Friends of Minehead Station run out of space

The success of the Book Stall on Minehead station which raises money for ongoing improvements relies on the generosity of local people donating their unwanted books as well as the hard work of the FOMS staff who run the stall during the West Somerset Railway’s operating season. However, due to the major work being undertaken at Minehead station installing a turntable, storage space for “stock” is very much at a premium. 

Frances Bristow, FOMS retail manager, said “We will need new stock for the 2008 season but would ask that all contributors store their donations until we get some storage space built on the platform.  This is not likely to be ready until next February at the earliest. Even then, I would ask donators telephone the railway station (01643 704996) before they bring us their much needed books.”

Meanwhile the work on the turntable together with much other work continues apace and the railway station is noticing an increase in the number of visitors coming to see how the work is progressing.  Paul Conibeare, the railway’s General Manager said “There are two ideal viewing areas on our platform for people to come and see the exciting developments not only for the railway but also for Minehead and West Somerset.  We are open 7 days a week and will make viewers most welcome”

Added 13th December 2007

December Online Newsletter

The December Online Newsletter is now available with details of the Winter Steam Festival and progress with the turntable including a first for this issue - Pictures!

Download the December Online

Added 4th December 2007

THE West Somerset Railway is delighted to confirm details of its programme of principal gala events for 2008:-

The 2008 programme kicks-off with the traditional and extremely popular Spring Steam Gala which will again be a six-day event, but next year will be held a little earlier than usual due to Easter also falling in March. The theme has already been confirmed as “British Railways Steam 1948-68” and will seek to tell the story of how the newly nationalised railways eliminated steam in the space of just twenty years, enabling a good variety of engines and train types from across all the former regions of BR to feature.
At least twelve steam locomotives, including many visitors, are expected to be in action at the Spring Steam Gala and, subject to final confirmation, the return of two very popular engines has already been agreed – SR ‘West Country’ 4-6-2 No 34007 Wadebridge and GWR ‘4575’ Class 2-6-2T No 5542.
The Mixed Traffic Weekend, introduced for the first time in 2007, will largely feature heritage diesel traction – again with a number of ‘guest’ locomotives – and it is hoped will see the welcome return of two former British Railways Western Region diesel hydraulics from the Diesel & Electric Preservation Group’s impressive fleet – ‘Western’ No D1010 Western Campaigner and ‘Hymek’ No D7017 – following engine repairs.
The month of October will see the welcome return of two popular gala events – the very popular Autumn Steam Gala in its traditional ‘slot’ over the first full weekend in October, which will again feature an impressive line-up of engines, and Somerset in Autumn, a ‘mixed traction’ event which is deliberately timed to coincide with the school half term and promises an excellent opportunity to ride behind our wonderful fleet of steam and heritage diesel locomotives.
The programme concludes with the Winter Steam Festival which, for the first time, has been extended to two days. A varied collection of steam locomotives will work a full timetable of trains, recreating the West Country railway scene of a bygone era.
Comprehensive information about each gala above will be published at least six weeks in advance of the date of each event, both in a colour leaflet and on this website.
A special timetable and special fares will be in operation at the Spring Steam Gala, Mixed Traffic Weekend, Autumn Steam Gala, Somerset in Autumn and Winter Steam Festival events. Undoubtedly the best way to enjoy all these galas is to purchase a Rover Ticket, which gives complete freedom to travel on the line for the duration of the ticket, and can often be purchased at a discounted price in advance.
Looking even further ahead, the 2009 Spring Steam Gala is, subject to final confirmation, expected to return to its traditional slot at the end of March and will be held on 21-22 and 26-29 March 2009.
“We have a very impressive programme of gala events planned for next year,” comments Richard Jones, Chairman of the WSR Special Events Planning Team, “which – together with our other popular events such as the WSRA Steam Fayre & Vintage Vehicle Rally and the CAMRA Real Ale Festival at Minehead – will we hope will prove very popular, with plenty on offer to suit all tastes and interests. We very much look forward to welcoming people to the West Somerset Railway in 2008.”

More Information about our Special events and trains during 2008 are posted on the Special Events Page. Please click here for more. For pictures of Previous West Somerset Railway Gala's please click the logo below:

Added 22nd November 2007

They are obtainable in multiples of £5, £10 or £20 and can be ordered by post, complete with cheque made payable to West Somerset Railway plc, by writing to Commercial Department, West Somerset Railway, The Station, Minehead, TA24 5BG. Or you can ring us on 01643 704996 with debit/credit card details (all accepted except AMEX) and we will put them in the post.

