(Image: Peter Craine. Abandoned canal tunnel turned bat cave)
Abandoned canal tunnels may not seem like the easiest structures to repurpose, but this example on the Wirral in North West England may provide some inspiration. Situated in the heart of the Brotherton Park and Dibbinsdale Local Nature Reserve on Merseyside, there are two reportedly disused tunnels that run beneath a railway line. One carries a canal and towpath, which is still in use as a footpath. The second appears to have been built for a similar purpose, and has now been converted into a bat cave for the local Chiroptera community. The tunnel portal has been boaded off, with a sizeable opening to allow access for the small flying mammals. As well as bats, the abandoned canal tunnel would probably make a good nesting site for swallows, too.
Photographer Peter Craine writes: “The water in the foreground is the River Dibbin and the tunnel to the left appears to be an abandoned canal. On top of the tunnels is a railway embankment. Further west is ancient woodland. You can walk through the left hand tunnel, leading to a totally different environment. The arrangement of the paths gives you the impression that the reserve is much bigger than it really is.”
(Image: Repon1x)
The image above shows the interior of the second tunnel, which is still open to pedestrians and presumably cyclists.
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