Kent and East Sussex Railway

The Kent and East Sussex Railway runs between Tenterden Town and Bodiam in the gentle countryside of Kent and East Sussex. It follows part of the old route planned by the Rother Valley Railway, which once aimed to link Robertsbridge with Bodiam. The line passes through farmland and small villages where hop gardens once stretched across the slopes. The railway began as the Rother Valley Railway in 1900, promoted by local people led by Myles Fenton and managed by Holman F. Stephens. It was built under the Light Railways Act to keep costs low, with trains limited at first to 25 kilometres per hour. The first passenger train carried schoolchildren and dignitaries from Rolvenden to Tenterden Town in 1903. The line was renamed the Kent and East Sussex Light Railway in 1904 and later the Kent and East Sussex Railway. Visitors today find steam and diesel trains running through quiet countryside. Stations such as Tenterden Town and Bodiam retain their original character, with flower beds and old signs. The journey offers views of hop fields and wooded hills, ending near Bodiam Castle. A separate group is restoring the track west of Bodiam towards Robertsbridge.