The Iron Man came to the top of the cliff. How far had he walked? Nobody knows. Where had he come from? Nobody knows. How was he made? Nobody knows. Taller than a house, the Iron Man stood at the top of the cliff, on the very brink, in the darkness. Ted Hughes – The Iron Man.
Continuing on the Great Northern Railway theme, this morning’s walk took me on a circular route around the Bennerley Viaduct – The Iron Giant. Starting from (the new) Ilkeston Station, the first part of my route took me alongside the Erewash Canal.
The viaduct isn’t visible from the canal towpath until you’ve almost arrived. This was my first glimpse of it.
I walked up the ramp from the canal to the deck. Amazingly, I was the only person on the viaduct at around 10am this morning. It creaks a little when you walk on it and there are some alarmingly large rusty holes between the edge of the deck and the railings, but I imagine that it’s safe enough. It has been there since 1877, after all.
The Nottinghamshire end is currently fenced off, as the Friends of Bennerley Viaduct charity is working to improve access for visitors. A ramp up to the viaduct is being constructed (when I visited after it opened to the public a couple of years ago, the only way up to the viaduct from that side was by a set of rather steep steps). The work is running behind schedule (it was originally meant to be finished in June, then August) but the closure really doesn’t spoil the enjoyment of this behemoth. There is also evidence of a car park and visitor centre being constructed.
Retracing my steps, I head along a footpath just off the canal towpath to view the viaduct from underneath. It’s an astounding sight.
At the moment it’s not possible to do very much walking under the Iron Giant, due to a combination of the closure of the access from the Awsworth end and the closure of the unsafe bridge into the former Bennerley Sidings to the North of the viaduct. So I head back to the canal towpath and follow it to the Erewash Valley bridleway, hoping to see a wider perspective. The map seems to suggest that it should be possible, but it’s well hidden behind trees and bushes again. I spot a gap in the fence off the bridleway and into the sidings, scramble up a bank, and at last I get an end to end view.
For something so large, far taller than a house, it vanishes with seeming ease into the surroundings of the Erewash Valley. I’m sure that at some point this site will be redeveloped, but for the moment the Iron Giant stands alone.
I walk back along the Awsworth branch of the Nottingham Canal which is a busy spot for anglers. One final glance back at the viaduct from the South and before long I’m back at Ilkeston Station.
It really is worth the effort to visit the viaduct, which should become easier when the car park opens at the Awsworth side. In the meantime, don’t let a 20-25 minute walk from the long stay car park at Ilkeston Station put you off going. At the time of writing, this is a bargain at £3 for 24 hours, or £1.50 if you arrive after 10am.
To the maps. The first is the area in 1966, with Bennerley Sidings visible to the North of the viaduct.
The second is of my walk today.
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