Launched on 26th September 2026!
This is the news that everybody has been waiting for… After 90 years of slumbering, the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway is starting to reawaken in the Yeo Valley. Watch the video below, follow the links, and help us to make this dream a reality.
The Snapper Track Appeal is undoubtedly an ambitious one. We aim to raise £150,000 by the end of 2027, and use this to pay for materials and civil engineering works. This will enable us to restore 730 metres (almost half a mile) of the trackbed, from the lovingly-restored Snapper Halt, to bridge 16, all on land that we already own. This will be built to a high standard, capable of carrying authentic L&B locomotives and carriages.
How Much?
Donations of any amount can be made online, or through more traditional methods.
(Costs for track materials are indicative and for information only)
Online, we offer three one-off and three regular donation amounts, plus options to donate any other amount.
For donors giving over £500, your name will be added to a Benefactors’ Board, to be permanently erected at Snapper Halt, to be seen by passengers on the railway when it is rebuilt from Barnstaple to Blackmoor Gate and beyond.
The graphic below shows how we are doing towards our fundraising target. Return to this page from time to time and see what progress we are making:
‘Perchance It Is Not Dead But Sleepeth’
On Monday 30 September 1935, the day after the railway closed, a wreath of bronze chrysanthemums was laid on the Barnstaple Town Station stop block. Sent by Woody Bay resident Paymaster Captain Thomas Alfred Woolf, R.N. (Retired.) it bore a black-edged, hand-written card on which was written:
“To Barnstaple & Lynton Railway, with regret and sorrow from a constant user and admirer. Perchance it is not dead but sleepeth”.
This became a rallying call for early efforts by railway enthusiasts world-wide, and in particular in the northern section, where the L&BRT have used it to spearhead their efforts at Woody Bay and elsewhere.
Now, after 90 years of slumber here in the southern section, it is time, Perchance, to reawaken…
As you can imagine, interest in laying the first significant track in the Yeo Valley since 1936 has been considerable, and we hope that you will feel able to help us raise the funds that we need.
All donations, large or small, will be gratefully received and go directly to help us rebuild the railway through Snapper.