If you would prefer a more solid gift the Buffer Stop shop can provide a wide range of items including West Somerset Railway Leisure wear, books, DVD's, Locally made confectionary and for the younger persons awaiting Santa this year the shop stocks a wide range of Thomas the Tank Engine toys and accessories.

For more information on Gift Ideas from the West Somerset Railway's Buffer Stop Shop Please click here

Added 28th October 2007

As of 13th December the position regarding Santa Trains is as follows:- From Bishops Lydeard the only Santa Train with any space is the 13.05 Santa Special on Saturday December 22nd . Advance telephone booking for this will close at lunchtime on Monday December 17th to allow tickets a reasonable chance of getting through the Christmas post. Costs of travel on this train are £10 for each adult and £10 for each child.

From Minehead there is a bit more choice.  There is plenty of room on the 15.35 Santa Special on Sunday 16th and these can be purchased in advance by telephone up to midday on Friday 14th.  Tickets for this train should also be available on a walk-up and pay on the day basis as well. On Christmas Eve there are tickets on the 12.05, 13.55 and 15.35 trains.  These can be purchased by phone up to midday on Friday 21st although any ordered after Monday 17th will not be put in the post but will be collected from Minehead Station Booking Office on the 24th. Cost of tickets on these trains is £7 for each adult and £7 for each child.

CAROL TRAINS

These have completely sold out.

NEW YEARS DAY FISH AND CHIP TRAIN

There are very few seats left and these are selling out fast.

Added13th December 2007

Five engines will be in action on the Winter Steam Festival. The Great Western tradition will be represented by heavy freight locomotive number 3850, “Small Prairie” tank engine 5553 and the “Auto Tank” number 1450. The last named will be working an “auto train” push and pull service of two coaches, as was once typical of West Country branch lines, whilst its bigger brethren haul the longer trains. Somerset and Dorset number 88 will also be working trains over the full length of the line whilst the tiny London, Brighton and South Coast Railway number 662 “Martello”, which dates from 1875, will be working trains between Minehead and Blue Anchor. The Winter Steam Festival will be “Martello’s” last outing on the WSR before returning to its home at the Bressingham Museum in East Anglia.
Apart form the train rides visitors to the Winter Steam Festival will be able to call in at the Taunton Model Railway Group’s headquarters at Bishops Lydeard, the Museums at Washford and Bishops Lydeard and the Diesel Heritage Centre at Williton.
West Somerset Railway General Manager Paul Conibeare commented: “We have had an excellent 2007 season and passenger figures will comfortably beat our previous record, set in 2005. We expect to end somewhere around the 210,000 mark and the period of operation between December 27th and January 2nd is a nice little finish to the year with the Festival giving a day out for enthusiasts and families who are missing WSR Gala days. Our staff will be putting in extra hours to make sure trains are warm and of course if visitors want a breath of fresh air after Christmas our stations offer plenty of chances to go exploring”.
He continued: - “After January 2nd we have a brief “closed” period until February and the train services for half-term, which for the first time will operate over the whole length of the line.  However during those few weeks everyone will be very busy on engineering, maintenance and commercial activities as we prepare for another busy season. Our 2008 timetable is available now and can be obtained by ringing 01643 704996. We would like to wish all our passengers and visitors a Happy Christmas and we look forward to welcoming them back to the West Somerset Railway.”
Visitors to the Winter Steam Festival will be able to use a free bus link between Taunton Railway Station, Taunton town centre, silk Mills Park and Ride and Bishops Lydeard Station. Car parking at Bishops Lydeard is free and unusually for a Gala standard fares apply.

Added 13th December 2007

Meetings will normally be held on the first MONDAY of the month and unless otherwise indicated, meetings will take place at the Great Western Railway Staff Association, at the north east corner of Taunton Station and should start at 7.45 p.m.

