Tarka Line

I went hiking in England in the past week. Although most of my intercity travel was made by coach bus (for budgetary and logistical reasons), being who I am, I still had to slip a train ride in there somewhere, didn't I.

Cowley Bridge 142009.jpg
By Geof Sheppard - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

What could be a more suitable way to end my hike than a train ride on the quaint and picturesque single track Tarka Line from Barnstaple to Exeter? In the gentle green hills of Devon, DMUs on this line traverse a scenic 40 miles along the Rivers Creedy, Yeo, and Taw.

The Tarka Line got its name from Tarka the Otter, a local animal hero from a novel by the same name. It is part of what used to be the North Devon Railway between Bideford and Exeter. Today, the line terminates in Barnstaple.

Barnstable railway station.JPG
Barnstaple Station today consists of a sole platform and track. By Geni at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Barnstaple Junction railway station 1972067 31fed26e.jpg
Barnstaple as a Junction Station in yesteryear. By Ben Brooksbank, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

Operated by the Great Western Railway, the entire journey takes a little over an hour for a modest fare of 10 Pounds Sterling and change. Many services on the Tarka Line stop at both Exeter St. Davis and Exeter Central Railway Stations.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Amtrak NPCU

Briefly on the AAR Coupler Part 2

SD70ACu