The Rail Ale Trail Adds New Watering Hole

The ELR’s 12-mile heritage railway between Heywood and Rawtenstall is to welcome the latest addition to its portfolio of trackside boozers with Buffer Stops opening on Friday 14 June at Rawtenstall Station.

Part of the railway’s popular Rail Ale Trail, the new pub will offer hand pumps with changing local and national ales, real cider and a range of continental beers. It is also hoped that in the very near future a selection of locally sourced hot pies and sarnies will make their way on to a small food menu – pukka.

East Lancashire Railway

Buffer Stops will accompany ELR’s flagship Trackside Pub on Platform 2 of the Bury Bolton Street Station along the popular Rail Ale Trail. This hop-on, hop-off tour takes you on a steam-powered pub crawl (steaming indeed) through some of the Irwell Valley’s most beauteous locations - think quaint historic railway stations, tucked away pubs and microbreweries, C19 viaducts, the Fat Controller and rolling green hills - how rolling depends entirely on how many of the twenty pubs you've frequented.

Follow ELR’s Rail Ale Trail on @Rail_Ale

The Buffer Stops opens on train running days from Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 8pm with the plan to extend the opening hours after the first month.

Guided Rail Ale Tours are available. More information here.