AN Australian MP has travelled 12,000 miles to Okehampton to see pioneering work being undertaken by Devon County Council on railway paths.
Devon County Council's project manager for the Devon Coast to Coast cycle network accompanied the Hon Graeme Stoney and his partner Wendy Jubb on a day-long inspection of the Okehampton area.
The visit began at the renovated Okehampton Station where the weekend summer rail service allows visitors to reach Dartmoor by train, with connections to the award-winning Devon bike bus.
The newly-introduced Dartmoor Pony rail service was used to reach Meldon Viaduct which Mr Stoney described as 'breathtaking.'
The MP was particularly impressed by linkages between bike, bus and train and he was told a further development would be a cycle path to follow the railway from Okehampton to the new Meldon Quarry station.
Cycling the railway path to Sourton including the new section between Prewley and Sourton was next on the agenda and a visit to the dramatic new section to Lake Viaduct which is currently under construction.
The section of the path between the two viaducts is expected to become the centrepiece of the National Cycle Network in the Westcountry.
Commenting on his visit Mr Stoney said: 'Experience in other parts of the world including the USA and Australia has shown that paths on disused railway lines are popular because they generally are multi-use, have easy gradients and are separate from road traffic.
'These paths in Devon are certain to success because they pass through such fascinating areas.'
The MP, who was responsible for the development of almost 20 new paths on disused rail corridors in Victoria, Australia, said he was impressed by the enormous commitment shown by the county council in bringing this exciting project to fruition.