About the Railway Photography

We always welcome photographers wishing to visit the railway. All we ask is that you follow a few commonsense rules:

• For your safety, please keep off the lineside, even if you are wearing high-visibility clothing. If you wish to get close to the trains, then there are several places where you can do this without endangering yourself. The many level crossings make good vantage points, or you can use the footpath that runs along the lifted side of the track bed near Wymondham (see below).
• Please keep off farmers' crops (including hay) as they are his livelihood. Every year, we receive a few complaints of thoughtless individuals causing damage - make sure you're not one of them! We generally get on well with the neighbours, and want it to stay that way.
• Protect the environment and follow the Country Code. In particular, you should: take your litter home; leave gates as you find them; and avoid damaging wildlife, plants or trees.

There are plenty of accessible locations for railway photography, such as stations, bridges, level crossings and the like, and the B1135 Dereham - Wymondham road also passes close to the railway for most of its length. Below are some other, less obvious ideas for locations. You'll find that you can get great shots without needing to stray from public areas. If you want to visit places that are not normally open, then you should contact the landowner for permission.

Suggested Locations

Photo: Barney Stratford

Dereham

Grid Ref: TF 994 129
Location: Dereham Station boundary fence.
Parking: Ample parking in Dereham Station or on the roadside.
Notes: Just south of Dereham Station is a side-road leading to our boundary fence. This is the best place to get a safe view of any shunting that is going on in the station.

Photo: Barney Stratford

Westfield

Grid Ref: TF 998 109
Location: Field margin near Westfield.
Parking: There's plenty of space on the side of the road in Westfield or Toftwood.
Notes: The field margins in this area are open to the public under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, enabling you to get close to the railway. This area is particularly pleasant when the wheat is ripening in autumn. The lineside vegetation has been kept well under control.

Photo: Owen Stratford

Garvestone

Grid Ref: TG 028 075
Location: Footpath level crossing between Garvestone and Thuxton.
Parking: Park in Garvestone and walk.
Notes: From Thuxton Station, a (rather muddy) footpath heads north towards Garvestone. It runs parallel to the railway, so you can get good views of the trains and the trout lakes behind.

Photo: Alan Cooper

Hardingham

Grid Ref: TG 047 057
Location: Minor road.
Parking: There's limited parking nearby.
Notes: Very close to Hardingham Station. You can get good shots of this part of the line from the main road too.

Photo: Bernie Bland

Wicklewood

Grid Ref: TG 072 033
Location: Footpath between Kimberley and Wicklewood.
Parking: Best to park near Wicklewood as the traffic at Kimberley is rather fast and unrelenting.
Notes: A public footpath runs along the north side of the railway's boundary fence from Wicklewood to Kimberley, and there's a permissive path on the south side of the line as well.

Photo: Alan Cooper

Crownthorpe

Grid Ref: TG 083 033
Location: Road junction to the south of Crownthorpe Bridge, where the B1135 passes under the railway.
Parking: There's room for two or three cars on the side of the road to Wicklewood.
Notes: A perennial favourite, as the background scenery is quite pleasant and the vegetation is well under control here.

Photo: Barney Stratford

Wymondham

Grid Ref: TG 099 025
Location: Near the River Tiffey.
Parking: Limited parking at Wymondham Abbey Station. It's better to park in the town and walk.
Notes: From Wymondham Abbey Station, the Tiffey Valley Walk runs almost parallel to the railway for a couple of kilometres, passing through attractive watermeadows. The path goes onto the track bed itself for a significant distance, so you can get really close to the trains.

Photo: John Harwood

Wymondham

Grid Ref: TG 111 009
Location: Cemetery adjacent to Wymondham Station.
Parking: Plenty of parking at Wymondham Station.
Notes: This section of the line is used only by trains travelling to or from the main line, and not our regular services. Turn left out of Wymondham Station and the cemetery is on your left.