Getting to Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch by National Rail

[bella]

I know road travel is also involved but any suggestions please?

Thanks

 

[LowLevel]

When I did it train to Folkestone Central and a short work to the bus station for a bus to Hythe was the way forward.

 

[steamybrian]

Where are you travelling from..?
The nearest NR station to any RHDR station is Sandling which is about one and half miles from Hythe. I have walked it in about 30 minutes.
from Folkestone Central there is a bus service to Hythe RHDR station which also parallels the railway through Dymchurch, New Romney and to then Rye..
From Rye there is bus service to Folkestone Central (see above)

 

[physics34]

Or Rye and then a bus?? Admittedly that was years ago

 

[2HAP]

Far better to go to Folkestone Central than Rye. Bus from Rye will seriously eat into the time available to travel on the RH&DR.

 

[paul1609]

Personally Id recommend the via Rye route:
assuming you're coming from London you get:
High Speed Main Line (from St Pancras)
or Ashford main Line (from Charing X, Waterloo east London Bridge)
or Hastings line (from Charing X etc.)
then Marshlink Line (oddball rural diesel line with single line running)
New Romney is the limit of the Rye plusbus area and has a 2 x bus per hour service from outside Rye station.
The bus journey in itself is interesting going past Camber sands along the English channel, across Romney marsh and over the Dungeness branch at Lydd.
RHDR is about 10 mins walk from New Romney High Street. New Romney station has the advantage of being the HQ of the RHDR cafe, model railway, engine sheds and being half way down the line you can do which ever half suits your schedule first.
Rye is a interesting hill town in its own right and has a lot of good pubs eateries etc ifr you want a break on the way home.

 

[swt class 450]

There are 8 stations on the Romney Hythe Dymchurch Railway so it depends on which station that you want to start and finish your journey(s) from.

• Dungeness
• Romney Sands
• New Romney
• Warren Halt
• St Marys Bay
• Dymchurch
• Burmarsh Road
• Hythe

The nearest National Rail stations to the Romney Hythe Dymchurch Railway are these.

• Appledore
• Ham Street
• Sandling
• Westenhanger

All 8 of the RHDR stations are served by buses which are operated by Stagecoach. Most of which run to and from some of these National Rail stations.

Bus Timetables can be viewed on these websites.

http://www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk/se/XSLT_SELTT_REQUEST?language=en

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetables

Be aware though that some of the bus services have limited days and hours of operations and may not run on evenings and on weekends.

So there are lots of different options to choose from. Your best option probably depends on where you are travelling from.

 

[theageofthetra]

Last time I went this summer I had a nice evening walk along the military canal from Hythe, had fish and chips and a pint in Sandgate then travelled back from Folkestone West. There is a Martello tower worth looking at in Sandgate and nice gardens near the big AA/SAGA HQ. Did in about 50 mins without rushing but agree with previous poster that Sandling is nearer.

 

[Marvin]

The last time I went I used Sandling, and it was perfectly fine. The walk from there to Hythe RHDR is pretty much all downhill, and took about 20 minutes. Plus, with Sandling being so close to Ashford it's a relatively short journey from/to London.

I got a bus back up the hill though!

 

[bnm]

Combined bus and RHDR 'Steamrider' ticket. Bus validity the same as a Stagecoach South East Dayrider, and as a day rover on the RHDR.

£19.90 available from the bus driver.

I'd suggest train to Folkestone Central then bus 101/102 from Folkestone Bus Station to Hythe.

 

[ashworth]

If you are travelling down from the London area why not just get the bus from straight outside the entrance of Ashford International Station?
Certainly no need to double back towards Rye and it can be quicker than going through to Folkestone and again coming back towards Hythe by bus.
The number 10/10A Folkestone bus leaves Ashford International twice each hour and takes about 1 hour to reach Hythe. There's also the number 11 which goes to New Romney every hour. Both are operated by Stagecoach so you can probably make use of the combined ticket.

 

[theageofthetra]

If you are travelling down from the London area why not just get the bus from straight outside the entrance of Ashford International Station?
Certainly no need to double back towards Rye and it can be quicker than going through to Folkestone and again coming back towards Hythe by bus.
The number 10/10A Folkestone bus leaves Ashford International twice each hour and takes about 1 hour to reach Hythe. There's also the number 11 which goes to New Romney every hour. Both are operated by Stagecoach so you can probably make use of the combined ticket.

I used that route to get there, its actuslly quite scenic . Try and get one of the double deckers for a nice view over the marsh as you come down off the former cliffs.

 

[westv]

Years ago (70s) I visited the RHDR and the small group I was with advised me I should buy a ticket for "there and back". The advice was correct but it still slightly amuses me.

 

[yorksrob]

Last time I went this summer I had a nice evening walk along the military canal from Hythe, had fish and chips and a pint in Sandgate then travelled back from Folkestone West. There is a Martello tower worth looking at in Sandgate and nice gardens near the big AA/SAGA HQ. Did in about 50 mins without rushing but agree with previous poster that Sandling is nearer.

If you ever get the chance, the Martello Tower in Dymchurch has been restored to its original condition and is open to the public (in season).

 

[bella]

It's great to have all these excellent ideas. Very helpful. We'll not be going until next year as part of a bigger trip covering a much wider area so it was just the sort of help I was looking for at this early stage. I'll bear and share all these options in mind when, as a group, we are making our forward planning.

Many thanks

 

[MK Tom]

Walking from Sandling was a very pleasant experience for me.

 

[yorksrob]

At Sandling, you can also explore the disused Hythe branch platform (closed 1951).