The legendary Sir Nigel Gresley is set to return to the West Somerset Railway for one special weekend only, from 3rd – 5th July.
Special tickets will be available throughout its visit to us with one opportunity to travel on the Quantock Belle behind Sir Nigel Gresley in the evening of Saturday 3rd July 2026.
We will be joined by Chef Sam le Roux.
Your journey will start from Bishops Lydeard Station. Your fare includes:
- Return travel at your reserved dining table;
- A three-course meal with tea or coffee served during the journey;
- Value Added Tax, as applicable.
A comprehensive bar service, including a varied wine list and soft drinks, is provided to your table by our attentive liveried stewards throughout the day and charged towards the end of your return journey.
A vegetarian option (homemade gluten and dairy-free) is available as an alternative to all advertised menus, but we must be notified at the time of booking. If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know on 01643 704996.
Dessert is served on the return journey to Bishops Lydeard and accompanied by a continuous tea and coffee service.
We are confident you will have a wonderful and memorable evening out with us and we look forward to seeing you on "the QB" soon.
Tickets are sold as individual tickets or a guaranteed table for two (price includes a £15 supplement to guarantee your table). The guaranteed table for two ticket covers one table for two people. If you have a group of four people who want to sit together, you need to book four individual tickets. Please note that if you purchase less than four individual tickets, you may be seated with another party.
Please be aware due to the heritage nature of the stock, we are unable to accommodate mobility scooters and wheelchairs on these services. If you have any accessible requirements, please do give us a call on 01643 704 996.
Evening Excursion on Saturday 4th July
Travel from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead return, with both the outward and return trips hauled by Sir Nigel Gresley. This will be one of the only opportunities to travel behind Sir Nigel Gresley on both legs of the journey.
- Evening Excursion: 19:00 from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead, returning at 21:15 from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard with both journeys behind Sir Nigel Gresley.
- We are offering a 4-course meal on board the Quantock Belle for this service. We are currently awaiting the menus so if you would like to book, we will contact you as soon as the menu is available for your menu choices.
Please note that pets are not permitted to travel on any of our Sir Nigel Gresley services, due to the expectation that this will be a very busy event. Assistance dogs will be permitted on these services, but please make us aware in advance by calling 01643 704996.
Upon arrival at Bishops Lydeard, you will be required to park in one of the designated car parks for the event, which will be clearly sign posted.
Please bring your email confirmation with you to check in, where you will be given your seat reservation.
All services start from Bishops Lydeard, there is no option to begin at Minehead.
Directions:
Postcode for Sat Nav: TA4 3RU
Bishops Lydeard Station is the southern terminus of the West Somerset Railway and this is where your Sir Nigel Gresley journey begins. It is four miles from the County town of Taunton and the M5 Motorway (Junction 25).
Please be aware that there is a maximum height barrier so access to the car park is for vehicles under 2.1 metres.
DATES & TIMES
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| Prices for this event could vary from day to day, click the links above to see prices for your chosen date. | |
Menu
To Be Confirmed
If you select all option 1 when booking, we will contact you for your menu choices as soon as the menu is available.
Terms and Conditions
DIRECTIONS AND PARKING
Postcode for Sat Nav: TA4 3RU
Bishops Lydeard Station is the southern terminus of the West Somerset Railway and this is where your Sir Nigel Gresley journey begins. It is four miles from the County town of Taunton and the M5 Motorway (Junction 25).
Please be aware that there is a maximum height barrier so access to the station car park is for vehicles under 2.1 metres. We will have additional car parking facilities available in neighbouring land to the railway.
UPON ARRIVAL
Please allow adequate time for your journey to Bishops Lydeard – we expect trains to be very close to capacity if not fully booked, so if you miss your train, it will be very unlikely that we would be able to find you a space on another. We advise that you aim to arrive at the station 30 minutes before start time for check in. Check in will be on the ramp on the approach to the station platform where you will be given your seat allocation.
There is a car park at Bishops Lydeard station, where the event begins. If this is full, the road that leads to the car park has lots of on-street parking. There is a small disabled carpark next to the station. This will be sign posted.
THINGS TO LET US KNOW
We have four spaces per train for non-transferable wheelchair passengers and therefore it is essential that you ensure you have booked an accessible space at the time of booking. These will be allocated on a strict first-come first-served basis. If you fail to inform us of your requirement for an accessible space at the time of booking, then it is highly likely that we will not be able to facilitate your booking.
