Whiteball, Somerset

Whiteball is located in a quiet corner of the Somerset countryside, very close to the Devon border. The tunnel is 1,092 yards long (999m) and was opened in 1844, after two years of construction. The tunnel is at the summit of Wellington Bank, the incline that rises up from Wellington, through the Blackdown Hills, and which was the location where the GWR's 3700 Class 4-4-0 "City of Truro" exceeded 100 mph for the first time in British railway history, in 1904. On the west side of the tunnel the line drops towards Tiverton through some very attractive farmland, and as been a popular spot for photography, although, as is often the case, it has become harder over recent years as the trees have been allowed to grow unchecked.