Paignton-Kingswear steam railway, Devon

Unlike most heritage steam railways, this line is promoted as part of an integrated tourist transport system, and not as a destination in itself. The line runs from Paignton to Kingswear, running briefly along the sea coast before cutting acros the peninsula and running some way alongside the Dart estuary before terminating at Kingswear. It connects with First Great Western trains at Paignton, with a ferry at Kingswear, and is also offered as part of a train-boat-bus circular tour starting at Paignton, and other permutations of train and boat.
On their website they claim that “This is one of the finest heritage steam railway journeys anywhere in Europe.” It’s not bad, but having travelled on both, and not being seduced by the romance of steam travel, I can point out that the First Great Western line served by diesel railcars from Exeter to Paignton is longer, has a more spectacular coastal route, and is (with a cheap day return) cheaper.
I’d recommend using the steam railway as part of a touristy day out. There are old places to look at in Dartmouth, including a small castle, and a river trip up to Totnes is one of the best river trips around.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *