I cannot see the first a Toller since the platform face in the photo is made of brick whereas Toller was of stone. The line also seems to have been double at one time where as Toller was not.

£1m accessible route isn't accessible because of 15 stone steps and stiles


Wheelchair user Morgan Jones can't access the route because of the stile

More than £1m has been spent on creating an accessible route – that isn't accessible.

Bikers and wheelchair users have said a redeveloped two-mile section of a bridle path along the River Dee is not accessible to everyone.

The path links the communities of Corwen and Cynwyd, in Denbighshire. Critics have said they cannot access it because they have to climb down 15 stone steps to reach it. The path also has fences and stiles.

Denbighshire council said it was working with landowners to improve access.

Wheelchair-user Morgan Jones is angry he cannot access the entire route. "I can't understand why the council hasn't put in that ramp. I feel that disabled people in a wheelchair are a second thought. I'm quite frustrated to be honest. It's 2026. It's a shame that I have to fight for accessibility."

Ross Adams, from Cycling UK, says it is a shame the route is not accessible to all. “It’s great that progress was made but then it stalled and it’s got to a situation where it may as well not have started because it’s almost a pointless exercise," he said. “We’ve got a situation at both ends of the active travel corridor where people can’t really access it, so it begs the question, why was it put in in the first place?"


Fifteen steps leading to footpath

Active travel is one of the Welsh government's commitments to encourage more walking and cycling.

Work to convert the old railway line began in 2024 with funding from a wider pot of £3.8m from the UK government’s Levelling Up scheme.

Much of the path now has a new tarmac surface, costing more than £1m. But in Cynwyd, access to the route is down the steps.

At the Corwen end, the grass path runs through private pieces of land which are demarcated on the path with fencing and stiles, over which travellers need to be able to climb.



Dafydd Morris, from Corwen Town Council, said: “We desperately need accessible gates here so horses, bikers, wheelchairs - everybody - can access. Denbighshire County Council and the landowners need to come to an agreement." He added: “It’s a beautiful path along the riverside and it’s a shame so many people can’t access it."

A Denbighshire council spokesperson said the first phase of works was finished recently where "improvements to the existing steps" were made at Cynwyd and a new tarmac surface was laid. They said funding had been secured for a ramp to the path in Cynwyd.

"We understand that the existing route is popular with the local residents and would like to thank them for their patience and understanding during the first construction phase whilst the path was closed," the spokesperson said.

"The council have been successful in applying for further funding to introduce a ramp at the Cynwyd end of the path to improve accessibility for pushchairs and wheelchair users which will be completed by spring 2027. We are also currently developing works to improve the accessibility of the path at the Corwen/A5 end."

Weston super Mare generally closes on a Sunday - it's in rural Somerset. 

"Why, Manchester, why?": Cyclist blocked from using cycle route as cargo bike won't fit through barriers

It’s the latest bike path barrier shocker, this time from Manchester where this rider found their cargo bike access to an off-road cycle route blocked by some extensive barrier-ing. Worse still, they tried a different entrance to the route and found the same problem.

What a way to ruin a cargo bike IKEA run.

We’ve reported on numerous of these cases across the country over the years. It’s often outdated barriers from years gone by that council’s haven’t got round to removing yet.

In some cases that’s giving the local authority in question too much credit… yes, some are still installing barriers like these on their cycle routes. The reason for more recent installations is often given as ‘to stop anti-social behaviour such as kids on motorbikes, quad bikes or any other vehicle that shouldn’t be on a cycle route’.

Regular readers will know, I have an appalling track record of identifying anywhere around Taunton. 

My guess for the second one would be Powerstock. No idea on the first

As long as you also ensure that you post a map of both stops locations so those who do not know the town well know how to reach the other stop?

Your pint could come with a surprising health benefit



Drinking the odd pint of beer can provide "substantial levels" of an essential brain-boosting vitamin in your diet, according to new research in a respected journal.

