The cache is placed beside the Viaduct, and it is possible to make it on to the top of the viaduct if you wish - Near the cache location you will be able to see two possible pathways up, however, note that access can be tricky - but only you can decide if you are capable of making it up!
From the parking coordinates walk to the corner of the forestry plantation (Access to the forestry is not required, and doing so will seriously impede your progress to the cache location! – Stick to the pathway at the side of the forestry). From the corner walk southerly all the way along the side of the forestry to the bottom of the field, and from here follow the GPS to the Cache location.
When you get to the bottom of the field you will notice the old railway line – Although the tracks and sleepers have long since been removed you can easily see where the route would have been, and if you have enough time on your hands you can walk a great deal of this route to this day (Access is OK provided you’re aware you are crossing agricultural land and are mindful of the farmer’s livestock etc.)
History
The Halfway Viaduct was built between 1847 and 1849, using a mixture of locally quarried stone, and animal blood sourced from butchers in Cork city to use in the mortar!
The Halfway Viaduct was one of a number of major structures along the old 'Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway' (CB&SCR), including the Chetwynd Viaduct, Goggin's Hill Tunnel and the Kilpatrick Tunnel.
On June 30th, 1849 West Cork’s first train ran from Ballinhassig train station (800m NE of Viaduct), across this viaduct and on to Bandon, a distance of 16 km. Interestingly, this was four months before the main Dublin to Cork railway opened!
It wasn't until December 8th, 1851 that the section from Ballinhassig to Cork was opened, following the completion of the construction of the 830m long Goggin's Hill Railway Tunnel - (The longest railway tunnel in Ireland at the time. This tunnel is still in place and structurally sound, however access is prohibited)
Unfortunately by the start of the 1960's, usage of the train network began to drop due to the emergence of road haulage and the increased use of personal motor cars. This spelt the end of the West Cork railway, and similar to the Beeching Cuts in the United Kingdom around the same time, it was decided to close the West Cork Railway for financial reasons.
The West Cork Railway officially closed on March 31st, 1961. I don't need to talk about how terrible a loss this was for the local people throughout West Cork at the time, never mind the potential a route like this would hold today.
For more information on the West Cork Railway, and other railways in Cork see the Related Webpage link above, or click here.
Please replace cache appropriately. Thank You
