Campaign for Real Ale Festival on Minehead Station

September 11th and 12th 2010

The weekend of 11th and 12th September 2010 are the dates of our annual Somerset CAMRA Real Ale Festival, held in partnership with the West Somerset Railway. Incredibly, this highly successful event is now 11 years old!

Real Ale, Cider and Perry

We will offer at least 100 real ales, several ciders and perry. Somerset breweries will be very well represented.  In addition to these, there will be a wide selection of ales from all around Great Britain, showcasing the incredibly wide range of tastes and styles produced by the multitude of breweries.  We will have locally brewed festival specials, fruit beers and cask conditioned lager.  Beer prices will be held at last year’s £2.80 a pint  (£1.40 a half pint).

Train buffet cars will each have a different Somerset real ale and some bottled beers, notably Cotleigh ‘Old Steamer’ and GWR175, both brewed especially for the WSR.  We will also have a small selection of wines available

FOOD and SOFT DRINKS

Turntable Café on Minehead Station will offer a range of hot and cold food, sandwiches, and soft drinks.  A Cornish pasty van will be positioned by the station entrance and we are planning a hog roast for Saturday evening session. There are other food outlets adjacent to Minehead station offering plenty of choice to the hungry festival goer.

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

On Saturday night, between 8pm and 10pm, we welcome talented local duo BEN AND TANIA playing a selection of traditional, Irish and self penned music on guitar and fiddle.
Sunday afternoon THE TONE VALLEY JAZZ BAND will again perform their easy to listen to traditional jazz sounds.  Now in their 51st year of playing together, they put their success and longevity down to cask-conditioned ale and good living. Just the ticket for a Sunday session!

ENTRY, GLASSES & TOKENS

Entry will yet again be FREE.  You will however need to purchase a glass which you can keep.  Souvenir pint and half-pint glasses will be available for £3 each, along with a much cheaper alternative if you don’t want a souvenir glass. 
A token ticket system will operate at the bar.  Buy your tokens when you buy your glass.  No cash will be taken at the bar, although unused tokens will be fully refundable.  We will have festival branded ‘T’ shirts, polo and sweat shirts for sale.

STATION FACILITIES

Our real ale bar and entertainment will all be under cover on Minehead railway station platform.  There will also be static railway carriages with plenty of seats available.   All of the usual station facilities will be open during the festival.
For local accommodation enquiries please contact Minehead Tourist Information Centre on  01643 702624.

EVENT STAFFING

Volunteers from Somerset Branch of Campaign for Real Ale will staff the festival bar, sales and membership stands. They will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

GETTING THERE

The very best way to visit our festival is of course to arrive by train on the scenic West Somerset Railway.  
A special full line round trip train fare, for only £11, is available to all CAMRA member. This discount fare is valid for full line return journeys from either Bishops Lydeard to Minehead or vice versa.  To obtain this bargain fare you must show your CAMRA membership card at the ticket office or, better still, enter your membership number on the advance booking form overleaf and avoid queuing! 
For pre-booked train ticket holders only there will be a free bus from Taunton to Bishops Lydeard and return.  It will connect with the 6.40pm Saturday evening train and also the return 10.50pm train from Minehead. 

Connecting Bus Services

SATURDAY DAYTIME: First bus no. 28 runs between Taunton Bus Station and Bishops Lydeard WSR Station (via Taunton Railway Station) at xx.05 & xx.35 minutes past each hour until 16.05.  Journey time is approximately 30 minutes.  Taunton Railway Station stop is at the south side interchange, next to platform 2 and also from stop C in Station Road (under railway bridge).  Return buses depart Bishops Lydeard at xx.26 & xx.56 minutes past each hour until 18.56.  Later buses depart from the nearby Lethbridge Arms at 19.35, 20.35 & 21.25.   For more information please contact First on 01823 272033 or visit  www.travelinesw.com  or  www.firstgroup.com

SATURDAY EVENING: A special FREE bus service will be provided by Somerset CAMRA for PRE-BOOKED TRAIN TICKET HOLDERS ONLY. The free bus will leave Taunton Castleway at 18.05 and Taunton Railway Station bridge bus stop at 18.13 to connect with the 18.40 train from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead. The return bus will leave Bishops Lydeard at midnight.  This option gives you three hours at the festival.  Please reserve your seat using the Booking Form.

SUNDAY: First bus no. 28 services depart Taunton Bus Station at 09.30 and 11.30 running via Taunton Railway Station to Bishops Lydeard WSR Station.  Return First 28 buses depart Bishops Lydeard WSR Station at 15.45 and 17.45 with later 28 service buses at 18.47 and 19.47 from the Lethbridge Arms in nearby Bishops Lydeard village.

Timetable

Saturday 11 September 2010

Sunday 12 September 2010

Booking Form

Please download the booking form by clicking here.

Links

The Somerset Branch of CAMRA (the Campaign For Real Ale) (www.somerset-camra.org.uk), Berrow (www.siba-southwest.co.uk/breweries/berrow), Butcombe (www.butcombe.com), Cotleigh (www.cotleighbrewery.com), Cottage (www.cottagebrewing.com), Dunkery (www.dunkeryales.co.uk), Exmoor (www.exmoorales.co.uk), Moor (www.moorbeer.co.uk), Newmans (www.newmansbrewery.com), Odcombe (www.quaffale.org.uk/php/brewery/1175), RCH (www.rchbrewery.com), Stowey (www.theoldciderhouse.co.uk) and Yeovil (www.yeovilales.com).