Somerset CAMRA Real Ale Festival 10 & 11 September 2011
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Somerset Campaign for Real Ale's 12th Real Ale Festival
The weekend of 10 and 11 September 2011 are the dates of the annual Somerset CAMRA Real Ale Festival at Minehead Station, held in partnership with the West Somerset Railway. Incredibly, this highly successful event is now twelve years old! 2011 is also CAMRA’s 40th anniversary and the West Somerset Railway’s 35th anniversary. Several good reasons to celebrate then!
Real Ale, Cider and Perry...
Somerset CAMRA say "We will offer up to 100 real ales, several ciders and perry. Somerset breweries will be very well represented, as usual. We hope to have locally brewed festival special beers, fruit beers and a cask conditioned lager. In addition to these, there will be a wide selection of ales from all around Great Britain showcasing the incredibly wide range of tastes and styles produced by the multitude of breweries. Train buffet cars will each have a different Somerset real ale and some bottled beers, notably Cotleigh 'Old Steamer' and GWR175, both brewed especially for the WSR."
Food and Soft Drinks
The Turntable Café on Minehead Station will offer a range of hot and cold food, sandwiches, and soft drinks. A Cornish pasty van will be positioned by the station entrance and a hog roast is planned for the Saturday evening session. There are other food outlets adjacent to Minehead station offering plenty of choice to the hungry festival goer.
Live Entertainment...
Somerset CAMRA say "On Saturday night, between 8pm and 10pm, we welcome the BELFAST BUSKER. This wild Irish rover puts his own spin on classic and modern songs. A good old fashioned fun time is guaranteed! Sunday afternoon we welcome back THE TONE VALLEY JAZZ BAND to perform their easy-listening traditional jazz sounds. Now in their 52nd year of playing together, they put their success and longevity down to cask-conditioned ale and good living. Just the ticket for a Sunday session!"
Entry, Glasses and Tokens...
Entry will yet again be FREE. You will however need to purchase a glass which you can keep. You can buy a festival souvenir glass or a cheaper alternative.
A token ticket system will operate at the bar. Buy your tokens when you buy your glass. No cash will be taken at the bar, although unused tokens will be fully refundable.
Festival branded souvenir clothing for sale at the membership stand.
Station Facilities...
The real ale bar and entertainment will be under cover on Minehead Railway Station platform. There will also be static railway carriages with plenty of seats available. All of the usual station facilities will be open during the festival.
For local accommodation enquiries please contact Minehead Tourist Information Centre on 01643 702624 or check the Where to Stay page on this website.
Staffing...
Volunteers from Somerset Branch of Campaign for Real Ale will staff the festival bar, sales and membership stands. They will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Booking...
The Booking Form is now available as a PDF. Please click here, print the form, complete the details and send to the address shown.
Getting there...well worth the effort
The very best way to visit our festival is of course to arrive by train on the scenic West Somerset Railway.
» Train times for Saturday 10 September 2011
» Train times for Sunday 11 September 2011
A special full line round trip train fare, for only £12, is available to all CAMRA members. This discount fare is valid for full line return journeys from either Bishops Lydeard to Minehead or vice versa. To obtain this bargain fare you must show your CAMRA membership card at the ticket office or, better still, enter your membership number on the advance booking form (available soon) and avoid queuing!
Connecting bus service - First route no 28 - Taunton - Bishops Lydeard
Bus information believed correct at time of printing but liable to change. Before your journey please confirm bus times by calling Traveline on 0871 200 2233 or visit www.travelinesw.com or www.firstgroup.com
Saturday daytime: First Bus service 28 runs between Taunton Bus Station and Bishops Lydeard WSR Railway Station ( via Taunton Railway Station) at xx.05 and xx.35 minutes past each hour until 4.05pm. Journey time is about 30 minutes. The Taunton Railway Station stop is at the south side interchange next to platform 2 and from stop C in Station Road (under the railway bridge). Return buses depart Bishops Lydeard Station at xx.26 and xx.56 minutes past each hour until 6.56pm. Later buse depart from the nearby Lethbridge Arms in Bishops Lydeard. Contact First on 01823 272033 or visit www.travelinesw.com or www.firstgroup.com
Sunday: First route 28 buses depart Taunton Bus Station at 9.30am and 11.30am running via Taunton Railway Station to Bishops Lydeard. Return First 28 buses depart Bishops Lydeard Station at 3.45pm and 5.45pm, with possible lates buses from the Lethbridge Arms in Bishops Lydeard village
Beer List
The provisional beer list is now available.
Download the PDF.
Please note this list is provisional and subject to change and availability.
Real Ale · Cider · Perry · Music
CAMRA 2011

Latest News
10 Jul 2011
Provisional beer list now available
1 Jun 2011
The Booking Form is now available
20 Feb 2011
D1010 will work the trains marked Diesel in the timetable for Sunday (subject to availability)
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