• Monday January 7th:                Members’ slides and photo competition
• Monday February 4th:              Ian Coleby:  WSR History – My Perspective
• Monday March 3rd:                 Ian Pope:  Railways of the Forest of Dean  
• Monday April 7th:                    Adrian Vaughan:  Further Confessions of a Signalman
• Monday May 5th                      Visit to the Dartmoor Railway (Okehampton-Meldon)                                                and/or The Devon Railway Centre (Cadeleigh/Bickleigh) (BANK HOLIDAY) (Joint visit with the GWS Taunton Group)
• Monday June 2nd:                    Ed Hurst:  Mainline Steam in Medium Format   
• July and August:                       Summer break…
• Monday September 1st:            David Hartland:  The Sparks Flew Upwards!
• Monday October 6th:               PSOV – Mainline Steam Videos
• Monday November 3rd:           Colin Marsden:  Digital Age with Railway Photography
• Monday December 1st:            Christmas Quiz

Also a reminder that the next meeting of the Group is due to take place on Monday December 3rd, when the group shall be holding the traditional Christmas Quiz, at the GWRSA 'Snug' Bar, North east corner of Taunton Station, at 7.45 pm.  As last year this should be an informal occasion when you can socialise a little and the Quiz will be presented by Martin Southwood, open to replies from the floor (ie 'audience participation', which might lead to heated debate?), rather than use the more formal format, when we held the Quiz as a competition.

Added 27th November 2007

Whilst passenger numbers on the West Somerset Railway have continued to rise year after year, one regular train during the summer period has seen numbers drop dramatically.  The Sunset Specials that have run for many years on Wednesday evenings back and forth from Minehead to Blue Anchor during the high summer period no longer carry sufficient passengers to make them commercially viable. 

Following an examination of passenger numbers for the last two seasons, the Railway has announced that the Sunset Specials will not feature in their 2008 planning. Martyn Snell, the Railway’s Commercial Manager said “It is a great pity that numbers on this particular service have dropped as they have.   We have to be realistic particularly bearing in mind how much time we ask our staff to give to all our train services.  We have identified one that is not working well and have decided to stop it.  Who knows, it may return in a slightly different guise but certainly not during 2008”

Added 30th November 2007

 The Bishops Lydeard trains are steam-hauled and the trip involves the round trip to Santa’s grotto at Crowcombe Heathfield, seasonal refreshments for the adults and a present from Santa for the children. The fare is £10 for each adult and £10 for each child.

A large number of seats are available on the 10.20, 12.05, 13.55 and 15.35 from Minehead.  On this train the trip is to Blue Anchor and back and the same arrangements apply as for the Bishops Lydeard – Crowcombe trains, except that the cost is £7 for each adult and £7 for each child.

Added 4th December 2007

1450 and Autocoach 178 at Crowcombe Heathfield Picture by Don Bishop

AT least five steam locomotives will be in action at the West Somerset Railway’s final special event of this season – the WINTER STEAM FESTIVAL on Saturday 29 December 2007.

Two guest engines will be in use during the event, the diminutive LB&SCR ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No 662 Martello – normally resident at the Bressingham Steam Museum in Norfolk – and GWR 0-4-2T No 1450.

Both engines have been based on the line since October and have proved very popular from visitors, and the gala will be the last opportunity to see Martello in service on the WSR.

The remaining engines in action will be selected from the resident fleet, comprising S&DJR 7F 2-8-0 No 88, LMS 4F   0-6-0 No 44422, the WSR’s own Great Western ‘Mogul’ No 9351, GWR 2-8-0 No 3850 and the pair of GWR ‘prairie tanks’, Nos 4160 and 5553.

An interesting and varied timetable will be in operation at the event – featuring over 300 miles of steam – with passenger services running between 09:20 and 18:20.    All services will be steam-hauled and there will be many opportunities for visitors to “swap trains” at the intermediate crossing places at Blue Anchor, Williton and Crowcombe Heathfield in order to sample travel behind all the locomotives in action during the day.

As well as the “whole line” trains operating between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead, the timetable will also feature the Railway’s Great Western auto train – with No 1450 working with trailer 178 – and a typical branch line train with a Southern flavour worked by No 662 Martello – a steam veteran, having been built in 1875 – which will work a number of services between Minehead and Blue Anchor.

Full bar and buffet facilities will be available on most train services during the weekend, serving a good range of high quality hot and cold food, tea and coffee, and a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks – including real ale.  

There will be a number of additional attractions at the event.   The Gauge Museum at Bishops Lydeard and the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust’s museum at Washford will both be open, as will the base of the Taunton Model Railway Group at Bishops Lydeard.   For visitors also interested in more modern traction, the excellent Diesel Heritage Centre at Williton will also be open.   

For the first time at the Winter Steam Festival, a special regular free bus service will operate linking Taunton Railway Station, the Park and Ride Car Park at Silk Mill – where plenty of car parking is available – and Bishops Lydeard Station.