The vitamin B6 is good for the brain, blood and immune system and is found in a wide variety of foods.

A beer "serving" might meet around 15% of your daily B6 requirement, the authors say, and even alcohol-free lager could have the same effect.

Many of the raw ingredients used to make beer, including barley, wheat and brewer's yeast, contain vitamin B6 and the brewing process doesn't kill it all off, research suggests.

B6 is an essential nutrient that we get through food. Good sources of B6 are meat and fish, but it's also present in other foods, including porridge oats, potatoes and chickpeas. Many breakfast cereals have added B6 too.

Being truly deficient in B6 is rare, although sometimes levels can be a bit low, often alongside a lack of other B vitamins, such as B12, which can leave you feeling tired and nauseous.

(BBC article continues)

Dear Community Rail Network member, 
 
I am writing to let you all know that, with heavy heart, I will be leaving Community Rail Network at the end of June, after nine and a half years in post. 
 
I am so proud of everything we have achieved together over the years, and the incredibly impactful and influential place that the community rail movement has landed in, thanks to the efforts and passion of everyone involved. I know that community rail, and Community Rail Network, has a brilliant future ahead. 
 
However, the time is right for me to move on to pastures new and fresh challenges. I am moving on to become chief executive of the Institute for Social Value, taking an array of enriching experience that I’ve gained influencing a more socially minded and beneficial railway, and growing a national membership organisation. I do hope we will stay in touch and that there will be opportunities to work together again in the future.

continues

Two trains collide head-on in Denmark, leaving five critically hurt


The trains collided head-on between the towns of Hillerød and Kagerup about 40km (25 miles) north-west of the capital

Two trains have collided head-on on a level crossing north west of Copenhagen, leaving five people critically hurt and 12 others with minor injuries, medical officials say.

The trains were travelling early on Thursday on a line linking the towns of Hillerød and Kagerup in the North Zealand area of north-east Denmark, with a total of 38 people on board, according to police.

Tim Ole Simonsen of the Greater Copenhagen fire department was unable to say what led to the crash but told Danish TV that all the injured had been taken to hospital by air or by ambulance.

Local mayor Trine Egetved said she was deeply shaken by the accident.

Public broadcaster DR showed images of two yellow and grey trains, both with visible damage to the front, facing each other in a wooded area.

Officials said the trains collided at 06:29 local time (05:29 BST) on Thursday and fire and rescue teams were alerted immediately.

Egetved, who is mayor of the Gribskov municipality, said those with critical injuries had been flown to the National Hospital in Copenhagen.

"The local track is used by many Gribskov residents, workers and students," she wrote on Facebook.



Denmark's Accident Investigation Board arrived at the scene during the morning and Inspector Morten Pedersen of North Zealand police said they would be working together to find out what had happened.

Pedersen told reporters it was far too early to know the cause of the crash.

Rail accidents are rare in Denmark and one expert suggested one of the train drivers had ended up on the wrong line by over-riding a stop signal as the train left a local station. The Gribskov line is not thought to have been updated with an automated safety system.

Trine Egetved told public broadcaster DR that it was shocking that two trains could collide head-on "and we must ensure it never happens again".

The crash happened around 40km (25 miles) north of the capital Copenhagen.

At least 12 other people have minor injuries, according to the Greater Copenhagen Fire Department.

The crash prompted a massive emergency response for what police described as a major incident.

Photos from the scene show the front ends of the trains smashed together, with both remaining upright on the tracks.

The two local trains collided on a train line linking the towns of Hillerod and Kagerup, police said.

"It is two ‌local trains that have collided head-on," a spokesperson for the emergency rescue services told Reuters.

"There are injuries among the ⁠passengers. Everyone is out ​of the trains, so no ​one is trapped," ⁠the spokesperson added. "Large resources ​have been dispatched to the scene."



The injured have been transported away from the scene in ambulances and helicopters, the fire department said.