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The Castleman Trailway is a walking and cycling route between Ringwood and Upton Country Park, on the outskirts of Poole. It runs for 16 miles. Much of the route is along the path of a dismantled railway.

The route takes its name from Charles Castleman, who built the railway line in the 1840s.

More information can be found on Dorset Council's website: Link

Route 256 of the National Cycle Network is a relatively short route, between the towns of Ringwood in Hampshire and Wimborne Minster in Dorset. It is approximately 20 kilometres (12 miles) in length. For almost all of its length, it follows the Castleman Trailway - see Link

The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes. It was created by the charity Sustrans Link (Sustainable Transport), aided by a National Lottery grant.

Many routes aim to minimise contact with motor traffic, though 70% of them are on roads. In some cases the NCN uses pedestrian routes, disused railways, minor roads, canal towpaths, or traffic-calmed routes in towns and cities.

Dr Richard Beeching (1913-1985) was employed during the 1960s by the government as the Chairman of the British Railways Board. In 1963 he produced a report which recommended the closure of thousands of miles of railway lines and thousands of stations, which were deemed to be unprofitable, to streamline the British railway network.

Over the years that followed, many of the lines and stations recommended for closure did indeed close, although some did survive against the odds while a few which did close have since been rebuilt and reopened. The railway closures of that period are often referred to as "Beeching Cuts".

More information about Dr Beeching's report cn be found on the websites of Network Rail Link and the National Archives Link