The seating plans are being arranged in advance, so please also let us know at the time of booking if you wish to travel with another group that are booking separately. We will be unable to move groups around on the day or in the lead up to the event after your booking has been made. If you have made two bookings in the same name, for the same service we will automatically put these bookings together on the plans, you do not need to notify us.
DOGS
No dogs will be permitted on our Sir Nigel Gresley services except assistance dogs. If you have an assistance dog you must add the dog to the notes when making your booking or call us on 01643 704996 after your booking has been made and we will add your assistance dog to your booking.
TOILETS
There are toilets located at the top of the slope at Bishops Lydeard.
CHECK-IN
Please ensure you check in when you arrive. The check in desk will be on the approach to the station platform at Bishops Lydeard.
BUGGIES
There will be no buggies or pushchairs permitted on the train due to limited space. Please leave these in your car.
Terms and Conditions
· If you do not wish to be bound by these Terms and Conditions, your tickets should be returned to us within 10 days of receipt for a full refund which will exclude the booking fee and any postal charges.
· Please check your tickets upon receipt and advise us promptly of any errors. Errors cannot be rectified on the day of your visit.
· The contract of tickets acceptance will be governed by English Law and subject to the jurisdiction of the English Courts.
Sir Nigel Gresley Trains
1. Sir Nigel Gresley journeys during the event must be pre-booked. They are not normal service trains, so standard fares do not apply. There will be no discounts available on and for Sir NIgel Gresley trains. Annual Passes, ATOC cards and staff ID cards are not valid on these services.
2. Your Sir Nigel Gresley ticket permits one single trip behind Sir Nigel Gresley and one trip behind a home fleet locomotive between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead stations on Friday 3rd and Sunday 5th July only. Return travel behind Sir Nigel Gresley is only available on Saturday 4th July. Your journeys will be specified on your ticket and will be valid for those journeys only. This ticket IS NOT valid on any other Sir Nigel Gresley service throughout the day.
3. Tickets are strictly non-transferable. You MUST travel on the trains you are booked on. You cannot leave or join the train at intermediate stations.
4. Should Sir Nigel Gresley fail, or not be available for operational or other reasons, we will provide an alternative steam locomotive to operate your train and will refund the difference between the special fare charge to that of a standard West Somerset Railway ‘rover’ fare. Any refunds will be made within 10 days from the date of travel.
5. We will not be responsible for any additional costs, losses or expenses resulting from cancellation of Sir Nigel Gresley's appearance on the train service.
6. You MUST arrive at your departure station at least 30 minutes before your selected departure time. If you miss your train, you will NOT be able to transfer to another Sir Nigel Gresley train as seats will NOT be available.
7. Parking for visitors who have booked for Sir Nigel Gresley hauled trains will be available at Bishops Lydeard station.
8. We will not take responsibility for delay or non-attendance by you, caused by bad weather, traffic conditions or any other factors that delay your arrival at either station.
9. Pets are not allowed on Sir Nigel Gresley services. Assistance dogs are, however, accepted. Please make us aware of this when booking.
10. We retain the right to alter, cancel and suspend the service for safety or other operational reasons.
11. Payments for tickets must be made in full at the time of booking.
12. We reserve the right to refuse any booking for reasons we consider necessary.
13. We will not be held responsible for any loss or damage to any vehicle, clothing or personal belongings during your visit. Any found lost property will be held at Minehead Information Office for 1 week, after this time items will be disposed of.
14. Only limited seating is available on the train for passengers who have restricted mobility. Wheelchair spaces can be pre-booked on a first-come first-serve basis, by phone only.
15. Buggies and pushchairs will not be permitted to travel. Please leave buggies and prams in your car.
Customer Cancellation
If you wish to cancel your booking for whatever reason, the following charges will apply:
- Up to 1 month before date of travel – 50% fee
- 1 month or less before travel date - 100% fee.
Requests for a refund must be made in writing. We will arrange the refund based on the criteria set and you will be refunded by the same payment method as the original purchase. Refunds will be made within 28 days from receipt of the request. Application should be made to West Somerset Railway, The Railways Station, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 5BG or by email to [email protected].
Should you wish to amend your booking, a £5 administration charge may apply.
DATES & TIMES
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