For visitors arriving by car, both Bishops Lydeard – where limited car parking will be available – and the Silk Mill Park and Ride car park will be fully signposted from Junctions 25 and 26 of the M5 motorway.

A special souvenir programme – which will include full information about the event, together with the full working timetable and locomotive & coaching set diagrams – will be available in advance of the event and during the Gala itself, priced £2.00.

Undoubtedly the best way to enjoy the Winter Steam Festival is to purchase a Rover Ticket, which gives complete freedom to travel on the line for the day.   For the first time at this event, standard fare rover tickets (rather than special event fares) will apply.   An Adult Day Rover ticket, for example, will cost just £13 – a real bargain considering the number of locomotives and timetable ‘on offer’.   Senior, child and family rover tickets are also available.    Tickets can be purchased by telephone from Minehead Station and through www.ticketweb.co.uk, using a Credit/Debit Card.

“Our Winter Steam Festival has always been well received since it was introduced to our special event calendar four years ago,” comments Richard Jones, Chairman of the WSR Special Event Planning Team, “and we hope the opportunity to enjoy a variety of steam engines and trains working an impressive timetable, together with the comfort of warm, steam-heated trains, and all for the price of a standard fare rover ticket will again prove attractive to visitors.”

Added 31st October 2007

The 20 mile long West Somerset Railway is heading towards another record-breaking year as its main 2007 operating season ends and its volunteers and staff prepare for the annual programme of festive season trains in December.

“At the end of October we had carried 200,000 passengers in the year to date”, said West Somerset Railway General Manager Paul Conibeare,

“and had already welcomed more people to our trains than we did in the whole of 2006. We are also only 3000 short of our all time record total set in 2005 with the December trains still to run, reflecting another terrific effort by everyone on the WSR in attracting business to the railway and the area and then offering a good day out that persuades passengers to come back again”.
Mr Conibeare continued. “The months ahead will be very busy for everyone on the line. We do not run any regular passenger train services for the rest of November but we are busy with bookings for our pre-Christmas Santa Trains and work continues with the Minehead turntable preparation work, the construction of the Norton Fitzwarren turning triangle, locomotive and carriage maintenance and much else besides.  We always get a lot of quiet amusement when people ask us “what do you do all day when the trains aren’t running?”  Our 2008 timetables are due from the printers in mid-November and once they are to hand mailings to coach and holiday companies will begin as we continue to try to build our success story for the years to come”.

Added 5th November 2007

Due to unforeseen sickness, the WSR is looking with some urgency for a member of staff to undertake the Santa duties on the upcoming Santa Expresses.  These run at 10.10, 12.20 and 14.35 on the following days:

Sunday 9th, Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th, Saturday 22nd, Sunday 23rd and Monday 24th December.

There will be a need for the “Santa” to be willing to be CRB checked. Volunteering will not mean having to do every day although it would be easier to do the three trains on any day volunteered for.

To volunteer or for further details, please contact Martyn Snell on 01643 700383 or email Martyn by clicking here

Added 7th November 2007

Bishops Lydeard, Washford and Blue Anchor as well as the Diesel Heritage Centre at Williton.

For more Information on the Winter Steam Festival please click here or to book please call 01643 704996 or click the Ticket.web logo below:

Added 28th October 2007

• I Place on the 2nd November 2007
• 2 Places on the 3rd November 2007
• 1 Place on the 4th November 2007

After First preparing the locomotive you will then haul a freight train from Minehead to Williton and back, driving one way and firing the other. When not firing and driving you will travel with the Guard on a restored brake van and learn about how his job differs from a normal passenger train while the other participants have their turn on the footplate. The day ends with disposal of the locomotive and presentation of certificates for sucessfully completeing the course.

If you Would like to book on one of the dates please call Justin on 01643 700398 or for more details and a booking form please see the Steam Engineman Course Pages

Added 18th October 2007

the tiny London, Brighton and South Coast Railway “Martello” which dates from 1880 and is on hire from the  Bressingham Museum in Norfolk whilst Great Western tank engine 1450 will once again recreate the lost branch lines of the West of England with its “auto-train” coaches.

Six steam engines currently resident on the WSR will also see service, five being of Great Western origin and two, numbers 88 and 44422, which saw service on the much-missed Somerset and Dorset line. The diesel engines will come from the fleet of 1960’s machines lovingly cared for by the Diesel and Electric Preservation Group. These will include Class 47 D1661 “North Star” which was added to the Williton line-up earlier this year.

