Tuesday evening fish and chips on a steam train through the Isle of Wight countryside is the kind of outing that sounds like a punchline until you are on the train with supper on your lap and the steam drifting past the window above Havenstreet station. The Isle of Wight Steam Railway runs the Fish and Chip Evening on 7 July as a combination of daytime services and extended evening steam, with supper included as part of the ticket.
The railway runs between Smallbrook Junction and Wootton through a six-mile stretch of mid-island countryside that most people do not otherwise see. In July the hedgerows are at full height and the farmland on either side of the line has a lushness that the coastal routes cannot match. The fish and chip supper adds a specific pleasure to the steam compartment experience; the combination is deliberately unhurried in a way that a normal restaurant evening is not.
Booking required; check iwsteamrailway.co.uk for prices and departure times. Good for adults, couples, and families with older children. More food and heritage events on the Isle of Wight across the summer.
