[David9694]

I’ll post an image of this, but if you go to Create dot distribution map and put in Telegraph as the search term, you should find it. You can also search on “cycle” and see a handful of cycle tracks marked on ye olde mappe. 

https://maps.nls.uk/projects/os1900/#zoom=8.0&lat=51.30908&lon=-2.82221

Telegraph Hill, Lane, Cottage – the names live on.  Around the time of the Napoleonic wars, the Navy established first a system of shutter telegraph and then semaphore stations running from London to Portsmouth and with a telegraph  branch to Plymouth.

A handful of these locations, old and new, are within cycling range for me. A few sites usually nearer London have a structure to see, but in most cases there is nothing on the ground remaining.  The line of telegraph sites (the Plymouth semaphore was never completed) running across Dorset and Devon look interesting as a basis for a route. 

The electric telegraph rendered the system in 1847 completely obsolete.  Anyway, here’s the history:

https://www.alresfordhistandlit.co.uk/onewebmedia/95%20The%20Admiralty%20Telegraph%20System%20in%20the%20Alresford%20Area%20Part%20I%20-%20The%20Shutters.pdf

https://www.alresfordhistandlit.co.uk/onewebmedia/101%20The%20Admiralty%20Telegraph%20System%20in%20the%20Alresford%20Area%20Part%20II%20-%20the%20Semaphores.pdf

Topic

[David9694]

Idea for a tour II – the Elan

Idea for a tour II – the Elan Valley Aquaduct – 73 miles from Wales to the SW corner of Birmingham.  I was just looking for Weobley Castle, epicentre of the current flag shagging craze, which took me to the Frankley water works.

[David9694]

I’m only going to get up to

I’m only going to get up to the required 52 mph on a good descent, aren’t I? 

Sounds like this one is a much older beacon site

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1017893?section=official-list-entry

[pockstone]

This one is a bit off your

This one is a bit off your patch, but well worth a visit if you’re nearby. Iron age barrow, Napoleonic wars beacon and a WW2 radar station that had a hand in tracking the first enemy aircraft shot down over British soil. Also, as you can see, commemorated with a rather handsome monument.

Danby Beacon: https://danbybeacontrust.org.uk/

Not really telegraph technology but they caught up between the reigns of GiiiR and GviR.

[chrisonabike]

Quite a lot out of your way,

Quite a lot out of your way, but there was a chain of telegraph stations from Edinburgh down the east coast as far as St. Abb’s head (and indeed there is a Telegraph Hill there).  That takes in stations at notable points like one on North Berwick Law.  Apparently there are still a few things to see in places.  In particular the telegraph on Calton Hill is now Nelson’s Monument – which before becoming a “time ball tower” was still available for signalling purposes.

History e.g. here.

Doable in a day for the keen … but I think it’d be *much* nicer to amble and sightsee e.g. walk up the Law, look out at the coast.  I’ve never done it as a route though I’ve ridden most most sections as parts of other trips.

You’re generally going with the prevailing wind if you start from Edinburgh, and the countryside and coast are fantastic! (Don’t mind the wind turbine forests and the giant landfill and cement works at Dunbar).

[Tom_77]

There’s a site near me, next

There’s a site near me (Telegraph Woods), next to Hampshire’s cricket ground. I don’t think there are any remains of the telegraph system there though.

I can see one slight issue with your tour – all these sites are presumably at the tops of hills!

[mdavidford]

Would you have to ride round

Would you have to ride round at 52mph, mowing down bystanders?

[David9694]

Le Tour Télégraphique 

Le Tour Télégraphique 

[Author]

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