WSR :: West Somerset Railway :: CAMRA Weekend 2010

Somerset CAMRA Real Ale Festival 11 & 12 September 2010

Somerset Campaign for Real Ale's 10th Real Ale Festival

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

Real Ale, Cider and Perry...

Somerset CAMRA say "We will offer up to 100 real ales, several ciders and perry. Somerset breweries will be very well represented, as usual. In addition to these, there will be a wide selection of ales from all around Great Britain."

"They will showcase the incredibly wide range of tastes and styles produced by the multitude of breweries."

"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. A small selection of wine will be available."

Food and Soft Drinks

The 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 a hog roast is planned for the Saturday evening session. There are other food outlets adjacent to Minehead station offering plenty of choice to the hungry festival goer.

Live Entertainment...

Somerset CAMRA say "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. On 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 and Tokens...

Entry will yet again be FREE. You will however need to purchase a glass which you can keep. A souvenir pint and half-pint glasses will be available for £3 each, along with a much cheaper alternative for those not wanting 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.

Festival branded sweatshirts, polo and T-shirts will be available for sale.

Station Facilities...

The real ale bar and entertainment will 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 or check the Where to Stay page on this website.

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...well worth the effort

The very best way to visit our festival is of course to arrive by train on the scenic West Somerset Railway.

» Train times for Saturday 11 September
» Train times for Sunday 12 September

A special full line round trip train fare, for only £11, is available to all CAMRA members. 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 (see below) 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.

The Booking Form is now available...

Connecting bus service - Taunton - Bishops Lydeard

Saturday daytime: First Bus service 28 runs between Taunton Bus Station and Bishops Lydeard WSR Railway Station ( via Taunton Railway Station) at xx.05 and xx.35 minutes past each hour until 4.05pm. Journey time is about 30 minutes. The Taunton Railway Station stop is at the south side interchange next to platform 2 and from stop C in Station Road (under the railway bridge). Return buses depart Bishops Lydeard Station at xx.26 and xx.56 minutes past each hour until 6.56pm. Later buse depart from the nearby Lethbridge Arms at 7.35pm, 8.35pm, 9.25pm. 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 6.05pm and Taunton Railway Station bridge bus stop at 6.13pm to connect with the 6.40pm train from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead. The return bus will leave Bishops Lydeard at midnight allowing almost three hours at the festival. Please reserve your seat using the Booking Form.

Sunday: First route 28 buses depart Taunton Bus Station at 9.30am and 11.30am running via Taunton Railway Station to Bishops Lydeard. Return First 28 buses depart Bishops Lydeard Station at 3.45pm and 5.45pm, also at 6.47pm and 7.47pm buses from the Lethbridge Arms in Bishops Lydeard village

Real Ale · Cider · Perry · Music