Simon Whaley selects seven summer coastal railway journeys with a difference
01 EAST HILL CLIFF RAILWAY, HASTINGS, KENT
Opened on 10 August 1902, the UK’s steepest funicular railway links Stade Beach – home to Europe’s largest beach-launched fishing fleet – with Hastings Country Park. Take the 81-metre journey to explore this nature reserve, home to peregrines and Dartford warblers.
02 SOUTHEND PIER RAILWAY, SOUTHEND, ESSEX
Serving the world’s longest pleasure pier, the railway line stretches 1.25 miles into the Thames Estuary, terminating at the pier head. Collect a Wildlife Watch leaflet (£1), take the 10-minute journey to Pier Head, then tick off your wildlife sightings – seals, porpoises, dolphins, curlews, oystercatchers, dunlin and more.
03 STRATHCARRON TO KYLE OF LOCHALSH, HIGHLAND
Boarding at Strathcarron, the final 16 miles of the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh railway line hug Loch Carron’s shoreline before reaching the sea near Stromeferry. Lucky rail trippers may spot white-tailed eagles, golden eagles, seals and otters from the warm confines of the railway carriage.
04 ABERYSTWYTH CLIFF RAILWAY, CEREDIGION
T he longest funicular electric cliff railway in Britain travels 237 metres to the summit at a stately four miles per hour, linking Aberystwyth with Constitution Hill. At the top you’ll find one of the world’s largest camera obscuras, with its 35.5cm lens offering views across 1,000 square miles of Wales and Cardigan Bay.
05 GIANT’S CAUSEWAY AND BUSHMILLS RAILWAY, COUNTY ANTRIM
On its launch in 1883, the Giant’s Causeway Tram was hailed as the world’s first long electric tramway. Today, a two-mile narrow-gauge railway uses the tram’s track bed to take visitors on a 20-minute journey from Bushmills, travelling beside the River Bush and the vast sandy sweep of Bushfoot Beach to the World Heritage Site.
06 LYNTON AND LYNMOUTH CLIFF RAILWAY, DEVON
Linking Lynmouth with Lynton, this is the highest and steepest completely water-powered railway in the world. Using water from the River Lyn, the carriages rise to a height of 152 metres along 262 metres of track. Using mostly manual labour, excavation of the cliffside to carve out the precipitous route began in 1887 and took less than three years – aremarkable achievement.
07 SEATON TRAMWAY, SEATON, DEVON
This three-mile electric tramway links the charming town of Colyton with the Jurassic Coast at Seaton. Passing through two nature reserves, the 30-minute ride is perfect for spotting kingfishers, herons, foxes and little egrets. Seaton’s station is just 250 metres from the town’s pebble beach, where you can join a stretch of the South West Coast Path.