A disused railway between the Buckinghamshire town of Princes Risborough and the Oxfordshire town of Thame has been converted to a cycle path, and was the route of my third walk while visiting Louise and her family.
The railway was opened in August 1862 and operated passenger services until January 1963. Freight services continued until 1989 when the route was completely closed and most of the track lifted.
The route was later converted to a cycle route known as the Phoenix Trail, and a sculpture trail of some 30 items was created along its five mile route, many of them inspired by a railway theme. This collage includes four of the sculptures and a genuine railway relic.
The two shots on the left are inspired by railway signalling - a disc signal, and a signal arm which can be moved by raising or lowering the tip-up seat near its base.
I'm not sure of the inspiration for the next two, but both these characters were at the top of tall poles. One appears afraid of heights, and the other appears to be enjoying the view.
The shot on the right is the genuine railway relic, surrounded by undergrowth on the outskirts of Thame. It is a speed restriction sign for trains approaching an open crossing.
A short but very worthwhile walk, with a few detours from the route into nearby villages to see and learn about their history too.
Thank you Kate, it was a lovely short walk. The trail and it's sculptures were fascinating, and there were villages close to the trail to look round too.
Thank you Debbie - quite a few cycle tracks in the UK have sculptures along them. For example there is one that runs south from York which has a scale model of the solar system along its nine mile route.
Ian
October 10th, 2014
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Thank you Julia, glad you like it.
Ian
Thank you Margaret - it was a fascinating collection of sculptures.
Ian
Thank you Beth - I was quite entranced by the collection of sculptures and took lots of photos!
Ian
Thank you Ivan, there was quite a variety of interesting sculptures along the route.
Ian
Thank you Bruni, glad you like it.
Ian
Thank you Dianne - I need to do a bit more research to find out about these characters
Ian
Thank you Ferry - I was surprised to see so many sculptures in such a short distance.
Ian
Thank you Lynne - the trail was well used, particularly by cyclists.
Ian
Thank you Graham and thank you for the fav!
Ian
Thank you Gloria - the sculptures were fascinating, and so many in such a short route.
Ian
Thank you Brian, glad you like it.
Ian
Thank you Kate, it was a lovely short walk. The trail and it's sculptures were fascinating, and there were villages close to the trail to look round too.
Ian
Thank you Debbie - quite a few cycle tracks in the UK have sculptures along them. For example there is one that runs south from York which has a scale model of the solar system along its nine mile route.
Ian