IMAGINE: all this beauty on our doorstep; away from the danger and the fumes of traffic, freely available for walkers, horse-riders, pram-pushers or cyclists: people of all ages and abilities.

The Trailway Network Group in North Dorset has been working hard for months to get sections of the old railway line open for recreation, and is succeeding. We are nearly all the way from Stalbridge in the north to Spetisbury in the south and the rest (to the coast) will surely follow in time. The few links not yet in use are either because they have been built on or because the landowner has not yet agreed. We are also concerned to promote this aim to the County Council which has now written it into the Transport Plan for green tourism. Our greatest concern is to restore the broken bridges over the Stour so that towns and villages may be safely linked without the necessity of using the main roads.

Meanwhile . . towards Bristol and Bath the SUSTRANS organisation which looks after the interests of walkers and cyclists, is opening up bridges and tunnels that, eventually, will link with Dorset to create a non-stop off-road track from Bristol to the coast.

We are not just a 'talking shop' or even a pressure group: we help the Countryside rangers in their never-ending task of clearing and maintaining sections of the track, especially if a new section is being opened. We raise money to fund land purchase or rights of way.

We produce a newsletter about four times a year (as well as this web-site) to keep our supporters 'in the loop' regarding events and clearing parties. Use this site to keep up with developments in Dorset, to view the current maps with the trails clearly marked, or just to drool over the many lovely images created by Graham Rains (visit the Gallery page).