Up until about 15 years ago traffic entering Winsford (where I live), from Northwich (the nearest large town) had to drive along Jack Lane, a small and windy country lane. The expansion of the town in the late 1990’s meant that more traffic was using the road and it was decided a by-pass needed to built. This was the A533.
The new A533 used pretty much the same route as the old Jack Lane and when it finally opened it actually replaced Jack Lane completely, and it became nothing more than a farm access road.
The bottom end of Jack Lane is now not even used by the farm vehicles and is a quiet path which I use to extend one of my local walks. Each year I use it I see Nature encroach further into the lane. This summer has been quite impressive. The tarmac is now completely covered by moss and grass, the hedges and border are no more than 10 feet apart in places – where there used to be enough room for two cars to pass side by side.
The white lines are gone, although the occasional cats-eye is still visible through the grass. The power of Nature is a wonderful thing – if we’d only just give it a chance!