Cider, sausages, and steam trains at Havenstreet station on 16 May is an event that requires no further justification. The Isle of Wight Steam Railway opens the Summer Cider and Sausage Festival from 10am to 5pm, with local producers providing cider and food alongside the regular steam services running through the day.
The cider producers represented tend to include some of the smaller Isle of Wight operations that do not have high-street distribution, which makes the festival worth attending on that basis alone alongside the railway. Havenstreet in mid-May is surrounded by countryside that looks its best in spring, and the steam train gives the day a backbone: a few journeys through the lanes, food and drink between departures, and the kind of slow pace that a car-based day out does not provide.
Normal steam fares; food and cider priced separately. iwsteamrailway.co.uk for timetables and advance booking. More food and heritage events on the island across the summer.