Читать книгу Railway Day Trips: 160 classic train journeys around Britain - Julian Holland - Страница 34

Marketed as the East Coastway Line, the railway from Brighton to Hastings is full of surprises. Trains leave Brighton’s overall-roofed terminus and soon branch off to the east to cross the 28-arch London Road Viaduct from where there are panoramic views of the sprawling city. Climbing continuously towards the South Downs and the summit of the line at Falmer Tunnel, trains first call at London Road, Moulscomb and Falmer stations before descending towards the historic town of Lewes.

A busy railway crossroads, Lewes station platforms are set in a ‘V’ shape, with trains serving the Newhaven and Seaford branch, Brighton, the Plumpton line to Three Bridges and London, and Eastbourne. Plans to reopen the line to Uckfield are looking hopeful in the long term. Eastwards from Lewes, the East Coastway Line serves stations at Glynde, Berwick and Polegate (once the junction for the Cuckoo Line to Hailsham and Eridge) before ending at Eastbourne’s terminus station, built in 1886 with an attractive lantern roof. Trains for Hastings reverse direction here and head back the way they came before branching off eastwards at Willingdon Junction. From here, the railway heads towards the coast across the Pevensey Levels, passing Pevensey Castle, through Normans Bay and Cooden Beach stations en route to Bexhill, where the Grade II station with its lantern roof has recently been restored. It is but a short distance from here to Bopeep Junction, where the line from Tunbridge Wells joins from the north, and through the long Bopeep Tunnel to St Leonards Warrior Square station. Built in 1851, the station is squeezed between Bopeep and Hastings Tunnel through which trains then pass to arrive at Hastings’ ultra-modern station. The seafront and many other attractions are but a short walk from here.

DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

beach; harbour; sea-fishing trips; 1930s double-decker promenade; old town; Hastings Castle; West Hill Cliff Railway; East Hill Cliff Railway; St Clements Caves; Fishermen’s Museum

FREQUENCY OF TRAINS

2 per hour (Mon-Sat)

1 per hour (Sun)

34¼ MILES 63-81 MINUTES

NUMBER OF CHANGES: 0

Completed in 1872, Eastbourne’s elegant Victorian amusement pier is 1,000 ft long and features a restored camera obscura.