Favourite Town or City not served by rail

[Haywain]

I’ll throw in to the mix the lovely Norfolk town of Wells-next-the-sea, and down in Suffolk Lavenham is well worthy of consideration.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

The university town of Lampeter - cruelly cut off when the vibrant Aberystwyth - Carmarthen railway was closed.

2000 poputation you know .....

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Middleton (Manchester).

What's that special about the Middleton in North East Manchester that makes it a favourite non-rail served town?

 

[nw1]

Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale, think Sedbergh was once served by train as it contains a "Station Road"? Probably too small to be called a "town" (how is a "town" defined??) but Chipping, lovely place and off the tourist track. Bury has a smashing town centre, trams replaced the trains years ago although the East Lancs Railway does serve the town so not sure if that counts?

I passed through Sedbergh once, while on a long distance walk. Definitely had the "feel" of a small town.

Tongue-in-cheek shout for Dent - might have a station but it's a seriously long way away!

On the same trip I visited Dent village (staying overnight and visiting the pub) - but not arriving via the station! (Actually, technically I did arrive by rail... but 101 DMU to Edale - my last ever trip on a heritage DMU - followed by a very long walk!)

 

[philthetube]

Lynton/Lynmouth have a rail service, it must be a proper one as there is a RRB service when it is closed for engineering works.

​

 

[FartinLewis]

Wisbech!

 

[The North Briton]

Surprised neither Otley nor Wetherby have been mentioned yet.

 

[Oxfordblues]

Beaumaris, Anglesey (Welsh: Biwmares, Ynys Mon) never had a railway. There was a proposal for a branch from Menai Bridge but the LNWR abandoned the plan and the Bulkeleys of Baron Hill opposed it. After all there was a daily sailing from Liverpool to Beaumaris pier, so what was the point? A branch was built to an isolated field near Red Wharf Bay, but that didn't last long. Ironically the vestigial remains of a short 2-foot tramway is still evident on Beaumaris pier.

 

[AY1975]

Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale, think Sedbergh was once served by train as it contains a "Station Road"? Probably too small to be called a "town" (how is a "town" defined??) but Chipping, lovely place and off the tourist track. Bury has a smashing town centre, trams replaced the trains years ago although the East Lancs Railway does serve the town so not sure if that counts?

Tongue-in-cheek shout for Dent - might have a station but it's a seriously long way away!

And Hawes, which has the Wensleydale Railway nearby but the OP excluded heritage railway only places, although as with places such as Tenterden it has no direct connection with the national rail network.

Other places I can offer that I don't think have been mentioned:

Launceston, Cornwall (although again it has the narrow gauge Launceston Steam Railway)

Ventnor, Isle of Wight

Newport, Isle of Wight

Cowes, Isle of Wight

Peel, Isle of Man (if that counts: it's not part of the UK but is part of the British Isles)

 

[BingMan]

Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale, think Sedbergh was once served by train as it contains a "Station Road"? Probably too small to be called a "town" (how is a "town" defined??) but Chipping, lovely place and off the tourist track. Bury has a smashing town centre, trams replaced the trains years ago although the East Lancs Railway does serve the town so not sure if that counts?

Tongue-in-cheek shout for Dent - might have a station but it's a seriously long way away!

Chapel-en-le-Frith on the Buxton line is a fair distance and a fair climb from the town

 

[Haywain]

Chapel-en-le-Frith on the Buxton line is a fair distance and a fair climb from the town

It is, however, very much served by rail.

 

[Harvester]

Some in the North East.

Washington
Sedgefield
Crook
Barnard Castle
Consett
Ferryhill

 

[Haywain]

Some in the North East.

Washington
Sedgefield
Crook
Barnard Castle
Consett
Ferryhill

These are all "favourites", noting the thread title?

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Abingdon. A town of 40,000 souls, but no rail connection.

Though the town centre is 2.5 miles from Radley station. There are plenty of parts of (say) Swindon that are more than 2.5 miles from the town station.

