The Southwold Railway Trust will be opening its land at Blyford Lane Wenhaston to the public on Saturday June 18th, and Sunday June 19th, between 10.00 and 16.00 each day.
Visitors are invited to meet our volunteers, to see how they have
cleared and managed the original 1879 trackbed of the railway, and to
enjoy a country walk on land normally open only to Members. There is no
charge for entry.
The Trust is dedicated to the restoration of the narrow-gauge branch
line which ran between Halesworth and Southwold for fifty years:
displays of our work will be on show, with the opportunity to buy
souvenirs, or to donate to the charity.
Volunteers can be seen in action, laying down and operating our
miniature railway, as well as laying some three-foot-gauge track using
original Southwold Railway rails.
Details of the Southwold Blyth Road workshop and tourist attraction, for
which planning permission has just been received from Waveney District
Council, will be on display.
Sunday is Father’s Day: an ideal gift for that hard-to-please man would be Membership of the Trust. It costs only
29p per week (£15 per year), and a growing and active community, with
thriving volunteering teams and social activities, can be joined. You
can join on the day (NB we can’t accommodate credit or debit cards, as
we have neither power nor a phone line! If you wish to join with a card,
then you can do so on our website, or at our shop at 27 High Street
Southwold)
There is ample car parking at Blyford Lane, but the Trust would urge
visitors to come by the 88a bus (Saturday only) which passes our gate,
or by cycle, or by one of the many scenic footpaths. The Trust-owned
land is at Wenhaston station, close to the river bridge, between
Wenhaston and Blyford. We hope that visitors will also
enjoy the two local pubs – the Star and the Queen’s Head, or call in at the Wenhaston Community Café (10.00 till 13.00, Saturday only, at the Village Hall). Wenhaston village is worth an extended visit to see the famous Wenhaston Doom painting in the church, and Woottens Garden Centre.