Part 2: Special holiday

Part 2 – Questions 11–20

Questions 11–14
Label the map below.
Write the correct letter, A–I, next to the questions 11–14.

11. Rocks → ________
12. Colleen Nature Reserve → ________
13. Ashington China Factory → ________
14. Langton Forest → ________

Questions 15–20
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

15. What kind of warning does the speaker give to cyclists?
A. there may be traffic jams
B. avoid wet cycle paths
C. there may be animals in the way

16. The starting point of Elmsden station is
A. very busy
B. more modern
C. re-opened recently

17. What can people do at the visitor’s centre?
A. rent a bike
B. buy refreshments
C. learn local history

18. To commute between Langton and Elmston by train, you need to
A. book in advance
B. go on weekends
C. pay additional charges

19. What should you be aware of when visiting River Elm?
A. it takes a long time
B. the waterfall is inaccessible
C. go by bike

20. Where can you get the information if you want to join the local route?
A. the local newspaper
B. the station website
C. national cycling network

Keys

1. B
2. E
3. F
4. I
5. C
6. A
7. A (key của OE : C)
8. B
9. A
10. A

Transcript

Part 2

Welcome to our holiday special. Today I’ll be talking about a new cycle route in this area called the Amston Way. It’s well signposted so you can see exactly where to go, and it’s an easy route with no steep hills. It’s 35 kilometres long from Amston to Lowington and consists partly of cycle paths and partly roads.

Let me outline the

route briefly, starting at Amston Railway Station. The first part is a cycle path running eastwards roughly parallel to the rail track. Almost immediately, the railway curves away and goes around the southern side of a little lake, but the cycle path takes the northern route around the lake. Keep your eyes open for the swans that nest there.

The path then joins the road, and the next landmark is a group of massive rocks which tower over the countryside. You will see them to the east of the road just before the road goes under the railway. They are very impressive. Soon you’ll come to a fork in the road where you’re going to leave the road and head off toward the river. But if you want to make a detour to Colleen Nature Reserve, go straight on instead of leaving the road here.

Continuing along the cycle path, you’ll reach the River Cleave. The cycle path follows the river southwards. After a bit you’ll see the Ashington China Factory, which closed in 1962. When you get there, there’s a bridge over the river and you carry on with Langton Forest to the south and farmland to the north. The route ends at Langton Village, where you’ll find a railway station. So you can either catch the train here or cycle back to Amston.

One point to remember when you’re cycling on the Amston Way is that you should keep your eyes open for sheep which occasionally stray onto the cycle path from adjoining fields, so be careful to avoid accidents. The path is well constructed, so it’s not affected by wet or muddy conditions. There might be the odd car or tractor when you’re cycling on roads, but most traffic has been diverted to the main road that bypasses the whole area.

Now a bit more about some of the places you’ll see. The starting point, Amston Station, was quite busy in the early 20th century with services to several major cities, but it was closed in the 1950s. A small company was set up to turn it into a sort of railway museum, maintaining it in the style of the 1950s, and the station was ready for trains to start using it again earlier this year. It’s only used by a few local trains though.

There’s a visitor’s centre at the station which has a small exhibition about the history of railway transport all over the world, and a facility for hiring bikes if you don’t have one of your own. There’s also a small shop just across the road from the station that sells refreshments.

As I said, you can cycle to Langton and return to Amston by train, or the other way around, because you can take your cycle on the train. There’s no need to book. There’s plenty of room and no extra charge. However, the service is very limited and the trains between these two places don’t run on weekdays. Leave yourself plenty of time, though.

If you want to see the River Elm, there’s a footpath from Amston Station and you can safely leave your bike in the car park. Going down’s easy, but the climb up is very steep, so the walk back up to the top can take quite a while. But it’s worth the effort. The scenery is wonderful, and the footpath runs right next to the river, down to a waterfall.

Finally, if you’d like to do some more cycling in the area, there are lots of other cycle paths. We’ll be talking on the radio about them, and you’ll be able to get full details in the Saturday edition of the local paper. The National Cycle Network also has some details on their website, although I have to say they don’t have many local ones yet. But that may change.