GRABBING a pint doesn’t always have to be at a pub – you can instead head to a festival with a choice of over 270 tipples inside a Victorian train station.
Spa Valley Railway Real Ale and Cider Festival located in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, will be returning for its 14th year with a vast variety of ales and ciders for festivalgoers to enjoy.
In Kent, there is a festival where you can journey along a vintage train line with a pint in hand[/caption]
Located along the Spa Valley Railway 180-year-old heritage line, which stretches five miles in total between Tunbridge Wells West and Eridge, festivalgoers can see a number of vintages trains whilst enjoying a cold pint.
The unique event can be enjoyed in two ways – either by heading to festivals at the stations or by purchasing a train ticket to travel along the Spa Valley Railway.
In total, visitors have a choice of over 200 ales from 50 breweries, which includes more than 30 Kent Green Hop beers.
There are also 14 keg selections and around 70 ciders.
Punters can get their hands on some top beverages as well, including Crouch Vale’s ‘Amarillo’ which was named Campaign for Real Ale’s 2024 Beer of Britain.
Throughout the event there will also be live music at Tunbridge Wells West station and buskers at Groombridge and Eridge stations.
After all the drinking, if you fancy a bite to eat then there will be a number of food vendors to explore including Thai and barbeque food.
According to Visit Kent, one of the organisers and general manager at the Spa Valley Railway, Jonnie Pay said: “After the event attracted record numbers last year we are anticipating this year to be just as popular.
“Many of the brewers have promised specials for this event, including some keg beers being available in a cask as a one off, wooden barrel aged stouts, award winning beers from years before and of course the famous Kent Green Hop beers, only available at this that time of year.”
Entry to all of the bars and festivals at the stations is free.
Though, visitors will need to purchase a glass – which they can keep as a souvenir – and a beer card.
And to travel on the trains, a ticket must be purchased either at the station or online.
Each train ticket costs £20 per adult and £10 per child and includes unlimited rides on the railway.
Guests can travel with their pint as well, thanks to an on-board buffet and bar car.
All the money raised from the event will go towards helping The Spa Valley Railway hit their fundraising goal of £300,000 to replace the Broom Lane Bridge between High Rocks and Groombridge.
The steam and heritage trains all depart from Tunbridge Wells West Station, which is close to Royal Tunbridge Wells town.
The festival boats over 200 different ales and 70 ciders to choose from[/caption]
Tunbridge Wells mainline station is also only a 10-minute walk away, with trains stopping from London and Hastings.
Trains from London also stop off at Eridge station, where visitors can hop across to the other platform for the Spa Valley Railway.
Throughout the year, the Spa Valley Railway hosts a number of other events and themed dining experiences.
For example, around Christmas visitors can hop onboard The Polar Express Train Ride, with actors playing out the story on the train before guests.
Other dining experiences include fish and chip journeys, Sunday lunch and afternoon teas sessions.
This unique experience isn’t the only upcoming opportunity for Brits to see a vintage train.
Between September 5 and 7, the London Transport Museum is launching an event where members of the public venture on an old 1938 tube.
As part of the Railway 200 and Transport for London‘s 25th anniversary celebrations, passengers will head off from Amersham station on the Metropolitan line towards Harrow-on-the-Hill or Watford, depending on which day attended.
And there is live music to be enjoy at the stations as well[/caption]
One of the journeys will also travel along a ‘secret’ railway line rarely used, called the North Curve.
This section of the track connects Croxley and Rickmansworth, bypassing Moor Park station – yet it doesn’t appear on any tube maps.
Alternatively, if you are looking for a place to stay, you could head to a converted Victorian train carriage with breathtaking sea views.
Sunray by Bloom Stays, sat on Dungeness Beach, features a grand living space with a wood-burning stove, three lavish bedrooms and all the mod-cons you’d need to cook up a hearty meal.
The UK is also home to a traditional UK seaside village with a retro amusement park and vintage miniature railway.
Plus, the world’s oldest electric railway has trains that run across one of the UK’s most popular beaches.
Tickets cost from just £10 per persona and include unlimited train rides[/caption]