The Spa Valley Railway in Tunbridge Wells has teamed up with family owned Birchden Vineyards in Groombridge to offer a wine tasting and steam train experience
With tours now available from the 1st March 2025, the experience combines a nostalgic steam train ride through the Wealden countryside with a vineyard tour and wine tasting experience to offer a day out to remember.
Birchden Vineyards’ English wines are made by a small family and community-run team, with limited-edition wines available to purchase via the cellar door, known as ‘The Tasting Den’. The vineyard also makes hand-jarred unfiltered honey and home-grown apple juice.
The experience itself begins when visitors travel by steam or heritage diesel train from Tunbridge Wells West or Eridge to Groombridge. Passengers will alight at Groombridge Station and take the 30 – 40 minute scenic walk to the Vineyard, before enjoying a a vineyard tour and wine tasting flight before returning to Groombridge Station to make the journey home.
The wine tasting itself includes 3 x 75ml glasses:
- The Gregarious Goose – Still Bacchus white
- The Foxy Vixen – Still Pinot Noir rosé
- The Charmed Finch – Sparkling Pinot Noir rosé
The vineyard also have a coffee truck ‘The Blackbird’ open every weekend serving coffee and hot drinks, along with delicious crêpes and savoury galettes to enjoy with a chilled glass of wine.
In addition, the tour itself will last 90 minutes and will involve a walk in the vineyard on uneven ground, so it is advised that you wear suitable footwear and clothing for potential wet and cold weather. Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a lead.
Transportation to and from the station is possible but needs to be booked prior to your visit, contact the team at Birchden Vineyards to arrange. For those walking to the vineyard allow 30-40 minutes from the station.
Bookings work as follows, depending on the time of year:
Bookings from 1 – 29 March 2025
12:00 Vineyard tour – Board the Spa Valley Railway 11:00 train at Tunbridge Wells West Station and travel to Groombridge arriving at 11:16.
Bookings from 3 to 19 April
12:00 Vineyard Tour – Board the Spa Valley Railway 11:15 train at Tunbridge Wells West Station and travel to Groombridge, arriving at 11:31.
14:00 Vineyard Tour – Board the Spa Valley Railway 12:45 train at Tunbridge Wells West Station and travel to Groombridge, arriving at 13:01.
After your visit, trains depart Groombridge in the Tunbridge Wells bound direction at 14:46 and 16:16, it is advised that you allow plenty of time to get back to Groombridge station and recommend arriving at 14:40 or 16:10 to ensure you don’t miss the train, the last service bound for Tunbridge Wells is at 16:16.
The experience will require a booking to be made separately for the train journey and the vineyard experience.
Train travel is £10 per adult, while the wine tour and tasting experience is £30 per adult and £15 per child (to include a glass of apple juice).
To book visit: www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk and https://birchdenvineyards.co.uk/