Two more trackbed sections are bought for Lynton & Barnstaple
LYNTON & Barnstaple Railway revivalists received an early Christmas present with the announcement of the purchase of a 680-yard length of the legendary line’s route south of Wistlandpound Reservoir.
The purchase by Exmoor Associates CIC concludes negotiations with the landowner, the Dallyn family, which began 15 years ago.
Exmoor had come within striking distance of buying the section in 2020 but the deal fell through. It was part of a series of linked transactions with the Dallyn family buying additional farmland, which collapsed.
Isolated from existing sections in the hands of the revivalists, any new formation will have to be located on the uphill (eastern) side of the original trackbed in order to gain enough height to circumnavigate the reservoir.
The acquired trackbed has been moved slightly to the right from the original to avoid an existing building.
At the southern end of the newly-acquired section, the original trackbed was converted into a road by the local authority and is now Twitchen Lane as far as Narracott bridge.
Exmoor Associates intends to arrange a trackbed walk along this section after its next meeting on May 14. A statement said: “Members are advised that this is a working farm with a bull that has free access to various sections of the farm. Members are requested to wait for an official visit!”
A note from farmer Kevin Dallyn to Exmoor’s Mike Buse thanked him and colleagues Andy Hearn and Paul Stileman “for the way in which you handled the deal to purchase the trackbed through our farm. It has been a pleasure working with you all, any issues were speedily sorted, and while you were the buyers, as a family we were made to feel you all were looking after our interests as well – so rare these days.”
The purchase of a second section of trackbed was due to be completed early in the New Year after Exmoor engaged solicitors to handle it.
The funding for this second section is in place, but an Exmoor statement said that the organisation was now running “very short of funds for any future purchase” and an appeal to replenish resources is being planned.
Formed in 2002, Exmoor Associates has since bought several sections of the former railway, including Snapper Halt, Collard Bridge, Bratton Fleming station, part of the route in the Blackmoor area leading down to the reservoir and part of the missing link between the operational heritage line’s current western railhead at Killington Lane and the next section of railway-owned land at Parracombe Lane. The ultimate goal has always been the complete restoration of the railway from Lynton to Barnstaple.