A fun little steam train (Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway (Kent))

Member Name: aylawarner

Product:	Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway (Kent)
Date:	18/04/09 (336 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great attraction for kids, fun way of getting from one place to the next

Disadvantages: Quite pricey, takes a while to get to each station

My husband and I decided to take a trip over the Easter bank holiday down to Hythe, in South East England. One of the main attractions here is the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway that lets you travel from Hythe down to Dungeness stopping at various points in between. The railway opened in 1927 and is a miniature steam train that used to be known as 'the world's smallest public railway'. You can purchase a ticket that covers the entire journey, covering 13.5 miles of the coast, and you can jump on and off at the stops in between or you can simply buy a ticket that takes you from your starting point to where you want to end.

~ Stops ~

Hythe - the most northern station which is close to Folkestone. Here you can take a walk into the historic High Street or hire a boat out on the canal.

Dymchurch - a seaside village well-known for its holiday camps where people flock to in the summer.

St Mary's Bay - offers a small sandy beach a few minutes away.

New Romney - at the railway's headquarters you can find the Model Railway Exhibition as well as a long stretch of sandy beach.

Romney Sands - the railway stops directly in the centre of Romney Sands holiday village which joins onto the long beach from New Romney.

Dungeness - the end of the line at a large shingle headland which houses an old lighthouse.

~ Fares ~

Adult return fares:
Hythe - Dymchurch £7.70
Hythe - New Romney £10.20
Hythe - Dungeness £13
New Romney - Dungeness £7.70

Children prices are half of the adult prices. Single fares are two-thirds of the return rate.

RomneyRover (unlimited day ticket all stations) - adults £13, children £6.50
FamilyRover (2 adults and 2 children) - £34

You can often find out about events that are going on nearby the railway's stops from the leaflets they give out at each station.

Personally, I thought the prices were rather expensive for this tiny stream train ride. It's a great and exciting thing to do though with children, travelling past lots of sheep and horses in the fields, with people waving at you as you chug past. It's quite a slow journey and takes about an hour to travel the entire 13.5 miles from Hythe to Dungeness. It was a fun little thing to do but if you've had a long day it's very easy to end up falling asleep on the journey back!

If taking a visit to this area, the stream train is great little attraction to get to from one place to the next or just for the attraction of it and kids really enjoy it. If you've not got any children with you though I wouldn't really recommend it, it's probably easier and cheaper to drive down but for kids, it's a great attraction.

Summary: Definitely a fun activity for the kids