Bixlade and Cannop

One week after we moved to the Forest of Dean in 2012 I joined a walking group, and the first walk they took me on was the one I'm going to describe now. Since that day it's become a favourite of mine but I've never blogged about it, so here goes...

The walk begins near The Forest of Dean Stonefirms' works at the southern end of Cannop Ponds and initially follows the course of the former Bickslade (sic) Tramroad, which was used to bring coal and quarried stone down Bixlade. Many of the stone blocks that supported the rails are still clearly visible.

This old tramroad had the distinction of being the last horse-drawn one in the Forest of Dean to close, back in 1946, though a short stretch by the stoneworks stayed in use until 1950.

A little way up the tramroad is one of the Forest's free mines. To qualify as a Freeminer one has to have been born and live within the Hundred of St Briavels, be over the age of 21 and to have worked for a year and a day in a mine within the Hundred. Since the only operational coal mines in the Forest of Dean are the free ones, I imagine that the source of qualifying miners must diminish with the passing years. Perhaps one day they'll change the rules.

Monument Mine

This one is known as Monument Mine because of its proximity to a poignant reminder of the days when coal mining was anything but a safe occupation.

In 1902 the Union Mine flooded when water broke through from some abandoned workings (just as happened in a recent episode of Poldark). Seven miners were trapped and four lost their lives. It is said that when the dead miners were finally recovered, these two brothers, Thomas and Amos James, were found embracing one another.

After Monument Mine the course of the old tramroad steepens and becomes a pleasant forest path, threading its way between trees and lush undergrowth. Even pulling empty wagons up here must have been hard work for the horses; no wonder they used three of them.

Near the top there are several old stone quarries, including this fenced-off one. Regular readers of my blog will know that I'm rarely deterred by such things, particularly when it's clear that others have gone before me.

Disappointingly, there wasn't much to see at the quarry edge. I could have picked my way along a rough path and descended to the quarry bottom, but thought better of it and recrossed the fence to safety. 

The modern Bixhead quarry is but a stone's throw from here. When I visited with the walking group in 2012 some of the guys clambered up heaps of quarry waste for a closer look, but that was a Saturday when the quarry wasn't operational. On this day I could hear lorries moving about the quarry and so elected to play it safe and resume my walk.

Leaving the course of the Bickslade Tramroad, our chosen path skirted Bixhead and descended to cross a road near another Free Mine – Hopewell. This one is open to the public and will hopefully be the subject of a future post. 

A Rowan imparted a splash of colour to the forest path. A nearby sign warned us to beware of speeding cyclists, for this area of the forest is popular with mountain bikers who love racing down the slopes and performing dare-devil leaps. "Good for them!" I say. 'Tis a big forest with room for us all, though I prefer to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground.

Here is 'home base' for the forest's biking fraternity – Cannop Cycle Centre. One day I think I just might put aside my misgivings, hire a bike from here and pedal the 9 mile Family Cycle Trail. One day... 

I've walked every inch of this trail in the past 6 years but yes, it might be fun to do it on two wheels. I doubt that I'll ever be an avid biker, though. You see so much more when walking.

The cycle way follows the course of the old Severn & Wye Joint Railway and crosses a main road near Speech House. Here used to be Speech House Road Station but not a trace of it remains. Well, perhaps just one little trace, discovered by S--. 

It's too far from the station site to be one of the old platforms. Ah, an invitation for a little research – a beloved hobby of mine! When I got home I went online and looked at the 1903 25-inch OS map.

Clicking the map gives a clearer view. I reckon that S--'s platform is where the crane is shown at the bottom right of the map. It looks like a trans-shipment wharf for the Howlerslade Tramroad, which runs off to the left. 

Shortly after Speech House Road the cycle way runs beside Cannop Ponds. We left the cyclists to their energetic pursuits and walked along a lakeside path. These two lovely ponds were created to supply water to Parkend Ironworks. Now peace reigns supreme and they're home to ducks, coots, moorhens, swans and lots of fish.

Finally, we passed beside the stoneworks that I mentioned at the beginning of this post. It's possible to see almost the whole process from the footpath, from the arrival of the giant quarried stones to the end products.