This week our railway enthusiast, Dana Wiffen concludes his visit to the West Country on a short Devon break.

On Sunday 18th it was an early breakfast to catch the first train from Exeter to Plymouth This was a trip we had already carefully planned a few weeks earlier checking timetables with Devon/Cornwall railways.

We caught the 9.13am from Exeter and travelled the hour plus journey, arriving at 10.22pm,  again travelling along the scenic Dawlish Wall towards Plymouth.

We had to purchase two singles to Plymouth but were able to purchase First Great Westerns superb value Sunday Rover Ticket which covered the rest of our journey and back to Exeter St. Davids at the end of the day.

Having never travelled on this route our expectations were not let down, once at Plymouth we had to wait 30 minutes plus to take the 11.15am to Gunnislake, this wonderful branch line is known as the Tamar Valley Line.

After leaving Plymouth you catch views across Plymouth Sound and a quick glimpse of Drakes Island before the train turns of the main line after St Budeaux Station, then travelling up the Tamar Valley crossing the winding river Tamar over several viaducts, the last and most spectacular being The Calstock Viaduct.

The Torbay Express  Photo: Dana Wiffen

The first stop on this hidden gem of a branch line is Bere Ferrers. The station shows signs that it was once a proud and busy stop on once busy mineral line known as the Callington Branch, I believe the line was built by Colonel Stephens who was also responsible for both East Kent and Kent and East Sussex Lines in our very own borough.

The views now are becoming even more wonderful as the train climbs over viaducts high above the river Tamar.

There are further stops at Bere Alston and Calstock before arriving at Gunnislake which is the now the end of the line, we arrived at 12.01pm and were disappointed that there were no facilities at this station and we alighted here to wait for the 12.20 pm 187 bus to take us to Okehampton Station.

Dartmoor Railways train to Meldon   Photo: Dana Wiffen

The bus set off with the weather turning wet and windy and wound its way towards Tavistock and then Okehampton actually crossing part of Dartmoor before eventually arriving at Okehampton Station at 1.45pm.

Okehampton is a hive of activity on a Sunday, it is their busiest day as they receive not only the 187 bus service which we were on, but also a special First Great Western train from Exeter as well as the usual supply of cyclists, walkers and train enthusiasts.

What Okehampton Station does not have like so many other heritage lines is steam trains. It does though ooze character and is beautifully decorated with flowers all over the platform it also boasts two of the best cafes, one at Okehampton and the other at Meldon.  We immediately entered and ordered tea and cake in an effort to warm up before catching up with some old friends and then travelling to Meldon to catch views over the viaduct, trains used to continue on this route and over the viaduct stopping at various small stations before arriving at Tavistock.

Okehampton Station in full bloom   Photo: Dana Wiffen

The line on this section has been removed and is now a hiking and cyclist track, if you walk along this route you can see evidence of where the stations were and you do pass under several small bridges. There has been talk of reinstating this line but the costs seem to deter any train operators taking it further although I believe it would be a popular route if rebuilt.

We caught the 5pm train back to Exeter and returned to our hotel exhausted but happy we have covered such a beautiful part of Devon and Cornwall.

A final treat lay in store as later that evening when I heard what sounded like a steam train in Exeter station. Dashing across with my camera, I managed to photorgaph King Edward 1st as part of the Torbay Express Charter.
 

On Day4 we packed and had breakfast and caught the train back to Waterloo. It is a good 4 and a half hour journey and there is a quicker and more direct route into Paddington, although this South West train route suits us better as it comes into Waterloo Station, and gives us time to plan what places shall we visit next year.

Hawkinge Gazette and Channel Coast News 2011©