Old Railway and a Tunnel

 A few of us set out with permission (it's private land) to walk from The Byddwn Nature Reserve to the tunnel entrance on the old railway line the reserve occupies part of.

It was a good winter walk and we did record a rare-for-the-county sedge in the wet area near the tunnel so small steps at this time of year towards the Atlas recording project that mainly occupies us.

The tunnel is now a haven for bats and is locked so we obviously didn't go in.

The semi-bridge for the Mill Stream that is part of the reserve. 

I say semi-bridge as it is substantial on this side and just a culvert on the other...

The tunnel on the Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway

This part of the railway followed the course of the 1816 Hay Railway, a tram-road worked by horses connecting the town of Hay with the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal at Brecon. This tunnel required widening and deepening for use by standard gauge trains. The original 674-yard long tunnel opened on May 7, 1816 as part of the Brecon to Hay tramway.

A peek inside - remarkable how modern cameras can pick up more than the eye can see,

---------------------------------------------------------------------

And totally unrelated - a trip to Yorkshire via Hayfield has me photographing all around this very patient and still heron on the River Kinder at Hayfield...