Is there a station at Minehead?

[trainophile]

Looking at a hotel in Minehead on booking.com, and “view map” shows a railway station in the vicinity. However when I go on TPE to find train details it only offers Minehead Bus, with a bus from Taunton. I have checked dates in both August and September (thinking of going in October but tickets not available yet).

Can anyone clarify please? Is this exceptionally long engineering work, or is the map wrong? Or perhaps it’s a local preservation railway?

 

[dk1]

Looking at a hotel in Minehead on booking.com, and “view map” shows a railway station in the vicinity. However when I go on TPE to find train details it only offers Minehead Bus, with a bus from Taunton. I have checked dates in both August and September (thinking of going in October but tickets not available yet).

Can anyone clarify please? Is this exceptionally long engineering work, or is the map wrong? Or perhaps it’s a local preservation railway?

It's a preserved railway station on the West Somerset Railway.

 

[trainophile]

Oh thanks, and for quick reply. There goes that idea then, I don’t do RRBs over about half an hour. Missing a trick there though, with the holiday demand.

 

[dk1]

They have tried in connection with Butlins but wasn't successful enough. I bought the add on bus fare last year when travelling by rail from Torquay. Outbound I bailed at Bishops Lydyard & caught the WSR service. That option wasn't available on the return. Connection is very convenient at Taunton Station & appears on departure screens. One word of warning. Buses are very busy on Mondays & Fridays so travel from Minehead before 0930 or after midday of possible.

 

[trainophile]

What a shame. Thanks for the extra information.

 

[MotorcycleAlan]

Unfortunately Google maps uses the double arrow National Rail symbol for heritage/preserved railways, and this causes confusion for members of the public unfamiliar with the network. Perhaps a symbol like a steam locomotive as used on the brown tourist road signs would be clearer.

 

[trainophile]

Indeed. I wonder how many people book non-refundable hotels then find themselves on a bus. There should be a different symbol, I like your idea of a steam engine.

 

[High Dyke]

Unfortunately Google maps uses the double arrow National Rail symbol for heritage/preserved railways, and this causes confusion for members of the public unfamiliar with the network. Perhaps a symbol like a steam locomotive as used on the brown tourist road signs would be clearer.

As an aside I noticed that permutation whilst in London yesterday. Deptford Bridge is a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) only station, but Google maps has the double arrow symbol; however the next stop towards Lewisham (Elverson Road) uses the DLR symbol.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Oh thanks, and for quick reply. There goes that idea then, I don’t do RRBs over about half an hour. Missing a trick there though, with the holiday demand.

Book the train to Taunton in the normal way, get a taxi to Bishop's Lydeard then use the West Somerset to Minehead? Be careful to allow enough time to connect each way though.

That's what we did a few years ago when staying at Butlin's* there.


*Not my choice of holiday accommodation; I was "instructed" that we had to go there...

 

[Ethano92]

As an aside I noticed that permutation whilst in London yesterday. Deptford Bridge is a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) only station, but Google maps has the double arrow symbol; however the next stop towards Lewisham (Elverson Road) uses the DLR symbol.
View attachment 65084

Google has many irregularities.

Queenstown road has been renamed LSWR queens road
North Acton tube stop has a national rail logo
A station has been added at Dulling Hill Junction on what's to become part of the overground eventually right by cricklewood when the line currently isn't even in passenger use.
There's a tube logo in Newcastle town centre

It's certainly odd, but there are probably even more examples.

As for the Thread topic, could seasonal GWR trains run to Minehead similar to SWR to corfe castle or is the line separated/different guage. It would certainly do a world of good for tourism.

 

[westv]

Queenstown road has been renamed LSWR queens road

I remember when it was called Queens Road (Battersea).

 

[JWB_]

Google has many irregularities.

Queenstown road has been renamed LSWR queens road
North Acton tube stop has a national rail logo
A station has been added at Dulling Hill Junction on what's to become part of the overground eventually right by cricklewood when the line currently isn't even in passenger use.
There's a tube logo in Newcastle town centre

It's certainly odd, but there are probably even more examples.

As for the Thread topic, could seasonal GWR trains run to Minehead similar to SWR to corfe castle or is the line separated/different guage. It would certainly do a world of good for tourism.

