Family Fun

West Somerset Railway, Somerset, is a heritage steam railway operating between Minehead and Bishop's Lydeard, near Taunton. It is the longest independent railway in Britain, (20 miles).

West Somerset Railway, Somerset is the longest Heritage line in the United Kingdom. 

The line is situated in Somerset,  four miles outside the County town of Taunton, starting at Bishops Lydeard and finishing at Minehead. The line meanders through the Quantock Hills, an area of outstanding natural beauty and along the Bristol Channel Coast. We have 10 stations along the line each having something different to offer. There are various historic sites that may be of interest to visitors to the area, for example Crowcombe Heathfield station was the location for the filming of the Beatles’ “A Hard Days Night” and scenes from “The Land Girls” were also shot here. The historic town of Watchet dates back to Saxon times, and boasts narrow streets, local shops, museums and lots of places to eat and drink. Washford is a great place to alight, just a short walk from the station we have Cleeve Abbey and the Torre Cider Farm, which are both well worth a visit. Fancy something a little different then why not visit Dunster Castle which is nestled in the medieval village of Dunster? Dunster also has a working Watermill, the Old Yarn Market building and the Dolls Museum or continue on to Minehead home of our final station. Minehead is situated at the foot of North Hill where the beach is literally right across the road, we have cafes, shops and plenty of arcades along the seafront, making this a go to location.  

The West Somerset Railway also have combined tickets on selected dates throughout the year. These include, Cream Tea and Cheese and cider specials and linked trips with Hestercombe Gardens and Dunster Castle. We organise Steam Galas in the Spring and Autumn, and we are host to a Diesel Gala too. In the latter part of the year we have our popular Christmas services, we have Santa services running out of Minehead and Bishops Lydeard from the end of November until Christmas Eve, we also have our Sherry and Mince pie specials for you to enjoy.