Shunt Fest with Winter Ales Festival continues at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway in Havenstreet on Sunday 8 November, from 9.30am to 5.30pm. The Winter Ales Festival bar opens at 11am and serves until 5.30pm, which leaves Sunday visitors the afternoon for seasonal beers. Entry to the station site is free. Budget separately for train journeys and brake-van rides, which the railway charges for during the festival.
At the Whistle Stop Café, the organisers promise winter brews, including stouts and porters, with a log burner for the November afternoon. Outside, the shunters give you something to watch between drinks. The weekend programme has brake-van rides behind the diesels, workshop tours and a close look at locomotives in the yard, with cab access. The organisers haven’t given individual tour times, so ask the team for Sunday’s timings before choosing a ride or settling in with a pint.
The advertised fleet includes Class 03 Clive and Class 05 Nuclear Fred, with visiting 03 158, Army 235 and D2509 also named for the weekend. Locomotives remain subject to availability, so confirm before you travel for one in particular. At this Isle of Wight winter beer festival you can spend time with the engines as well as the ales. If you plan to drink, sort out a lift or another way home first.