I went full childhood mode and hiked the old Great Central Railway through fields, brambles and barbed wire to reach Swithland Sidings, the signal box and the mighty Swithland Viaduct. Then it escalated: the signal master stopped me, and I had a very close call with a train on the bridge. All for the shot — and for you lot.
This is Leicestershire rail history you can feel under your boots: stone bridges, perfect brickwork, and the sweep across Swithland Reservoir. If you grew up around the GCR, you’ll get the nostalgia. If you didn’t, this is your front-row ticket to a line that should never have been lost.
What you’ll see in this video:
The walk-in across fields to Swithland Sidings and the signal box
A real-time telling-off (yep, that happened)
The approach to Swithland Viaduct and that near miss on the track
The reservoir views and why this stretch still feels epic today
Why heritage railways matter — and why the GCR is special
I’m disabled and I push hard to bring you proper on-the-ground footage — cuts, scratches, bruises and all. If you enjoy this kind of raw, real exploration, hit subscribe and tell me where to go next. Your views and comments help me keep the channel moving — and one day, maybe even fund that electric bike to reach the tougher locations.
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#Safety: Heritage railways are active lines with real risks. Be respectful of boundaries, follow local rules, and never step onto live track or restricted areas. This video is a record of a personal experience; do not copy it.
#Chapters (suggested)
00:00 The plan: reach Swithland Viaduct
00:35 Fields, brambles, barbed wire
01:20 Signal box & the telling-off
02:15 Reservoir views & bridge crossing
03:05 Near miss on the viaduct
04:00 Heading out — final thoughts
#LifeInTheUKToday #GreatCentralRailway #Swithland #UKTrains #RailwayHistory
7 Comments
Should I do more lost-railway adventures or focus on heritage lines with public access only? Drop your picks below — and subscribe so you don’t miss the next one! 🚂✨
NOT Allowed!!!😅😅😅
🤣 did you want to be informus?😂
Lovely video excellent job, reported for walking absolutely ridiculous, enjoy the rest of your day avoid the brambles
Less of adventures mate please lol. At least that guy had common sense not to call police on you but if he did you would be in trouble. It's not like they can charge you with much (it's not like you could steal railway) but they seems to be good at ruining people's day (or two).
Sean, you are a naughty old bugger. liked the video.
A lot of the Channels I watch have an electric bike gifted to them if the company get good advertising of the bike. Reach out to them and ask, they can only say no so what's to lose.