A treat of a way to get to Cleeve Abbey is on the beautiful West Somerset Steam Railway, which stops at Washford station, half a mile away from the abbey. The nearest mainline station is Taunton, almost fifteen miles away, with connections across the country to London, Leeds, Dundee, Plymouth, Exeter, Glasgow and Manchester Piccadilly.
The number 28 bus from Taunton station goes directly to the abbey and takes around one hour.
Station details & facilities
Ticket office
Luggage
Facilities
Toilets
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Staffing and customer service
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Bicycle Facilities
Accessibility
First Class Lounge
About Cleeve Abbey
Somerset retreat still stands as it did all those centuries ago.
The large monastic dormitory is one of the most stunning examples left in the country, still with the monk’s window seat the perfect spot to look out across the Somerset countryside or up to the ornate tiles of the abbey’s 17th-century roof. Also still intact in various places around the grounds are floors of heraldic tiles that are even older, dating back to the 13th century, making the pavement tiles the most important to survive in Europe.
The vaulted refectory roof, made of majestic carved oak and intricately carved bosses, must not be missed, and nor should the great hall’s carved angels that adorn the beams from one end to another.
Head for the immaculate ancient cloister, enclosed on all four sides. It’s impossible not to breathe in the calm as you wander in the footsteps of monks from hundreds of years before. Be sure to pay a visit to the arched recess in the wall which once marked the abbot’s seat for daily reading.
Departures and arrivals from Taunton
Departures
Arrivals
| Departing to | Train | Time | Platform | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| to Bristol Temple Meads | Great Western Railway | 22:33 | 5 | On time |
| to Plymouth | Great Western Railway | 22:42 | 2 | Late |
| to Bristol Temple Meads | Great Western Railway | 22:44 | 3 | On time |
| to Plymouth | CrossCountry | 22:57 | 2 | Late |
| to Minehead | Great Western Railway | 23:00 | On time |
| Arriving from | Train | Time | Platform | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| from Paignton | Great Western Railway | 22:32 | 5 | On time |
| from Minehead | Great Western Railway | 22:36 | On time | |
| from London Paddington | Great Western Railway | 22:41 | 2 | Late |
| from Edinburgh (Waverley) | CrossCountry | 22:56 | 2 | Late |
| from London Paddington | Great Western Railway | 23:35 | 3 | Late |