• One of the most appealing features of the West Somerset Railway is its stations. The ten stations along the line have all been restored to their former glory, each having its own particular charm and character and Great Western Railway period atmosphere. Breaking your journey on the Railway will enable you to see the stations in more detail and explore some very picturesque villages, enjoy many beautiful countryside walks and give access to many other local attractions. All the stations have been lovingly restored, and are maintained, by volunteers, and each has its own Stationmaster.

 • Bishops Lydeard station is the southern terminus of the Railway's regular timetabled passenger train services, as well as being the headquarters and Registered Office of the West Somerset Railway Association. For more information about Bishops Lydeard Station,  click here. 

 • Crowcombe Heathfield is an absolute gem and is a previous winner of the 'National Best Restored Station Competition'. Fine old enamel signs, GWR cast iron lamps, typical GWR buildings, milk churns and well tendered borders feature at this quiet country station. A small relics exhibition is located in the restored booking office, whilst there is a track display on the down platform, which features a sample of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's broad gauge track (which was originally laid on the branch). Trains are able to cross at the station, controlled from the signalbox on the down platform. A youth hostel is nearby, and there are many good walks available from the station. The station has featured in several films and television programmes, including The Land Girls. Crowcombe Heathfield station now has its own website –  click here. 

 • Stogumber is unique on the WSR in that the single platform and main building are on opposite sides of the track, due to its location on a shelf cut into the side of the hill. A picnic area is located on the site of the former goods shed, an ideal spot to watch the trains go by! The highly picturesque Stogumber village, with its historic church, is about a mile from the station, and there are many good walks available from the station. For more information about Stogumber Station,  click here. 

 • Williton station is the halfway point on the WSR and the principal crossing place for trains. The wider than normal distance between the two platforms is a reminder of Brunel's broad gauge. The buildings and signalbox date from 1862, when the railway opened, the latter being the only working example of the former Bristol & Exeter Railway and now one of the oldest working signalboxes in the country. The booking office has been restored to its former glory, whilst there is a small shop on the up platform. The former goods shed, and adjacent newly-constructed depot, is the base of the Diesel & Electric Preservation Group. The period shed at the northern end of the station serves primarily as the engineering workshop of the WSRA. The Association's two steam  locomotives,  Nos 4561 and 6412 - plus No 34046 Braunton - have been restored and overhauled here. It is a short level walk from the station to the village centre, which has many shops and pubs, and a scenic walk beside Doniford Brook to the Bristol Channel coast at Doniford.

 • Doniford Halt is the line's newest station, opened in 1988, using components recovered from other long-closed West Country branch line stations. It is a real period piece, complete with a typical Great Western style pagoda waiting shelter. A number of walks are possible from the station, including down to the beach at Helwell Bay.

 • Watchet was the terminus of the original West Somerset Railway, and the station is very centrally situated within the town. It is the oldest port in Somerset, and the main reason why the line was originally built, though sadly it no longer sees commercial traffic. There were once extensive sidings around the docks area, whilst the former goods shed is now Watchet Boat Museum. The station has its own shop. Watchet was the setting for Coleridge's most famous poem, 'The Ancient Mariner', and is well placed for alighting from the train to explore. Watchet had a medieval mint, and coins minted here are on display along with many other items of local interest in the town's museum. The town boasts old winding streets, shops and cafes, and there is a lovely walk to Washford along the tracked of the old West Somerset Mineral Railway, which runs parallel to the WSR.

 • Washford station is the headquarters of the  Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust , which exists to keep alive the memory of the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway, which ran from Bath to Bournemouth, with a branch to Highbridge and Burnham-on-Sea, all having closed in 1966. Inside the main building is a small museum (open every day that WSR trains are running), containing many artefacts of 'the old S&D', whilst the interior of the former signalbox, also adjacent to the platform, has been fitted out to recreate the former Midford box on the S&D. The extensive sidings and structures opposite the platform are used by the S&DRT to stable historic items of rolling stock. There is a pub directly adjacent to the station, whilst it is a ten minute walk to Cleeve Abbey, founded in the 12th Century, now in the care of English Heritage.

 • Blue Anchor is another beautifully restored gem, the station being situated next to the beach. Trains often cross here, again controlled by semaphore signals. The traditional gated level crossing is still worked by a large wheel in the signalbox, now the only working example of its type in the West Country. The booking office has been beautifully restored, and the views across Blue Anchor Bay towards North Hill and Minehead are superb. The waiting room on the down platform houses an excellent museum, crammed full of artefacts with a Great Western and West Country bias, all very well presented. It is normally open on Sundays and Bank Holidays from Easter to October and at other times by arrangement; admission is free, but a donation is never refused! The adjacent beach is very popular, and there is excellent fishing to be had from the sea wall at high tide. There are also coastal walks and a café nearby.

 • Dunster station is very impressive for such a relatively small place, due to the fact that the Luttrell family at nearby Dunster Castle were behind the scheme to 'extend' the line from Watchet to Minehead. In addition to the booking office, the main building now houses the WSR printing department, with its Waterlow printing machine. This prints traditional style Edmundson board tickets for many railways; tickets purchased from all our station booking offices were all printed here! It is a twenty minute walk to the picturesque centre of the historic village, with castle, church, working mill and yarn market. It is a short walk to the nearby beach, together with many other good walks.

 • Minehead station, the headquarters of the West Somerset Railway plc, is the largest on the line. It is very conveniently situated and literally a stone's throw away from the sea front! Originally opened in July 1874, the station has been altered and enlarged several times, and many additional facilities have been added by the WSR in recent years. The station has a large giftshop and refreshment facilities. The original buildings house the Railway's shop and the Company offices, whilst the booking office at the front of the station was added in 1980 using materials recovered from Cardiff Central. Many engines and items of rolling stock can always be seen at Minehead. The former goods shed is now part of the locomotive engineering and workshop facilities, which have recently been enhanced with the addition of a new machine shop and new two-road shed. A purpose built carriage shed was erected at the east end of the station site in 1992, which was extended in 2000. The Friends of Minehead Station have done a considerable amount of work in restoring and improving the station, and in fund-raising to support this work, in recent years, as well as providing local volunteers to help man the Bookstall and Booking Office and helping with general maintenance as the WSR's principal station.

'The Gateway to Exmoor', Minehead is Somerset's leading holiday resort, with sandy beaches, harbour, swimming pool, leisure centre, fun fair, shops, walks and places to eat. A new sea defence scheme, completed in 1999, has enhanced the sea front considerably.