The Apedale Valley Light Railway is located in the Apedale Country Park near Newcastle-under-Lyme. Apedale Country Park can be reached by road or by public transport. A pdf of the road directions is here.
How to find us…from the North and the West.
- Leave the M6 at Junction 16 and follow the A500 towards Stoke on Trent
- At the A34 junction, leave the A500 and turn right towards Newcastle-under-Lyme
- At the second roundabout after leaving the A500 (McDonald’s restaurant on the left), turn right onto the B5369 following signposts to the Apedale Valley and Loomer Road Industrial Estate.
- After about 600 metres, at the main roundabout in Chesterton take the second exit into the Loomer Road Industrial Estate
- Follow Loomer road to the end, and follow the road to the right into the country park
- There is a height barrier, set at 6 feet 6 inches, at the entrance to the country park. If this is a problem for your vehicle, please contact us.
- Keep going straight ahead until you see car park signs, just by the Apedale Heritage Centre. Please park in the marked car parks.
- The railway is located just beyond the Heritage Centre, although there is no access to cars
From the East via the A50
- Follow the A50 until it meets the A500 (“Sideway”) and turn right following M6 North signs
- Follow the A500 until you see the A34/Kidsgrove junction before you reach the M6
- Turn left onto the A34 south towards Newcastle under Lyme
- After about 600 metres, at the second roundabout after leaving the A500 (McDonald’s restaurant on the left), turn right onto the B5369 following signposts to the Apedale Valley and Loomer Road Industrial Estate.
- At the main roundabout in Chesterton, take the second exit into the Loomer Road Industrial Estate
- Follow Loomer road to the end, and follow the road to the right into the country park
- There is a height barrier, set at 6 feet 6 inches, at the entrance to the country park. If this is a problem for your vehicle, please contact us.
- Keep going straight ahead until you see car park signs, just by the Apedale Heritage Centre. Please park in the marked car parks.
- The railway is located just beyond the Heritage Centre, although there is no access to cars.
From the South via M6
- Leave M6 at Junction 15.
- Follow A500 towards Sideway and Stoke, the proceed as above.
- The more confident may opt to leave the A500 at the A34 intersection; following the A34 north will take you through Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre. Turn left onto the B5369 at McDonalds roundabout as described above.
A note for SatNav users…
If you are using satellite navigation to find us, the best post code to use is ST5 7LB which is for Chesterton Lodge Care Home (on the right) on Loomer Road as you approach to the country park. Continue to follow Loomer Road and at the end, turn to the right into the country park, then follow the directions above to the car park.
What 3 Words
Car park entrance – ///foam.rinse.client
Station Building –///rainy.nests.muddy
By Public Transport…
Stoke-on-Trent railway station is well served by trains from all parts, including Avanti West Coast trains from London Euston, Cross Country trains from Birmingham, Manchester and elsewhere. There is no direct bus route from Stoke station to Chesterton; it is recommended that one catches a (frequent) bus to Hanley from outside Stoke Station. From Hanley bus station, take the bus route 38 or 38A. Route 38 goes from Hanley to Kidsgrove, via Chesterton and Newcastle-under-Lyme. Route 38A goes to Waterhayes via Chesterton.
These routes are operated by First Bus, www.firstbus.co.uk/potteries.
An alternative route by train is to alight at Kidsgrove, which is served by East Midlands Railway (Derby – Crewe) and Northern trains from Manchester to Stoke. Bus 39 goes to Chesterton (and on to Newcastle and Hanley).
One should alight in Chesterton Village at either the Broadmeadow Court stop or Chesterton Library stop on London Road, and then proceed as follows:-
- Walk along London Road towards the roundabout at the start of Loomer Road.
- Follow Loomer road to the end, and follow the road to the right into the country park
- Keep going straight ahead until you see car park signs, just by the Apedale Heritage Centre
It is about a fifteen-minute walk from Chesterton Village.
Bus information can be found at www.stokebus.info
Train information can be found at www.nationalrail.co.uk
