Type of Walk: Industrial Archaeology

'The Aber Valley, which was originally part of Glamorgan, but now in its post-mining era is part of the County Borough of Caerphilly, is made up of Abertridwr village and the more northerly village of Senghenydd both original mining communities with an extensive history of events that made the Valley what it is today. The valley has subsequently been in decline since the closure of the pits, the major employer in the area for over a century. This has continued, exacerbated by the economic decline within the valley itself ...'

Aber Valley Heritage Group

Sustrans

'The development of roads was significantly advanced in Medieval Scotland by the increased hegemony of the church. This road was probably in existence before 1200 but around this time it was appropiated and developed by the monks in Balmerino Abbey to facilitate the transport of stone from Nydie quarry for the improvement of the Abbey.'

Heritage Paths

'This walk is a lovely wander around the Pateley Bridge area. It is also a fascinating history lesson. The walk starts in the town and takes us to the lovely Fishpond Wood near Bewerley. We then head west over deep green meadows covered in swathes of buttercup and vetch. Eventually we arrive at the edge of Coldstones Quarry at Greenhow. Coldstones is a working quarry with accommodation for a viewing of modern quarrying techniques should you wish to visit. Our walk takes us past the quarry and round Bewerley Moor to visit old lead workings at the disused Cockhill and Providence Mines ...'

The Walking Englishman

Bewerley Moor and The Coldstones Cut [Happy Hiker]

'A number of walks have been created to help you discover the hidden corners of the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape World Heritage Site. These take you from the Bronze Age, through the Industrial Revolution and into a landscape and history that inspired the author Alexander Cordell.'

'The extent of Bristol’s Floating Harbour – nearly eight miles of water across three miles of the city – makes for a tremendously varied landscape. This Booklet [PDF] describes several trails that walkers and cyclists can follow alongside all of these waterways. We encourage you to explore for yourselves the byways and mysteries that this unique feature of Bristol offers.'

Bristol Floating Harbour

'This promoted route is newly sign-posted with yellow waymarker discs showing a fishwife logo, and an excellent leaflet [PDF] is also available locally. We are informed that the route is very accessible and can be walked using a bus service between Keith and Buckie.'

Heritage Paths

'Runs from Minera Lead Mines to King’s Mill. It is an easy to follow waymarked path along the river helping you to enjoy the natural beauty of this peaceful valley and uncover its rich history.'

Wrexham County Borough Council

'The Copper Trail was devised and researched by Mark Camp.  The full trail guide is available from good local bookshops ... Mark Camp is known as an authority on Bodmin Moor.  In 2005, he excelled himself with a continuous 60 mile trail around the moor, which he calls the Copper Trail, appropriately since Minions and Caradon Hill were once the centre of a great copper mining boom.'

Oliver’s Cornwall

'On this free self-guided walk in north Bolton, you’ll visit sites of early cotton mills, weaving sheds and bleachworks, be introduced to entrepreneurs and workers in the textile industry, but also footballers, singers, Glo-White, a psychoanalyst, fighter pilot, an actor, a DJ, a children’s writer, refugees and rogues.'  The Digital Album 'includes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.'

Live From Worktown

'Members of the Milestone Society are leading a group of local community organisations in establishing the "Crossing the Pennines" Heritage Trail in the scenic valley of the River Colne in Yorkshire. Our trail showcases the travel and transport history that shaped the West Riding ...'

The Milestone Society

'The Dramway Path is a 9-mile linear walk that follows sections of the route of a nineteenth century tramway which carried coal from Coalpit Heath in the Bristol coalfield down to the River Avon.'

South Gloucestershire Council

'The Dulais Valley is an ex-coal mining community situated at the northern boundary of Neath Port Talbot and is on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park ... The trails on this site will help you to learn more about the valley and its history. Explore the links ... to see school trails, village trails, a time line and other useful information.'

Dulais Valley Partnership

'Links together fourteen community Green Spaces that offer a variety of amenities from Beaufort Hill Woodlands in the North to Llanhilleth in the south.'

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council

'The three historic listed viaducts owned by the Trust were constructed for the South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway for its opening in 1861. After a working life of almost exactly 100 years they were abandoned by British Railways until acquired by the Trust, Smardale Gill in 1989, Podgill in 2000 and Merrygill a few years later. Smardale Gill, in particular, needed extensive restoraton in the early 1990s, the others less so. The Trust also owns a number of lesser structures along the course of the former railway.'

The Northern Viaduct Trust

'It is thought that Ely’s name relates to a time when the city was surrounded by marsh and its main trade was in eels. Eels are still caught in the River Ouse, and provided the inspiration behind the Ely Eel Trail – a series of works around the city by Elizabeth Jane Grosse that were commissioned by East Cambridgeshire District Council. '

Visit Ely

'From the remains of the old foundries in Hayle to the engine houses scattered throughout the landscape, the reminders of Cornwall's industrial heritage are everywhere along this Trail.' Hayle to Truro.

