insideKENT Magazine Issue 26 - May 2014 | Page 106

DAYSOUT © Hugh Nightingale Trains, Countryside and Castles THE KENT & EAST SUSSEX RAILWAY AND BODIAM CASTLE Looking for a fantastic day trip that gives you a unique mix of history, fun and the great outdoors? I recently had the pleasure of enjoying just this as I travelled the Kent and East Sussex Railway to the beautiful Bodiam Castle. BY BRIAN MILLER I started my journey in Tenterden, the headquarters of the Kent and East Sussex Railway. The railway was frequently used for both freight and passengers for 75 years before reopening as a heritage steam railway in 1974. The station itself is a beautifully austere reflection of yesteryear, with a number of older buildings that harken back to the days when a train was the formal means of travel. Walking around the station immediately made me feel as if I were waiting for a train eighty years earlier. Upon departure from the station, we went at a fairly steep decline toward the marshes and were surrounded by the captivating scenery of Kent’s countryside. The train’s first stop: Rolvenden Station, the original location of the Kent and East Sussex main station. Rolvenden is a charming village, and home to a number of pleasant cottages as well as the home of the Rolvenden windmill which is recognized as one of Kent's oldest. Heading toward the next station, Wittersham Road, had me travelling past crayfish and wild boar farms and dense woodlands sprinkled with willow trees along the tracks. The Wittersham Road station is seemingly far from any signs of civilization, which for me simply added to the appeal of seeing Kent in a light I would not normally have seen. From Wittersham Road the train climbs and twists through more gorgeous countryside to Northiam Station which for many years was the end of the line. From Northiam station on, the line closely follows the River Rother for another three miles to the current terminus at Bodiam. The Bodiam station is another beautifully restored and maintained station, reflecting the elegance of the rail ݅