435 Chris Bedford ~ Adventures With Abandoned Railways

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Chris Bedford—also known as Dumpman. I first discovered Chris and his work when I walked the Downs Link back in 2016. Chris is the owner of Dumpman Films, and he makes documentaries about disused railways in southern England.

Back when I was researching my book on the Wey-South Path, I bought one of his films on the Hardham canal tunnel, and I found it really fascinating. You may know that two of my favorite trails are the Wey-South Path (which goes along a mostly disused canal) and the Downs Link (which follows a disused railway). I love exploring these bits of history, and I find abandoned transportation routes especially interesting.

Outdoor adventures don’t have to be about physical fitness and endurance. They can also be about exploration and reconnecting with history. I hope you’re inspired to explore your area’s history after listening to this episode!

About Chris Bedford

Chris Bedford is an explorer and documentary filmmaker. His business, Dumpman Films, is based in Sussex and specializes in hunting out hard-to-find scenes, views, and journeys and making them available. If it’s interesting and awkward, he’s in there. Although based in Sussex, the material is by no means limited to Sussex.

Chris makes homemade films about odd places. Abandoned railways/disused railways feature heavily; what magic there is in seeing an abandoned railway station or tunnel or other such relic left behind as a result of Dr Beeching’s axe. However, wartime bunkers, sewers, canal tunnels, collapsing piers, disused industrial sites, old roads and ruined Victorian asylums crop up too.

Learn more about Chris and the history of his films here.

Website

Facebook group: Disused Railways of Sussex

Listen To This Episode

What You'll Learn

• How to get access to abandoned sites
• How Chris turned his passion for disused railways into a small business
• The equipment Chris uses for filming and editing videos
• Some of Chris’s favorite places to visit
• How you can get started exploring abandoned railways

Things We Discussed

• Okehampton reopened line in Dartmoor
• Michael Portillo Railway Journeys 
• Bluebell Railway 
• Beeching cuts 
• Meon Valley Railway 
• The Bald Explorer 
• Paul and Rebecca Whitewick videos
• Disused Stations website
• Hi8 camcorders

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• 393 Holly Worton ~ Staying Safe in the Outdoors (now with downloadable transcript!)
• 383 Anne Malambo ~ How Solo Travel Can Change Our Lives (now with downloadable transcript!)
• 369 Holly Worton ~ Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone With Outdoor Adventures (now with downloadable transcript!)

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