The Newcastle tube logo is supposed to be representing the Central Stop on the Tyne and Wear Metro but every other stop on the network uses the generic 'M' symbol for a Metro Station. What a weird anomaly.

 

[Ethano92]

The Newcastle tube logo is supposed to be representing the Central Stop on the Tyne and Wear Metro but every other stop on the network uses the generic 'M' symbol for a Metro Station. What a weird anomaly.

Yes it is odd, didn't even realise that represented an actual station. Doesn't cause any harm I guess though

 

[whhistle]

Minehead isn't the centre of tourism for the South West though so you're not missing much.
It's only half famous because of Butlins really.

 

[bishdunster]

half infamous surely !

 

[pdeaves]

As for the Thread topic, could seasonal GWR trains run to Minehead similar to SWR to corfe castle or is the line separated/different guage. It would certainly do a world of good for tourism.

Could, certainly (same gauge throughout and through specials have run). A closer comparison to SWR/Corfe Castle would be GWR to Bishops Lydeard, which has happened on occasion before and I understand may happen with more regularity soon.

 

[Mordac]

Unfortunately Google maps uses the double arrow National Rail symbol for heritage/preserved railways, and this causes confusion for members of the public unfamiliar with the network. Perhaps a symbol like a steam locomotive as used on the brown tourist road signs would be clearer.

More on the pedantic side of annoyances, but it does the same thing for Northern Ireland Railways stations, which never used the National Rail logo.

 

[trainophile]

Minehead isn't the centre of tourism for the South West though so you're not missing much.
It's only half famous because of Butlins really.

I am running out of coastal places that have a station so was clutching at straws with Minehead! What’s Burnham on Sea like?

 

[30907]

I am running out of coastal places that have a station so was clutching at straws with Minehead! What’s Burnham on Sea like?

Known as Burnham on Mud by my parents, who went there before my time

 

[trainophile]

Known as Burnham on Mud by my parents who went there before my time

Ah, a close relation to Weston Super Mud then .

 

[3141]

I am running out of coastal places that have a station so was clutching at straws with Minehead! What’s Burnham on Sea like?

It doesn't have a station. The nearest one is Highbridge.

 

[Merthyr Imp]

Book the train to Taunton in the normal way, get a taxi to Bishop's Lydeard then use the West Somerset to Minehead? Be careful to allow enough time to connect each way though.

That's what we did a few years ago when staying at Butlin's* there.


*Not my choice of holiday accommodation; I was "instructed" that we had to go there...

Not been to Butlins at Minehead for about 12 years now, but what we used to do was get the train to Taunton then the connecting bus to Minehead which went right into Butlins.

We thought about getting the Butlins Express the year it operated (2007), from Bristol Temple Meads to Minehead but preferred not to be faced with lugging all our suitcases from Minehead station to Butlins - even though less than a mile away. My son and I did have a trip as far as Taunton and back while we were there - see photo of 31452.

On our journey there seemed to be very few 'bona fide' travellers - just people joyriding like us.

 

[westv]

It doesn't have a station. The nearest one is Highbridge.

Or the poster could try Burnham on Crouch - slightly further away though.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

I remember when it was called Queens Road (Battersea).

So do I.

 

[reb0118]

This may be of interest:-

https://www.west-somerset-railway.c...es-to-west-somerset-railway-details-announced

 

[gazthomas]

This may be of interest:-

https://www.west-somerset-railway.c...es-to-west-somerset-railway-details-announced

A good initiative but the return trains are next to useless. There should be a train back from Bishops Lydeard much later in the day. I guess the difficulty is that you can't really balance the return trips

 

[30907]

A good initiative but the return trains are next to useless. There should be a train back from Bishops Lydeard much later in the day. I guess the difficulty is that you can't really balance the return trips

You'd require a second crew. I assume they'd have to travel from Exeter?

 

[221129]

You'd require a second crew. I assume they'd have to travel from Exeter?

Indeed.

 

[gazthomas]

Indeed.

Could you do a Wick/Thurso with a cheaky reverse to/from Taunton/Bishops Lydeard for select services on the mainline