In 1942, at the height of the railway age, there were 19,000 miles of track in Britain and 7,000 stations. Now there are only 10,000 miles left and 2,000 stations. But the result is almost 8,000 miles of disused railway lines waiting to be explored. Over the course of a year Hunter Davies walked along ten lines, some of them like public parks, others neglected and gone completely wild. In many ways, it is the most original and exciting walk he's ever taken, not just as a piece of nostalgia, invoking memories of a bygone age, but in discovering and revealing what he considers to be one of our greatest natural heritages for generations to come. From the Somerset and Dorset to the Ally Pally Railway, from the Wye Valley to the Deeside Line, A WALK ALONG THE TRACKS is a vivid account of a unique journey recapturing the glories of the railway age.