Tunnel of Mysteries!

The dark damp entrance to the Neidpath Tunnel!

Completed in 1864 and at about 600 metres in length, the Neidpath Tunnel took the Symington Biggar & Broughton Railway through a shoulder of rock under South Park Woods next to the River Tweed, to the west of Peebles.

The tunnel has a number of interesting stories associated with it - in the early part of the 20th century, Nobel Prize winning scientist C T R Wilson is reported to have 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. It is also rumoured that during World War 2 the tunnel was the hiding place for the Royal Train while the King and Queen were inspecting the damage caused by the Blitz on Clydeside.

The tunnel remained operational until 1954 and today although not open to the public, people have broken down the entrances and venture into the dark at their peril! The situation is made all the more imposing by the surrounding woodland which towers over the railway cutting and a mysterious chamber which is cut into the northern wall of the tunnel about half way along its length - its purpose a mystery!