 

[James H]

Kinver, Staffordshire

Was going to mention Tenterden but that's already come up.

 

[Western 52]

Aberaeron- nice little seaside place but no railway for many years.

 

[Trainguy34]

Lynton/Lynmouth have a rail service, it must be a proper one as there is a RRB service when it is closed for engineering works.

​

I'm assuming you mean the cliff railway between the two?

 

[CastlebarKeith]

I'm assuming you mean the cliff railway between the two?

When looking at a flat map, without local knowledge, it is so easy to ignore the simple truth that standard gauge railways cannot run up/down a 30% gradient.

 

[317 forever]

What's that special about the Middleton in North East Manchester that makes it a favourite non-rail served town?

My sentence did mention that some on my list are just as bus interchanges, of which Middleton is a case in point.

An example I didn't include last week is Coalville.

 

[BrandanM]

If we can include those formerly served by rail - Padstow.

 

[DerekC]

Not sure whether anyone else has mentioned it, but I do like Alresford - just up the road from me. Good pubs, nice shops, friendly people - and a heritage railway!!

 

[Harpo]

Wootton Bassett and Corsham ‘connected’ but not served. The latter could only be served by stopping London to Bristol HS services. But then true ‘HS’ is long gone on GWR.

Devizes, Marlborough, Cirencester, Farringdon, Shaftesbury, Blandford and more.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

In the summer of 1974, the year prior to our wedding, Patricia and I drove up to Lochinver in the Highland region, taking turns with the driving, as Patricia had always wanted to visit The White Beach there. It is situated on the more northerly west coast region at the head of the sea loch, Loch Inver. It was further north than the most westerly area that was ever reached by rail.

How time flies, as that was 50 years ago, but we both really enjoyed the ten day stay there.

 

[berwicksfinest]

Wisbech!

Seriously ............. try living here

 

[BingMan]

Wootton Bassett and Corsham ‘connected’ but not served. The latter could only be served by stopping London to Bristol HS services. But then true ‘HS’ is long gone on GWR.

Devizes, Marlborough, Cirencester, Farringdon, Shaftesbury, Blandford and more.

In the summer of 1974, the year prior to our wedding, Patricia and I drove up to Lochinver in the Highland region, taking turns with the driving, as Patricia had always wanted to visit The White Beach there. It is situated on the more northerly west coast region at the head of the sea loch, Loch Inver. It was further north than the most westerly area that was ever reached by rail.

How time flies, as that was 50 years ago, but we both really enjoyed the ten day stay there.

I went up there in 1982 on a Lads do, then on to Cape Wrath ( where we missed the ferry back and had to wade/swim the Kyle of Durness)
Happy days but so long ago.

 

[mikeg]

Some very interesting suggestions, many of which I'd not expected or had any experience of. Twee market towns are perhaps a little overrepresented though...
What strikes me is the lack of mention of certain places. I was half expecting Ullapool to be mentioned, but it's not, for example.

 

[Haywain]

Twee market towns are perhaps a little overrepresented though...

Isn’t that what you’d expect favourites to be?

 

[mikeg]

Isn’t that what you’d expect favourites to be?

Some of them. But I personally don't reckon much to a lot of them. Personal preference and all that.

 

[AJM580]

Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan,

 

[Royston Vasey]

But Audley End station is actually in Wendens Ambo and spent it's first few years called Wenden. Although not appearing in timetables the station name boards do say "Audley End for Saffron Walden "

Those signs hark back to the days of the GER's Saffron Walden Railway, for which Audley End and Bartlow were the termini. It was a railway of which my mother has vivid memories from her childhood and it closed in 1964.

As far as my own research has concluded, I believe the Audley End Minature Railway now runs somewhat in its footprint and indeed traverses a small GER bridge (I believe over the River Fulfen) in the grounds of the house, adorned with at least one plaque stating its provenance.