Cornwall Council

'Iron, Steam, Coal and Countryside ... A Network of Walks off the Weardale Way'

Durham County Council

'Walk through woodland and meadows, and past relics of industry.'

Shropshire’s Great Outdoors

'This website has been built to show iconic photos of Great Yarmouth's transport heritage. It also shows a suggested trail you can follow around Great Yarmouth, based on the route of the old trams.'  The website is referenced from the Vauxhall Links Project: 'one of the first groups in the UK to receive a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) All Our Stories grant'.

Vauxhall Links

'Used in the 18th and 19th centuries when the herring industry was strong.  It was used by people bringing home a stock of salted herring for winter use and also by fishwives carrying huge creels of herring from Dunbar to the markets in Lauder ... Gradually the speed and ease of the railway lines left little need for people to carry huge weights of fish over this high pass and it fell out of use.  It is probably a long time since a herring has passed by this way. Another historic route similarly used for the trade in fish is the Buckie Fishwives Path, Moray.'

Heritage Paths

One of a series of walks 'In the Footsteps of the Iron-makers'.

Blaenau Gwent Borough Council

'There is a wealth of interesting history associated to the area surrounding Blagdon's Meadow and the River Plym. The Laira is part of the Plym Estuary. It extends north from Laira Bridge to the A38 dual carriageway at Marsh Mills.'

Visit Plymouth

'If there's one thing that Lancashire is famous for, it's the delicious local produce. Lancashire cheese has been made across the county by generations of dairy farmers. Now you can discover this scrumptious local delicacy on these three cheese trails.'

Rural Futures

'If you're interested in the history of Leeds, the Leeds Industrial Heritage Trail is the ideal way to find out more about people, places and spaces that have made this multicultural and vibrant city what it is today. The Trail is easy to follow on foot and most of the places of interest are within walking or cycling distance of each other.'

Leeds International Study Centre | Leeds City Council

''Comprises two different tours of the town for you to choose from. Both are designed to cover the most intact parts of the remaining historic hatting districts of Luton, each with their own architecture and character that are linked together by the hat trade of the 19th and 20th centuries.'

Luton Borough Council

'Winds its way through the picturesque countryside of East Kent, linking together pretty villages, small farmsteads, grand country estates and remains of this area's industrial and mining heritage. Much of this arable landscape, profuse with hedges and woodlands, has not changed since Saxon times and the names of the villages and hamlets you pass on the route are firmly lodged in their Old English origins.'

White Cliffs Countryside Partnership

Choose How You Move

'The North Calder Heritage Trail, which runs from Summerlee Heritage Park to Hillend Reservoir, was formally opened on 1st October 1999 by Karen Whitefield MSP.'

RouteYou

'The historic 19th century Waggonways network was once used to haul coal to ships on the River Tyne from dozens of coal mines in the borough, but had fallen into disrepair over many years. In 2000 North Tyneside Council successfully bid for over £2m worth of funding to transform more than 30 miles of routes as part of the Government's Liveability Fund. The former haulage routes were transformed into a welcoming and accessible community leisure, travel and learning resource.'

'A circular walk through Northwick and Bevere, along existing rights of way, has been way-marked and illustrated with interpretation panels and reconstruction drawings, bringing the fascinating story of this historic landscape to life.'

Industrial Tour

'Celebrates the iron and steel history of the Borough. Linking Eston and Skinningrove the trail follows public footpaths passing industrial sites. One aspect of the trail is that it recognises the commitment of many of the villages and community groups that are promoting the importance of heritage in their area.'

Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum

'If you've picked up the heritage bug and want to explore Salford's history further for yourself, why not take the next step and go on one of our range of fascinating self-guided walks ... Each one encompasses a different area of the city.'

Visit Salford

'From the end of the 18th Century until the beginning of the 20th Century the slate valley communities of Gwynedd - Ogwen, Peris, Nantlle, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Corris - were dynamic, thriving industrial areas. Between them these areas consisted of over 60 quarries and mines employing over 18,000 people. The quarrymen and their families created distinctive communities, overwhelmingly Welsh speaking and Non-conformist. The slate industry itself dramatically changed the landscape - slate tips, quarry buildings and railways can still be seen today ...'

Visit Snowdonia

'Circular walking route that takes you on a journey around known, and lesser known, heritage sites within the Parishes of Stirchley & Brookside, Madeley, Dawley Hamlets and the Gorge.'

Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council

'Walking trail around Spen Valley West Yorkshire through countryside, parkland and urban roads. It was created by Cleckheaton & District Rotary Club in 2000 as a Millenium project.'

