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South Park Wood Railway Tunnel

River Tweed, Skew Bridge, Peebleshire.

B-listed Disused Railway Tunnel gently curving (mostly straight but with a tight bend at the eastern end) oval brick lined tunnel with masonry portals. 10 min walk through with 8 m side passage. Possibly passing below Neidpath Castle, Peebles.

Neidpath Tunnel opened in 1864 and threaded the Symington Biggar & Broughton Railway through a projecting shoulder of rock under South Park Woods. The railway closed 90 years after that.

In the early part of the 20th century, Nobel Prize winning scientist C T R Wilson used the tunnel - after traffic had ceased for the night - to conduct experiments with his cloud chamber to prove (or not) the existence of cosmic radiation.

The tunnel's greatest claim to fame is that during World War II, the tunnel provided a refuge for the Royal Train while the King and Queen were inspecting the damage caused by the Blitz on Clydeside. However the fact that the route is single track and a stabled train would effectively block it casts much doubt on this story.

The tunnel remained operational until 7th June 1954 although the passenger service had ended four years earlier (5 June 1950). It was latterly used by the Wemyss & March estate for the movement of timber.

Alternate Names: Neidpath Tuune, South Park Tunnel, Peebles Tunnel, Castle Hill Tunnel

Notes: The figure of 674 yards [616.5m] that is commonly cited for the length of this tunnel is apparently incorrect. GIS/Autocad anlaysis of a digitised OS map indicates a figure of approximately 601 yards [549.6m].

William Scott, the contractor for the tunnel, brought in 10,000ft of timber from Leith and 6000 tons of bricks from Millerhill, Dalkeith and Portobello via Hardengreem Junction [NBR} to Peebles.

Hydrographic Feeds: None

Hydrographic Resurgences: None