Apart from an intensive train service between Bishops Lydeard (four miles from Taunton) and Minehead which will run between 09.10 and 18.30 on each day visitors will find plenty to do and see. Once more a free vintage bus service will link Dunster Station and the village whilst the Museums along the line and the Diesel Heritage Centre at Williton will be open to the public. For those who would like to leave the car at home Cooks Coaches are running a free bus service from Taunton Railway Station (under the bridge, near the Booking Office), Taunton Castle Green in the town centre and the Silk Mills Park and Ride Scheme on both days starting at 09.30 and at half-hourly intervals thereafter.

The Railway’s shops will be open for those who would like to do some pre-Christmas shopping.

“We have deliberately timed the Somerset in Autumn event for the half-term holidays”, said WSR General Manager Paul Conibeare, “and also for the weekend when the clocks go back to give visitors another chance to see both an interesting collection of engines at work and the beauties of the Somerset countryside from the comfort of our trains. Our main season ends on November 1st and then we will be hard at work on maintenance and more planning for 2008 in the gap before our “Santa Trains” start on December 1st”.

Added 19th October 2007

BEST EVER AUTUMN STEAM GALA

OVER 6,300 passengers – a new record for the event – enjoyed a fabulous four day feast of steam at the West Somerset Railway’s recent Autumn Steam Gala, which was held over the weekend of 4-7 October.
The event broke all previous records for the number of passengers carried, with visitors travelling from far and wide, and was blessed with excellent weather.

No less than thirteen steam locomotives were in action during the Autumn Gala – including six ‘guest’ engines – representing three of the four former “Big Four” railway companies, the Great Western, Southern and London Midland & Scottish.    These ranged from the diminutive London Brighton & South Coast Railway ‘Terrier’ Martello – built in 1875 – to the world record breaking icon City of Truro, and included the unique LMS ‘Stanier Mogul’ No 42968 and a trio of former GWR heavy freight locomotives.

An intensive timetable gave visitors plenty of opportunities to travel behind and photograph the various locomotives, with the Great Western auto and Southern local passenger trains proving particularly popular.

A large number of those who visited on the Saturday and Sunday took the opportunity to arrive by train, courtesy of a Virgin Trains Voyager unit which ran a shuttle service between Taunton and Bishops Lydeard on both days.

“We had an excellent array of engines in action,” comments WSR General Manager Paul Conibeare “with many people telling us that they just did not have enough time to do everything they wanted to do!”

The WSR is very grateful to everyone concerned for making the event such a resounding success, including the owners of the various visiting engines, which drew many admiring comments from visitors and staff alike.

“but allowing for the time difference the call from Mr Warren Finnen was among  the more unusual ones we have received this year. It seems that Mr Finnen and his family will be on holiday in Britain in late autumn and one of the things on their list of “must do’s” was a ride on the West Somerset Railway. We are not operating regular services over the whole of the line on December 1st but we hope that the Finnens will enjoy the ride on the 10.40 “Santa Special” between Bishops Lydeard and Crowcombe Heathfield and their visit to Santa in his grotto at Crowcombe Heathfield station”.

            Overseas visitors for WSR December trains are not entirely unknown. “We have carried Japanese visitors to Dunster By Candlelight in the past”, Mr Conibeare said, “and we know of a family from Zimbabwe who came to our second Winter Steam Festival in the week after Christmas three years ago. We always hope that these visitors enjoy their time in the West of England and go home and spread the word to their friends”.

Added 18th October 2007

For the 2008 Steam Enginemans Course dates please click here. For a booking form please click here. If you require any more information please email us by clicking here.

Added 20th September 2007

A meal will be available in the Brunel Buffet and is included in the price of £250.00 per person. Why not try this unique course taking place in December?

For details of how to book this unique course please call 01643 700398 or email by clicking here or you can download the booking form here.

Added 20th September 2007

IT IS with both regret and disappointment that Southern Railway ‘West Country’ 4-6-2 No 34046 Braunton will not now be able to take any part in the West Somerset Railway’s Autumn Steam Gala on 4-7 October following problems encountered during its initial test run along the line last month. However, the Railway is delighted to be able to confirm that -

The following courses are available in October: (Price is given per person)

• 1 Places on the Stage One Course on the 11th and 12th October at £325.00

The Following courses are available in November:

• 1 Places on the Special Stage Three from Minehead on the 9th November at £250

The Special Stage Three course is running from Minehead and this unique opportunity allows the participant to experience driving and firing a passenger train from Minehead to Williton and back. The Normal Stage three (as available on the 15th October) runs from Bishops Lydeard to Williton.

