Heathfold. Trains, the river, the weather, live

The Heart of Wessex

Four of these villages have a station of their own and they are all on this railway, within a few miles of each other. Another five borrow one. This is what the line is, how long it takes between the stations, and where you change for anywhere else.

The other railway these villages use runs from Waterloo to Exeter and crosses this one at Yeovil, which is the thing below that catches people out.

Three of the four are request stops

Thornford, Yetminster and Chetnole are request stops, three in a row. The train does not call unless somebody asks it to. To get on, stand where the driver can see you and signal clearly as the train comes in. To get off, tell the guard when you board. Maiden Newton is a normal stop and needs neither.

This is the thing about this line that is not on any timetable, and the thing a visitor gets wrong.

North to Gloucester, on this service

  1. GloucesterGCR
  2. 26 min
  3. YateYAE
  4. 11 min
  5. Bristol ParkwayBPW
  6. 4 min
  7. Filton Abbey WoodFIT
  8. 14 min
  9. Bristol Temple MeadsBRI
  10. 8 min
  11. KeynshamKYN
  12. 7 min
  13. Oldfield ParkOLF
  14. 4 min
  15. Bath SpaBTH
  16. 13 min
  17. Bradford-on-AvonBOA
  18. 7 min
  19. TrowbridgeTRO
  20. 10 min
  21. WestburyWSB
  22. 10 min
  23. FromeFRO
  24. 12 min
  25. BrutonBRU
  26. 5 min
  27. Castle CaryCLCchange for Paddington, and the west
  28. 14 min
  29. Yeovil Pen MillYVPchange for Yeovil
  30. 4 min
  31. ThornfordTHOrequest stop
  32. 3 min
  33. YetminsterYETrequest stop
  34. 4 min
  35. ChetnoleCNOrequest stop
  36. 13 min
  37. Maiden NewtonMDN
  38. 15 min
  39. Dorchester WestDCWchange for Dorchester
  40. 9 min
  41. UpweyUPW
  42. 5 min
  43. WeymouthWEYchange for the sea

South to Weymouth

Times from a service on 2026-09-12.

Where it goes

South it ends at Weymouth, on the coast, through Dorchester.

North it runs up through Yeovil, Castle Cary, Frome, Westbury, Trowbridge and Bath Spa to Bristol, and the train drawn above carries on beyond Bristol to Gloucester. Not every service goes that far. Some turn back at Bristol, some at Westbury, and the calling pattern north of Castle Cary varies more than it does south of it, so read the drawing as one real train rather than as every train.

Getting to a city

The honest way to read this section is as where to change rather than as a promise about how long it takes. There are roughly eight trains a day each way, so the next one matters more than the journey time.

ForChange atThen
Weymouthno changestraight down the line
Dorchesterno changeDorchester West is on this line
Bath and Bristolno changestraight up the line
London PaddingtonCastle Carythe main line west
London WaterlooYeovilbut see the warning below
Exeter and the far westYeovil, or Westbury for Tauntonsee the warning below
Southampton and PortsmouthWestbury for Salisburythen along the coast

Yeovil has two stations and they are not the same place

This is the one that catches people out, and a journey planner will cheerfully sell you a ticket through it.

Yeovil Pen Mill is on this line. It is the one your train calls at.

Yeovil Junction is on a different railway, the one from London Waterloo to Exeter, and it is about two miles away on the far side of the town. There is a shuttle between the two, and it does not run often.

So a journey to Waterloo or to Exeter by way of Yeovil means crossing the town, not crossing a platform. Allow for it, or go via Castle Cary for London and by way of Westbury and Taunton for the west.

How the times were worked out

From a real train rather than from a timetable summary: one weekday service is read end to end and the gaps between its calling points are what you see above. Timetables change twice a year and these do not update themselves, so the date they were taken is printed with them.

They are one service. Another may be a minute or two different, and the first and last trains of the day often are.