The Lancaster Canal
The northern part of the Lancaster Canal between Tewitfield and Kendal is no longer in use.
Until 1942 the Lancaster Canal connected Preston with Kendal. Known as the Black and White canal it carried coal north from the Lancashire Coalfields, and limestone south from Cumbria.
Apart from the eight locks at Tewitfield the canal followed the contours of the countryside and was very flat.
Competition from trains and roads eventually led to the locks at Tewitfield to be closed and Tewitfield became the northern terminus of the canal.
Although this part of the canal is no longer in use, the towpath is still well maintained and popular with walkers and cyclists.
The Hincaster Tunnel was built with no towpath and boats were pulled through the tunnel using chains along its length. Meanwhile horses that towed the boats found their own way by following a path over the top of the canal.
The West Coast Mainline
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, and Glasgow. It is one of the busiest mixed-traffic railway routes in Europe, carrying a mixture of intercity rail, regional rail, commuter rail and rail freight traffic. The core route of the WCML runs from London to Glasgow, with branches diverging to Northampton, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, totalling a route mileage of 700 miles (1,127 km). Services from London to North Wales and Edinburgh also run via the WCML; however the main London-Edinburgh route is the East Coast Main Line. In addition, several sections of the WCML form part of the suburban railway systems in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow, with many more smaller commuter stations, as well as providing links to more rural towns.
It is one of the busiest freight routes in Europe, carrying 40% of all UK rail freight traffic. The line is the principal rail freight corridor linking the European mainland (via the Channel Tunnel) through London and South East England to the West Midlands, North West England and Scotland.[5] The line has been declared a strategic European route and designated a priority Trans-European Networks (TENS) route.
Much of the line has a maximum speed of 125 mph (201 km/h), meeting the European Union's definition of an upgraded high-speed line,[6] although only Class 390 Pendolinos and Class 221 Super Voyagers with tilting mechanisms operated by Virgin Trains travel at that speed. Other traffic is limited to 110 mph (177 km/h).
link
The Bridge
The railway line passes over Hincaster Canal Tunnel, and at this point the single arch bridge crosses over the Horse Path.
It is numbered 174b on the Lancaster Canal.
The bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building.
"Railway bridge over sunken horse path. c1846. Engineer Joseph Locke. Roughly dressed rusticated limestone walls and parapet; dressed limestone keystone and band ramped at right angles to form coping to retaining walls on East side; rubble retaining walls on West side; brick barrel vault. Semi-circular head to openings: west end lower in height due to sloping footpath."
link