The Swanage Steam Railway is a great family activity to experience in Dorset. Full of both history and fun, it suits the whole family young and old. It’s a great train themed day out for the budding train spotter.
After much of the railway line was demolished in 1972, many years of campaigning followed and the line was slowly rebuilt. Today the Swanage Railway Trust operates the services and activities currently in operation. There are varying train timetables throughout the year with lots of different experiences and events happening.
Getting To The Swanage Railway
There are five stops along the route between Norden and Swanage. ( Norden, Corfe, Harmans Cross, Herston Halt and Swanage). The train can be accessed via any of the stations, however the best station for parking is at Norden.
Purbeck Park car park (BH20 5DW) is large with 350 spaces, and has some great amenities at Norden station. There is a small train themed play area, toilets, bus stops, walking routes into Corfe Castle and the chance to get tea, coffee and ice creams.
Related Post – parking in Swanage
Museums Along Swanage Railway
There are some lovely museums to visit along the railway line. At Corfe Castle station you’ll find the Swanage Railway museum, which is open between 10.30am – 4,30pm during days the trains are running.
Displays include photographs, equipment and personal effects of the people working on the railway. Telling the story of the line between 1885 to 1972. You’ll also discover the book wagon, a place selling second hand books. Proceeds go towards supporting the museum.
At Purbeck Park, you’ll find the Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum. Entry is free, with donations gratefully received. The museum is dedicated to the industrial heritage of Purbeck and the Purbeck narrow gauge railways.
Our Experience
We arrived at Purbeck Park car park around twenty minutes before the next train was due to depart. We spotted a large coach load of people disembarking just as we started up the path towards the platform, so we knew it was going to be a busy train.
Once at the platform, if you have pre purchased your ticket you can go straight to the train, so we managed to avoid all the queues and wander down past the carriages looking for empty seats.
We travelled on a very full train, however there were seats for everyone. We had our labrador with us, and it was so nice to see plenty of dogs also enjoying the train ride. Swanage Railway is a great dog friendly day out in Dorset. Under 5’s also travel FREE on the train.
It felt as though the train hadn’t even got out of Norden station before it was stopping at Corfe Castle station, but you are treated to some great views of the castle ruins on the way through.
Harmans Cross station is a popular place for walkers through the Purbeck Hills. There is a small car park at the station for 50 cars if you want to use this station as a base.
Herston Halt is a requested stop along the route, but we stopped each way along our journey.
Into Swanage station, and I would recommend waiting for the crowds to disperse before departing the train. The funnel next to get out of the station and show tickets is quite a slow process.
I would recommend checking the daily train timetable before you travel, so you know when your last train back to Norden is if you’ve booked a return journey. This gives you plenty of options for enjoying your time in Swanage. Or perhaps taking an additional trip out on the Purbeck Breezer tour bus.
Swanage beach is just a short walk down the hill, and there is plenty going on to see and do. There’s also some great restaurants in Swanage to try.