The 17th North Railway Annual Beer Festival was held on Friday13th to Sunday 15th July 2018. The venue was the Poppy Line railway station at in Norfolk. The Poppy Line runs from Sheringham to Holt with stops on the way at Weyborne and Kelling Heath holiday park and back again. The event is organised and staffed by volunteers and friends of the railway and is not connected to CAMRA in any way. All proceeds go to maintaining and running the Poppy Line.

I have attended this event several times, always staying in the area for the week-end. This time I stayed at Kelling - the attraction being that I was able to catch the steam train to the festival. Going to a beer festival on a steam train - surely that must be what heaven is like: You arrive on a steam train (Whoooo, Whoooo) God meets you on the platform and says "This way to the beer festival".

This particular festival though was held on the Sheringham station platform. The beer tent runs along the length of the platform with tables and chairs. Railway carriages were parked along the platform for people to sit and drink in. There were 128 beers listed but not all on at the same time. Several breweries from Norfolk were represented: Wolf, Humpty Dumpty, Beeston, Fox….., two from Suffolk: St Peter’s and Nethergate, and many from other parts of the country. The cider bar was housed in a separate carriage on the platform. 44 ciders were listed but again not all on at the same time and none local (Norfolk/Suffolk).

Prices: Free entry - just walk onto the platform. All beers were £3.80 a pint, £1.90 a half. All ciders were £4.00 a pint, £2.00 a half. Soft drinks had to be paid for - not free for drivers, and wine was also available. Souvenir glasses were £3 (pint or half) with £1 refund if returned. The glasses were measure to the brim and not oversize lined like at CAMRA events - I took my own lined glass. But you didn’t have to buy a glass as most people used the free plastic “glasses” (see picture). There were also 2 pint hoppers available to take beer away.

There was a stage at the far end of the platform for live music with a skiffle group on Saturday and a band playing 40’s & 50’s music on Friday and Sunday. Hot food was available in the form of burgers, hot dogs and hog roast at the Chuck Waggon.

It’s a very unique setting and well worth a visit even if you only drink orange juice. You get to listen (and dance if you wish) to the music, watch the shunting in and out of the station - there is a regular service to Holt and back all day, and as long as the weather is fine, just appreciate the atmosphere. The next (18th) Railway beer festival will be on 19th, 20th & 21st July 2019.

Cheers

Rodger

P.S. Unfortunately the steam loco doesn’t stop at Kelling on the way back (could be something to do with the gradient at the stop) so it’s either the diesel loco or a taxi.