Kent & East Sussex Railway (K&ESR)

The Kent & East Sussex Railway runs from Tenterden to Bodiam. It was originally built in the late 19th Century as Britain’s first ever ‘light railway’ operating smaller tank locomotives to provide an essential service for the rural community and particularly farmers. It was closed in 1961.

In 1948 Punch Magazine ran a poem called The Farmer’s Train about the declining line. The railway had by then become a popular rural institution, and soon after closure a society was formed to preserve it. This led to its gradual reopening and the final link to Bodiam was completed in 2000, just over 100 years after it first opened.

K&ESR runs regular services as well as special events and dining journeys on the Wealden Pullman train.

After a nostalgia-filled steam train journey it’s worth taking time to visit the wonderful Bodiam Castle operated by the National Trust.