]

My favourite answer;

Carradale, on Kintyre (my neck of the woods) has it's to closest stations on two different lines.

West Kilbride is 40km across the Firth of Clyde and Arran, just edging out Ardrossan Harbour at 41km. These, while part of the same route, are technically separate branchlines.

Obviously however, these stations are across the sea, the only direct route being the three times weekly ferry from Ardrossan to Campbeltown, with a one way trip of approximately 3.5 hours to either station.

It gets very interesting if you measure the distance to the closest station accessible by road. The nearest station in that sense is Arrochar and Tarbet, a little over 80km in a straight line, and a whopping 138km and 3 hours by road.

I'm not sure anywhere else on mainland Britain could really compete with the Kintyre peninsula for road journey time to the nearest station by straight line distance. From Campbeltown to Ardrossan Harbour on a good day, not taking a ferry, you'd be looking at a 227km road journey, taking over four hours, more likely five, and on the way you'd pass within 1km of no fewer than 16 other stations!

So sad that Cambelltown no longer has its own light railway any more!

 

[D6130]

So sad that Cambelltown no longer has its own light railway any more!

In the early years of the twentieth century plans were drawn up for a very long branch to Campbeltown from the West Highland Line near Arrochar but, even in those days, it was realised that it would be a total economic basket case with huge construction costs - especially the first section from Arrochar to Inveraray via the Rest and be Thankful - so the spades never got as far as the ground. As a result,the good people of Inveraray - the former county town of Argyll - were left with either a 15 mile drive to Dalmally station on the Callendar & Oban line, or a 22 mile drive to Arrochar & Tarbet on the West Highland line. Incidentally, for many years, the nearest station to Campbeltown was Ballycastle in Northern Ireland.

 

[InkyScrolls]

Mearbeck, Yorks. would qualify - approximately one mile from both Settle and Giggleswick stations.

 

[Ken H]

Mearbeck, Yorks. would qualify - approximately one mile from both Settle and Giggleswick stations.

Hardly a settlement. Just a farm

What about Wharfe, between Austwick and Helwith bridge. Nicely between Horton in R and Clapham i think.

 

[D6130]

Ravenstruther (pronounced 'Renstrie') in South Lanarkshire is approximately mid-way - 2 1/2 miles each way - between Carstairs and Lanark.

Torpichen in West Lothian is approximately mid-way between Bathgate and Linlithgow.

Milnthorpe in Cumbria - which formerly had its own station - is approximately mid-way between Arnside and Oxenholme.

Keswick in Cumbria - which also formerly had its own station - is approximately mid-way between Penrith and Workington.

Temple Sowerby in Cumbria is approximately mid-way between Penrith and Appleby

Ingleton in North Yorkshire is slightly nearer to Bentham than Ribblehead.

Great Harwood in Lancashire is slightly nearer to Whalley than Accrington.

 

[InkyScrolls]

In the early years of the twentieth century plans were drawn up for a very long branch to Campbeltown from the West Highland Line near Arrochar but, even in those days, it was realised that it would be a total economic basket case with huge construction costs - especially the first section from Arrochar to Inveraray via the Rest and be Thankful - so the spades never got as far as the ground. As a result,the good people of Inveraray - the former county town of Argyll - were left with either a 15 mile drive to Dalmally station on the Callendar & Oban line, or a 22 mile drive to Arrochar & Tarbet on the West Highland line. Incidentally, for many years, the nearest station to Campbeltown was Ballycastle in Northern Ireland.

Any chance you might know where I could find more information on this proposed railway?

 

[D6130]

Any chance you might know where I could find more information on this proposed railway?

IIRC, the book "The Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway" by Nigel S.C. Macmillan had a closing chapter or appendix which included a map of the proposed branch from the West Highland line. Unfortunately I can't lay my hands on my copy at this moment.

 

[InkyScrolls]

Thank you, that's useful to know - I'll try and find a copy.

 

[Springs Branch]

There are parts of Skelmersdale where this applies.

Picking, as a totally random example, the house from where Hayley operates her dog grooming business (Google it if you need the address. 5-star rating on FB, by the way) - the nearest stations are Rainford (4.2 miles) and Parbold (4.2 miles). Third closest is Upholland (on the same line as Rainford) at 4.7 miles, but it's not much further from Chez Hayley to Ormskirk (5.3 miles) on a third line.

 

[D6130]

Tongham in Surrey -which, many years ago, had its own station - is roughly equidistant between Aldershot station on the Pirbright Junction to Alton line and Ash station on the Reading to Guildford line. In the same part of the country, Peasmarsh in Surrey is slightly closer (1.2 km) to Shalford station on the Guildford to Redhill line than it is to Farncombe (2km) on the Guildford to Portsmouth line. A little further to the South, the large village of Selborne - naturalist Gilbert White's birthplace - is about mid-way between Alton and Liss.

 

[miklcct]

Ringwood / Fordingbridge in New Forest. Nearest stations are Christchurch and Salisbury.

 

[joeneat]

Houghton le spring is about 6 miles from both the ECML at Chester le Street and the Durham Coast line at Seaham.

 

[Kingston Dan]

We've moved to Helmsley, North Yorkshire which is about 15 miles from Thirsk station and 16 from Malton station. I can see the old station and signal box from my house.