The Bluebell Railway crosses the border between East and West Sussex.
Maps of the area show access to the railway from London, Sussex and Surrey.
Individual maps provided by multimap show the areas around Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes stations.
Alternative maps from streetmap.co.uk are available for Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes stations and East Grinstead.
Postcodes may be of use in locating our stations: Sheffield Park: TN22 3QL and Horsted Keynes: RH17 7BB.
Information for disabled visitors
Hoe komt u bij de Bluebell Railway
Sheffield Park Station (TN22 3QL) is the
best point to join the Bluebell Railway. This is situated on the A275
East Grinstead - Lewes main road, about two miles north of its
junction with the A272. The Bluebell Railway, Sheffield Park is well
signposted with brown tourist direction signs from the A22 and A23
trunk roads.
Horsted
Keynes Station (RH17 7BB) has plenty of parking in the field beyond the
station in the summer. The station is a mile and a half north-west
of the village. From the village centre follow signs to the station,
forking right onto the West Hoathly/Sharpthorne road. Station
Approach will be found on the left after about a mile, just after a
steep hill and sharp right hand bend.
Horsted Keynes Station is also accessible (via an 8-ft restricted headroom
bridge - photo on right ) from Ardingly. Head south on the B2028 towards Lindfield.
Take the first turn on the left, after about half a mile, signposted
to the railway. Then take the next turn to the right at the bottom
of the hill into Station Approach, and carry on about a mile on this
very twisty road. Shortly after passing under the low bridge, you
will come to Horsted Keynes Station.
See Maps of the area.
Please note that there is no
road access to Kingscote
station. To start your Bluebell Railway journey here you must
park your car at
East Grinstead and join the bus service from the station or the
High Street - (operates only on Service 1 days from April to October, and for special events, but not Santa Specials) - details: dates and timetable.
On days when our No.473 bus service operates, you can book direct to the Bluebell Railway from most National
Rail stations, including London Victoria, East Croydon and
intermediate stations on the Southern
line to East Grinstead. From near East Grinstead station a bus service
runs to the Bluebell Railway (see below).
It is also possible to travel via Haywards Heath, on the London-Brighton line, served by Southern and First Capital Connect trains, and use Bus Service 270 (see below).
121 - 246 - 270 - 472 - 473
Travel to East Grinstead and join the Bluebell Railway's special bus service (Service 473) to Kingscote Station. Note: The bus does not run on all days. The over 60s' National Travel bus passes are not valid on the 473 service, since it is not publicly funded.
Our bus stop near East Grinstead Station is at the main bus lay-bys on the corner of the main ring road, on the other side of the road to the Esso petrol station.
Service 473: Dates of Operation 2009 - All Service 1 dates from April to October plus Special Events
1, 2, 4 January, 21 & 22 February
4 - 19, 25 & 26 April
2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 - 31 May
6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 & 28 June
4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 - 31 July
1 - 31 August
5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 & 27 September
3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 - 31 October
1 & 15 November
On those weekends when the 473 does not operate, the 270 to Horsted Keynes may be a suitable alternative, either from Haywards Heath, or (a rather longer journey) from East Grinstead.
Bus 473 Timetable: 2009
@ *
East Grinstead Stn (dep) 10:10 11:10 12:10 1:10 2:10 3:10 4:10 5:10
East Grinstead High St 10:15 11:15 12:15 1:15 2:15 3:15 4:15 5:15
Kingscote Station (arr) 10:25 11:25 12:25 1:25 2:25 3:25 4:25 5:25
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@ *
Kingscote Station (dep) 10:42 11:42 12:42 1:42 2:42 3:42 4:41 5:41
East Grinstead High St 10:52 11:52 12:52 1:52 2:52 3:52 - -
East Grinstead Stn (arr) 10:57 11:57 12:57 1:57 2:57 3:57 4:49 5:49
@ and * only operate on the following dates in conjunction with Bluebell Special Events:
21 & 22 February - see the event details
4 April - @
9 & 10 May, 20, 21, 27, 28 June - @ and *
25 & 26 July - @
15 & 16 August, 24 & 25 October - @ and *
15 November - @
On these special event dates the 473 Bus Service will be operated by vintage Routemaster double-decker - subject to availability; if the Routemaster is unavailable a modern bus will replace it on service 473.
On 9, 10 May, 21, 27, 28 June, 16 August, 24, 25 October, and 15 November 2009, a Service 472 from Brighton and Lewes to East Grinstead runs a single journey at the start of the day (and return at the end), using the RML (subject to availability), which becomes the 473 service at East Grinstead. Details from Brighton & Hove: PDF file with details.
To read the PDF you need Acrobat Reader. If you don't already have it installed you can download it free of charge from Adobe.
, served by Southern and
First Capital Connect services between London and Brighton (and Lewes,
Eastbourne, and Worthing). Remember to get off the bus at Horsted
Keynes Station, since the village is a good walk from the station!
Mondays to Fridays the route serves the village only.
On Saturdays Service
270 departs from Haywards Heath Perrymount Road at:
09.12, 10.12, 11.12, 12.12, 13.12, 14.12
Buses return from Horsted Keynes Station at:
11.41, 12.41, 13.41, 14.41, 15.41, 17.11, 18.11, 19.11
On Sundays and Public Holidays, Service
270 departs from Haywards Heath Perrymount Road at:
10.52, 12.52, 14.52, 16.52, 18.52
Buses return from Horsted Keynes Station at:
10.19, 12.19, 14.19, 16.19, 18.19
For further information on Bus services, call Traveline: 0871 200 22 33 (then 820 for South-East region)
This service, operated by Countryliner Coach Hire Ltd runs to Sheffield Park on Saturdays only.
Service 121 - Saturdays
--------------------------------------------------------- LEWES depart: (Bus Station: B) 10.05 12.05 14.05 16.05 LEWES (High Street) 10.07 12.07 14.07 16.07 Cooksbridge (nr Rail Station) 10.17 12.17 14.17 16.17 South Chailey (Swan) 10.22 12.22 14.22 16.22 North Chailey (King's Head) 10.28 12.28 14.28 16.28 Newick (Bull Inn) 10.33 12.33 14.33 16.33 SHEFFIELD PARK (BLUEBELL RAIL) 10.38 12.38 14.38 16.38 --------------------------------------------------------- SHEFFIELD PARK (BLUEBELL RAIL) 10.40 12.40 14.40 16.40 North Chailey (King's Head) 10.45 12.45 14.45 16.45 South Chailey (Swan) 10.51 12.51 14.51 16.51 Cooksbridge (Rail Station) 10.56 12.56 14.56 16.56 LEWES (High Street) 11.05 13.05 15.05 17.05 LEWES Arrive: (Bus Station) 11.07 13.07 15.07 17.07 ---------------------------------------------------------For all Countryliner Timetable Enquiries Call: 0844 477 1623
Sussex Countycard entitling reduced rate (about half price) Bus travel after 9am. Valid for a year, the Countycard is available to senior citizens, students aged between 16 and 18, and to people with a physical or mental disability. Further information from Sussex Borough or District Councils.
Until we complete the final link between Kingscote and East Grinstead, passengers wishing to start their journeys from Kingscote must travel on the special bus service (route 473), from East Grinstead. Public car parking is available at East Grinstead station or in the town centre.
Details of the services are shown above.
Inclusive Tickets
On days when the 473 bus operates, you can purchase a combined Rail/Bus/Bluebell Railway ticket from most National Rail stations. Simply ask for a through ticket to the Bluebell Railway.
Last updated by Richard Salmon, 11 June 2009