Lynton And Lynmouth Cliff Railway: Highest Water Powered Railway In The World
The Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway is the highest and the steepest totally water powered railway in the world.
The Cliff Railway connects the twin towns of Lynton and Lynmouth providing stunning coastal views that will be the highlight of any visit.
This working heritage railway is grade II listed, the UK’s only fully water powered railway and one of just three examples left in the World!
The other water powered funicular cliff railways are the Elevador do Bom Jesus in Braga, Portugal built in 1882 and the Funiculaire Neuveville-St.Pierre in Fribourg, Switzerland built later in 1899.
How it works
The lift works on a simple balancing principle.
The two cars are permanently attached to each other by hauling cables that run around a huge 5ft 6" pulley wheel at the top and the bottom of the tracks.
There are four cables in total; two hauling cables that carry the weight of the cars and two tail balancing cables that counteract the weight of the hauling cables.
When each car is ‘docked’ with full water tanks the cars are in balance and are ready for loading. Each tank holds 700 gallons of water.
As passengers board, variations are accommodated for by the brakes which clamp the cars to the rails.
Each cars brakes will hold the weight of both cars fully laden and the lower car has a water operated locking device which clamps the car to the bottom station.
The company was formed in 1888 through an act of Parliament with perpetual rights to extract water from the West Lyn River.
The lifts need absolutely no power to operate, water is its motive power. Water is extracted from the West Lyn River more than a mile away and travels through 5" pipes to the top station holding tanks.
The company is permitted to extract the water following an act of Parliament formed in 1888.
The water used is not altered, damaged or polluted in any way, just used as ballast and discharged onto the beach at Lynmouth about 100 metres away from the river from which it was taken.
As the water is not re-pumped to the top then no other machinery or fuel is required.
The lifts do not create any emissions, even the brakes are powered by water, and the carbon footprint today has not significantly changed in the last one hundred and twenty years.
The Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway remains one of the most environmentally friendly tourist attractions in the world.
The Cliff Top Cafe
Great food, stunning views!
The Grade II listed building perched high on the cliff top is perhaps the most beautiful location for a Traditional Devon Cream Tea in the Westcountry.
The Cliff Top Café has a five star hygiene rating, level access, free WiFi, and well behaved dogs are welcome too!
History of the railway
In the 19th century, the high cliffs separating Lynton from Lynmouth were a major obstacle to economic development.
The twin villages mainly relied on sea transport because land travel was extremely difficult over Exmoor.
Coal, lime, foodstuffs and other essentials arrived at Lynmouth in sailing vessels, but this freight had to be carried by packhorses or in horse drawn carts up the steep hill to Lynton.
The cliffs also posed problems for the growing tourist industry.
From the mid 1820's holiday makers began to arrive at Lynmouth on paddle steamers from Bristol, Swansea and other Bristol Channel ports.
But a daunting hill faced those who decided to walk up to Lynton.
Ponies and donkeys could be hired at 6d a time, but the steep gradients severely tested the unfortunate animals.
Other tourists travelled up Lynmouth hill in carriages, but the horses that pulled them had a very short working life.
It was in December 1881 that a novel solution to the problem was first given a public airing.
The Lynton and Lynmouth Recorder received a letter, signed only with the non-de-plum Pro Bono Publico.
The letter said: ‘A tramway between the two towns to be worked by a stationary engine at Lynton, the motive power being taken from the river Lyn, put in tanks on rolling carriages and these let down the tramway under proper control.’
The weight of the water going down would, with the application of simple machinery, bring up anything that might be desired up from Lynmouth.
The letter offered a solution to the problems of transporting both freight and people up and down the cliff, but such a scheme would require a large capital investment, so for some years it remained nothing more than a talking point.
Late in 1885, a major project was proposed which included the construction of a solid pier, an esplanade and ‘a lift from the said pier or promenade to Lynton’.
The pier, to extend 112 yards into the sea, was intended to enable the resort to attract a bigger share of the growing steam-excursion traffic.
Many of the paddle steamers had not been calling at Lynmouth where passengers had to be ferried ashore in small boats, instead visiting Ilfracombe where tourists could easily disembark at the deep-water pier.
The construction of an esplanade, which survives today, was to start from a point near the Rhenish Tower and provide access to the pier.
The proposed ‘lift’ would make it possible to carry up to Lynton the large numbers of people that would be landed from the steamers at the new pier.
We Need Brakes!
George Marks realised that due to the extreme length of the rail, (some 900 feet) rising over 500 feet vertically at an incline of 1:1.75, he would need to seriously assess the safety aspect, particularly the braking system.
He decided on 4 separate systems.
Two were to be friction brakes, sets of steel blocks that are pressed down on to the crown of the rail by hydraulic pistons.
The remaining two systems , which would constitute the main system, were to be hydraulic callipers, which clamped across the crown of the rails.
This system was eventually patented in the names of Newnes, Jones and Marks in 1888.
The Cliff Railway was officially opened on Easter Monday (the 7th April) in 1890.
A large crowd gathered at the Lynton station to see Mrs Jeune, Lady of the Manor of Lynton, perform the official ceremony.
If you’d like to visit today, it costs just £3.50.
Someone who recently visited said: “North Devon, Lynton and Lynmouth is a beautiful stunning place to visit. Natural beauty just takes ur breath away.
”Had a amazing time here, lynton is a town with shops and beautiful scenery. You have the cliff railway to lynmouth village that took my breath away.
”It was overwhelming little village that definitely had little switzerland feel. A highly recommended place in england to visit.”
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