WEST SOMERSET RAILWAY WINS HERITAGE RAILWAY COACH TOURISM AWARD

The annual Coach Tourism awards were presented at a dinner held at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham on Wednesday March 21^st and one of the winners was the West Somerset Railway.

Samantha White and Ally Roe of the Railway’s Commercial Department attended the event and received the “Heritage Railway Coach Tourism Award”. The accolade came after a successful 2017 season in which the Railway carried over 189,000 passengers and amongst other highlights hosted a very successful visit by “Flying Scotsman” in September. Either side of the Awards Dinner Samantha and Ally spent two days meeting existing customers and new contacts at the British Tourism and Travel Show in the National Exhibition Centre.

Running for 20 miles between Bishops Lydeard, near Taunton, and Minehead the West Somerset offers its passengers views of the Quantock Hills and a journey along the coastline looking across the Bristol Channel or inland to Exmoor during a 90 minute journey. The most popular destinations for travelling groups are Minehead and the medieval village of Dunster, although some chose to alight at Bishops Lydeard and travel into Taunton, the county town of Somerset.

WSR manager Paul Conibeare commented “The receipt of this top award reflects on the work of everyone on the West Somerset Railway from those who deal with coach company bookings initially and then the station staff and train crews who meet the customers and ensure they have an enjoyable journey and time with us.”