The Somme Bay Railway
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TheSomme BayRailway
© Nicolas Bryant

Travelling back in time with the Somme Bay railway

  • 27kilometres of tracks
  • 4railway stations
  • 1887network first built

 

A Belle Epoque train  

Olde Worlde charm 

 

Genuine Belle Epoque carriages drawn by valiant steam locomotives take you to Le Crotoy, Noyelles-sur-Mer, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme and Cayeux-sur-Mer. Enjoy the quaint charm of Victorian travel during a tour of the seaside resorts.

The train runs alongside brooks lined with willows, past salt and freshwater marshes and fields, revealing the gorgeous greenery of the Somme Bay, and its authentic wilderness. With a whistle of the guard, you travel 80 years back in time.

 

 

intérieur du petit train, Baie de Somme©Somme Tourisme
conducteur du petit train, Baie de Somme©Somme Tourisme
Vélo à Saint-Valery-sur-Somme©Nicolas Bryant
Train en Baie de Somme - Coucher de soleil©Nicolas Bryant
panneau petit train, Baie de Somme©Somme Tourisme
fillette dans le petit train de la Baie de Somme, Somme©Nicolas Bryant

All sorts of events

The Steam Festival 

Don't miss the 2021 edition, from 2 to 4 July

You'll be able to admire some of the loveliest steam trains in Europe. Special trains, pulled by these steam rail royals, leave from major railway stations to converge on Noyelles-sur-Mer, where other Somme Bay trains await them. They'll take you to the various railway stations in the network to take part in special events: inaugurations, exhibitions of railway equipment both old and new, explaining what railway workers used to do and so on. 

The Somme Bay railway also organises other events like the firework trains on Bastille Day (14 July), dinners on board in summer and Santa trains in December.

Practical Information 

Somme Bay railway: 

Chemin de fer de la Baie de Somme 
Gare de Saint-Valery 
80230 Saint-Valery-sur-Somme 
Tel.: +33 (0)3 22 26 96 96 

Website

Don't miss the Steam Festival from 2 to 4 July 2021!
famille dans le petit train, Baie de Somme©Somme Tourisme
petit train de la Baie de Somme©Nicolas Bryant
passager dans le petit train, Somme©Somme Tourisme-aw
Coucher de soleil, Petit train, Baie de Somme©SommeTourisme

 

The winner combos:

train ride + bay crossing or train + boat ride 

 

You can combine your train journey with a bay crossing starting in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme or Le Crotoy. You can get back to your starting point on the Somme Bay railway. After a 3-hour walk across the sands you'll appreciate a rest. You can also combine the train ride with a boat trip with the "de rail en vague" (rail to wave) scheme.

Let's talk ToJean-Michel Candillon

Steam train driver

"I really love driving late 19th-century locomotives - and I get to do it in a genuine setting. People love the gentle pace, 20 kph, taking the time to enjoy their dip into the past. Children come to experience something new, and their grandparents to relive their own childhood. I hope to share my love of the trip, the bay, nature, marshes and birds. It's a far cry from the motorway, it's like time out of time. We serve dinner on board in summer, as the sun sets over the bay, it's magical."