The West Somerset Railway is always looking for new volunteers in all of its various Departments as it seeks to expand its business and continue its continuing success story as both a premier “heritage railway” and principal visitor attraction in South West England.
With this in mind it is holding a New Volunteers’ Workshop at Bishops Lydeard Station on Sunday 9th September at 10.45 a.m. The agenda will include a welcome and brief introduction to the role of volunteers on the Railway, and an Induction Course at the end of which the new volunteers will receive a letter of introduction to the Department or Section in which they wish to work. The Workshop will be complete by 1.00 p.m.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of the WSR”, said Volunteer Co-ordinator Mark Smith,” and we have a range of jobs to suit all tastes and temperaments.  For the mechanically minded there are the Locomotive Department and the Signalling side which offers both hands-on “making it work on a daily basis” roles and maintenance and overhaul jobs, whilst for those who like meeting people there is plenty of work at our ten stations and in the buffet cars. We also always need guards, ticket inspectors and other on-train staff whilst track maintenance and vegetation control offers lots of good physical exercise in much more varied surroundings than the inside of a health club. Our youngest volunteers are the 13 year olds in their first years as “Trackers” and the upper age limit is only imposed by fitness and an ability to do the job”.
Intending new volunteers can find out more by contacting 01823 433856.

See the WSRA Website by clicking the image below

Added 3rd September 2007 by WSRA

Although built for the Somerset and Dorset 88 became part of the LMS loco fleet as 13808 and finished her career in 1963 when, as British Railways number 53808 she was withdrawn from mainline service and was taken to the Barry Scrapyard in South Wales. From there she was purchased by the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust and initially taken to Radstock as part of the planned preservation scheme there. When this failed the S&DRT and its collection moved to Washford on the West Somerset Railway in 1975.  Restoration work continued but in 1985 the locomotive moved to the Minehead workshops of the WSR and it was in the yard there that the engine was steamed on August 19th 1987.

88 ran until 1996, covering around 50,000 miles at the head of West Somerset passenger trains before another overhaul was necessary. The engine is now painted in the famous “Prussian Blue” livery of the original S&D and is one of the most easily recognised engines on Britain’s steam railways.

Also in action on August 19th will be another engine with Somerset and Dorset connections. Number 44422 is a “4F” 0-6-0 engine, a survivor of a class that once numbered no less than 772 and could be found working freight and local passenger services all over the LMS and British Railways network. During the 1950’s 44422 was allocated to Templecombe locomotive shed and was a familiar sight along the Bath – Bournemouth line and also on the branch line from Evercreech Junction to Highbridge and Burnham on Sea. The 4F is on hire as a summer “guest” on the WSR.

Visitors to the WSR on August 19th will also find the Washford Museum open and author Alan Hammond will be signing copies of his Somerset and Dorset books in the station shop at Minehead.

Commenting on the day WSR General Manager Paul Conibeare said “88 is a valuable engine for the WSR and its power has been an asset in moving our heaviest trains during the last twenty years.  Together with 44422 they bring some variety to our generally Great Western designed fleet and this is popular with both our footplate crews and the travelling public”.

Added 26th July by WSR Plc

The Company have been informed that the very popular Dunster Country show that would be taking place on Wednesday has been cancelled, like the rally due to the waterlogged condition of the fields in the grounds of Dunster Castle where the show is held.

This means the vintage bus scheduled to link Dunster village and show with Dunster Station on the Railway hasalso been cancelled.

On the Bright side the show has been re-scheduled for the 18th of August and more details of the show can be found by calling 01643 821835. More details about events in the National Park can be found on www.exmoor.com

This years Steam Fayre and Vintage Vehicle Rally on the 4th and 5th of August has been Cancelled due to the rally field being waterlogged. The Association were informed late last night (Sunday) that the field would be unsuitable for the usual fantastic array of vehicles and it was with sadness that Association Board have decided that the event will now not take place this year.

Don Bishop, WSRA Press Officer comments "This is due to the long periods of seemingly incessant rain making the site very wet and boggy and the obvious difficulties this would bring with getting vehicles on/off the site. The land owner was understandably not willing to allow the event to go ahead on his land