Cliff Tramway at Saltburn-by-the-Sea, England

Opened in 1884, The Saltburn Cliff Tramway is the oldest water-balanced funicular still in operation in the UK. The Tramway links the Victorian town of Saltburn-by-the-Sea with the seafront only remaining pier on the North East coast.

In the following video, I watch the exchange of tram cars, ride down, visit the beach and watch the waves and then ride back up – please try to contain your excitement!

At 63 metres long (about 207 feet) and climbing about 37 metres (120 feet) the track delivers serious incline.

The funicular was built to replace an earlier cliff-hoist that proved unreliable. The genius of it lies in the simplicity of water and gravity. Each of the twin cars has a large water tank. Fill the top car up, let gravity do its thing, and the lower one rises. The operator at the top controls the flow and speed. It’s Victorian engineering at its most elegant.