A 20s and 30s Ramblers group.
Michael v.
7th September 2025 marks the 200th anniversary of the first passenger railway service running on the Stockton & Darlington Railway. This was opened between the mining town of Stockton-on-Tees and the market town of Darlington by the engineer and railway pioneer George Stephenson. To celebrate this event, today’s Berkshire Walkers social takes us back to the golden age of steam railways for a trip on the Watercress Line, where we’ll be starting in Alton.
Back in its heyday, the railway took people on holiday, carried people during the wars and moved essential goods across central Hampshire and beyond. These days, the railway provides regular trips on board its fleet of steam engines and heritage diesel trains, of which they offer fantastic views of the local countryside and the South Downs National Park.
As well the train journey, there’ll also be the opportunity to explore the quaint market town of Alresford, which to this day remains as the UK’s capital of watercress farming. This comes with a specially curated excursion and is where we’ll have the chance to take a picturesque walk through the town as well as browsing the shops and the opportunity to have lunch. On top of this, there’ll also be exclusive deals available for those who are riding on the Watercress Line.
We’ll also have the chance to visit the intermediate station of Ropley. Located here is a steam crane demonstration, lever pulling in Medstead Signal Box and society stands that have information about ongoing locomotive projects. The workshops are also based here, which are only open on certain days throughout the year for special events, but we may have the chance to see some ongoing maintenance/restoration projects from a distance.
On the day that we’re visiting, the railway will be running a blue timetable (2-train service). The finishing time is also based on the scheduled ETA of the last train back to Alton, but feel free to return to Reading here on an earlier train if you need to. Tickets cost £24 per person, so if you’re interested in coming, feel free to book a ticket via this link as well as showing your interest via Meetup.
N.B.: Only signing up via Meetup doesn’t guarantee you entry to the Watercress Line or this social. You’ll need to buy a ticket in order to enter the platform at Alton.
If you’re travelling by train, the recommended one to get from Reading is the 08:54 GWR service that arrives in North Camp at 09:17. Here, you’ll then need to walk to Ash Vale to get the 09:44 SWR service, which arrives in Alton at 10:10. This’ll then allow for plenty of time to buy tickets on the day and get the first steam train of the day from Alton at 10:50. If you’re driving from Reading, please follow the postcode GU34 2PZ, which should take you via the A33 and Hook.
Meet at the entrance to the Watercress Line from the SWR platforms.