Spen Valley Civic Society

Spen Way Heritage Trail [GPS Cycle & Walking Routes]

'Stone to Steel is a project celebrating 10,000 years of human history in the Upper Don Valley. It is a partnership between the Steel Valley Project, South Yorkshire Forest Partnership and Sheffield City Council that covers an area of approximately ten square miles around the Don and Little Don river valleys up to the border of the Peak District and Barnsley. It encompasses the towns and villages of Stocksbridge, Deepcar, Wharncliffe Side, Oughtibridge, Bolsterstone, Midhopestones and Grenoside.'

Steel Valley Project

'Take a stroll through Barnoldswick on the Steam and Stream Heritage Trail. The Trail charts the changes in Barnoldswick's industrial past, from the earliest water powered mills, on to steam power, and then to modern engineering processes.'

Visit Pendle

'The Harbour Heritage Trail is the best way to discover everything Sutton Harbour has to offer, from its history and heritage to the best places to eat and drink. The one-mile circular route off the South West Coast Path reopened in the summer of 2013, after works were completed to improve accessibility and safety for walkers, wheelchair users and pushchairs.'

Experience Sutton Harbour

Swannington Heritage Trust

'Four fascinating, mainly town trails, giving an insight into the cotton industry, the canal, and water power. Points of interest along the way include 16th Marsden Hall, award-winning Lomeshaye Marsh Local Nature Reserve, St Mary's Church, with the second highest spire in Lancashire, and Selina Cooper's home, a famous local suffragist, and fighter for worker's rights.'

Visit Pendle

'25km of new and improved trails which have been created as part of the Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project. They open up parts of the Tamar Valley that were previously not accessible to the public.'

'Between Haytor on Dartmoor and Teignmouth on the south coast; the Way traces the route by which granite was exported from Dartmoor via the unique Haytor Granite Tramway and the Stover Canal and is comprehensively waymarked except on the open moor.'

Devon County Council

Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site

'The Wool Towns region includes five of the most picturesque places in the East of England – Clare, Hadleigh, Lavenham, Long Melford and Sudbury as well as shining a light on the beauty of the surrounding towns and villages. Each of our localities have their own proud characteristics and attractions while together they are linked by a common heritage. We are proud to unite and share this history that derives from medieval industry that was based upon wool and weaving.'

Sudbury Ramblers

Walk connecting two Timeballs, one in Deal, the other in Greenwich, which used to be synchronized via the Telegraph wires of the South Eastern Railway.

'Southampton will forever be associated with the liner RMS Titanic and there are a number of memorials in the city dedicated to those who perished when the ship sank in 1912 ...'

CruiseSouthampton

'Come and enjoy the changing faces of Middlesbrough with this walk, which takes in the iconic Transporter Bridge, clock tower and then on to Temenos (the world acclaimed sculpture by Anish Kapoor).'

Middlesbrough Council

'The 15.2 kilometre Trevithick Trail commemorates the first journey by a steam locomotive to pull a load on rails in 1804, the precursor of the Railway Age which changed the world in the 19th century ... Two years after the completion of its construction in 1802, the Cornishman Richard Trevithick ran a steam locomotive along its length, an event that was to establish a landmark in the history of railway development and forever link the tramroad with the name of the locomotive's constructor.'

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council

Archival Website of a 'three year, £650,000 project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to record, present and celebrate the quarrying and stone working heritage of Rossendale. From the late 18th century to the time of the First World War, quarrying was a major industry in Rossendale, employing thousands of men. Rossendale stone was exported in huge quantities throughout the UK and beyond'.

Valley of Stone Project

'Why not park your car and explore the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site by foot or bicycle? This Leaflet describes a variety of walks and cycle rides from each of the main car parks in the Gorge.'

Telford & Wrekin Council

'Together Parys Mountain and the town and Port of Amlwch form the "Copper Kingdom", one of the most important visitor attractions on the Isle of Anglesey and historically one of the most important in Europe. WalkAmlwch are the official guides to the Copper Kingdom, if haven't seen it with us, you haven't seen it!'

The Copper Kingdom

'The Irvine Valley towns of Darvel and Newmilns were, until recently, world famous in the manufacture of lace products ... Before the factory system was introduced with the advent of the power loom in 1872, lace was produced on handlooms in hundreds of cottages in the Valley. The handloom weavers in the days of this domestic system of manufacture then walked over the moor with their rolls of cloth to sell them in the markets of Paisley and Glasgow - hence the name The Weavers' Trail.'

Heritage Paths

'Wirral has a rich heritage with many historic sites. There are 26 conservation areas in Wirral - including Port Sunlight and Hamilton Square - which are of national importance. The Wirral Conservation Areas and Heritage Trail is a new series of routes that takes in many of the area's historic sites. The trail includes 40 heritage assets and they can be covered on foot, by bike and by car.'

Wirral Council

'Along the way you'll be exploring Lancashire's history, passing weavers cottages, Tudor halls, Victorian estates, historic villages and even Roman roads.'

Blackburn with Darwen Council