This is probably the shortest, easiest tunnel you could ever hope to do: two minutes from the roadside, no access issues and only 279 yards long - no side adits to explore or anything of huge interest so I wasn't going to put a report up on this one but a bit of interest over on my Kettleness/Sandsend Tunnel thread sparked this one off.
History
Part of the Whitby-Scarborough railway line from the late nineteenth century, the line from Whitby ran over the enormous Larpool viaduct before heading up to Hawsker then around the coast to Robin Hood's Bay. From here, a steep (for trains) 1 in 39 climb took the line up to Ravenscar where the station was somewhat prosaically named 'Peak' (it's the highest point on the line between Whitby and Scarborough). The plans were just to run the line overland to Peak station before beginning the long descent towards Scarborough - these were scuppered by the Lord of Raven Hall (W.H. Hammond) who refused to let a railway run over his land and spoil his view therefore a short tunnel (with a relatively sharp curve and steep gradient) had to be built to accommodate Lord Pimply-Butt's desires. The line was closed in the 1950s and the track ripped up - the tunnels on this stretch have therefore been abandoned ever since - Ravenscar is in pretty decent nick compared to some of the others and has stayed collapse-free but there are now signs of time taking its toll on the internal brick and stonework.
The Disused Stations website has some great archive shots of the tunnel.
Tunnel report
Entering through the western portal is an absolute doddle (even the undergrowth seems to have been cut back recently) and you're immediately inside a fairly dry and colourful tunnel:
Less sooty and dark than Sandsend and drier underfoot too! No ventilation shafts or side adits out to the cliff edge to add some spice, just the standard brick/stone refuges built into the tunnel walls:
There is evidence of strain on some of the brick and stonework further down in the tunnel towards the east portal:
It's not long at all until you're at the east portal, looking back:
So then you head back through, paying more attention to what's going on in there, playing about with the camera and lights (see below for a lights on/lights off comparison shot):
There is a little bit of damp in there (tinted with the characteristic ochre colour from iron present in the local area):
Again, it's not long before you're looking at the west portal again:
So you play around with some daft selfies before you head home:
There you have it: a quick, simple and pleasant way of spending an hour or so if the weather is crap!
Thanks for reading.
History
Part of the Whitby-Scarborough railway line from the late nineteenth century, the line from Whitby ran over the enormous Larpool viaduct before heading up to Hawsker then around the coast to Robin Hood's Bay. From here, a steep (for trains) 1 in 39 climb took the line up to Ravenscar where the station was somewhat prosaically named 'Peak' (it's the highest point on the line between Whitby and Scarborough). The plans were just to run the line overland to Peak station before beginning the long descent towards Scarborough - these were scuppered by the Lord of Raven Hall (W.H. Hammond) who refused to let a railway run over his land and spoil his view therefore a short tunnel (with a relatively sharp curve and steep gradient) had to be built to accommodate Lord Pimply-Butt's desires. The line was closed in the 1950s and the track ripped up - the tunnels on this stretch have therefore been abandoned ever since - Ravenscar is in pretty decent nick compared to some of the others and has stayed collapse-free but there are now signs of time taking its toll on the internal brick and stonework.
The Disused Stations website has some great archive shots of the tunnel.
Tunnel report
Entering through the western portal is an absolute doddle (even the undergrowth seems to have been cut back recently) and you're immediately inside a fairly dry and colourful tunnel:
Less sooty and dark than Sandsend and drier underfoot too! No ventilation shafts or side adits out to the cliff edge to add some spice, just the standard brick/stone refuges built into the tunnel walls:
There is evidence of strain on some of the brick and stonework further down in the tunnel towards the east portal:
It's not long at all until you're at the east portal, looking back:
So then you head back through, paying more attention to what's going on in there, playing about with the camera and lights (see below for a lights on/lights off comparison shot):
There is a little bit of damp in there (tinted with the characteristic ochre colour from iron present in the local area):
Again, it's not long before you're looking at the west portal again:
So you play around with some daft selfies before you head home:
There you have it: a quick, simple and pleasant way of spending an hour or so if the weather is crap!
Thanks for reading.