Blue Anchor Station Webcam – West Somerset Railway Trains

The Blue Anchor Station Webcam watches a seaside stop on the West Somerset Railway, the heritage line between Minehead and Bishops Lydeard in Somerset, England. Railcam UK runs two cameras here. Camera 1 points toward Dunster and Minehead, along a platform lined with flower tubs to the white level crossing gates, the brick signal box and a row of green hills on the skyline. Camera 2 looks down the full length of both platforms, between old-style lamps and wooden benches, with holiday caravans on the bank to the left. The cameras stream around the clock, but trains run only on the railway’s operating days, when steam and heritage diesel trains call at the platforms and the crossing gates swing across the road before each one.

About Blue Anchor Station

Blue Anchor station opened on 16 July 1874 on the Minehead Railway, with a single platform. In 1904 the Great Western Railway added a passing loop, a second platform, a waiting room and the brick signal box, which controls the level crossing where the Carhampton road crosses the line at the west end of the station. Those gates are still worked from the box with a traditional capstan wheel. The platforms and loop were extended in 1934. The original 1874 platform on the north side, nearest the beach, holds the ticket office and the signal box, and in Camera 1 it is the one on the right.

British Rail ended passenger services on 4 January 1971. Blue Anchor then became part of the first stretch of the preserved railway: on 28 March 1976 the West Somerset Railway reopened the line from Minehead, and the station served as the end of the line until trains ran on to Williton on 28 August that year. The banner across the top of both streams marks that anniversary, 1976 to 2026, 50 years of preservation.

Today the railway covers 32 kilometers (20 miles) and 10 stations, and a run from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard takes about 1 hour 20 minutes. Blue Anchor is the stop between Dunster and Washford. Since 1986 the former waiting room on the down platform has held a small Great Western Railway museum, now with around 550 items, run by the West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust and open on running days. Three camping coaches once used at Dawlish Warren are on display, and steps above the down platform lead to a viewing and picnic area.

The village lies in the parish of Old Cleeve and takes its name from a 17th-century inn, and the bay was once called Cleeve Bay. An updraught brick kiln from about 1830 survives here, the only example of its kind known in Somerset.

Weather and Climate in Blue Anchor

Blue Anchor shares the mild, damp climate of the west Somerset coast. Long-term averages for neighboring Minehead put July afternoons at about 19 to 20 C (66 to 68 F), with nights near 14 C (57 F), and January highs at around 7 C (45 F). Winter is the wetter season, with January bringing more than 100 mm (3.9 inches) of rain against about 70 mm (2.8 inches) in July.

The calendar changes what the Blue Anchor Station Webcam shows as much as the weather does. Services restart at the end of March, and summer brings the longest days and the busiest timetable, with extra Thursday trains from May to September. In early October the flower tubs on Camera 1 were still in bloom. After the season ends on 1 November the platforms are mostly quiet apart from festive trains before Christmas, and low cloud can hide the hills behind the signal box.

Things to Do Near Blue Anchor

Blue Anchor’s long sandy beach is close to the station, and a holiday park runs along the promenade outside it. The cliffs on the bay belong to the Blue Anchor to Lilstock Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest: Triassic grey and green mudstone threaded with pink and white gypsum, the colored alabaster that gave its name to the color Watchet Blue. The rocks hold fossils, and at low tide the remains of a submerged forest can show on the shore. In the village, the Blue Anchor Inn is recorded as early as 1678, and the Smugglers Inn also has 17th-century origins.

The railway itself makes the easiest day out. From the booking office, trains run one stop west to Dunster and on to the terminus at Minehead, or east through Washford, close to medieval Cleeve Abbey, to Watchet and then inland to Bishops Lydeard. On running days the station museum and the old camping coaches are worth a look between trains. Exmoor National Park is close by for longer walks.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more heritage railways and another Somerset view, try these cameras.

• South Devon Railway Webcam
• Bewdley Station Webcam
• Cheddar Reservoir Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Blue Anchor Station located?

Blue Anchor station is on the West Somerset Railway in the village of Blue Anchor, parish of Old Cleeve, on the Somerset coast in England. It lies between Dunster and Washford on the 32 kilometer (20 mile) line from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard.

What can you see on the Blue Anchor Station Webcam?

Camera 1 points toward Dunster and Minehead, over the platforms and flower tubs to the station buildings, white crossing gates, 1904 signal box, a semaphore signal and green hills. Camera 2, sponsored by the Blue Anchor Station team, looks down both platforms and tracks past lamps, benches, trees and holiday caravans.

What is the weather like in Blue Anchor?

Nearby Minehead averages about 19 to 20 C (66 to 68 F) on July afternoons and around 7 C (45 F) on January afternoons. Winter is the wetter half of the year, with more than 100 mm (3.9 inches) of rain in January.

When do trains pass the Blue Anchor Station Webcam?

The cameras stream 24 hours a day, but the West Somerset Railway runs on set operating days rather than daily. In 2026 the main season runs from 3 April to 1 November on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, weekends and bank holidays, with Thursdays added from May to September. Festive trains run on selected dates from 28 November to 24 December. Timetables vary by day, so check the railway’s calendar first. On a non-running day, empty platforms are normal and not a fault with the stream.

Are the Blue Anchor level crossing gates still worked by hand?

Yes. The 1904 brick signal box works the gates on the Carhampton road crossing with a traditional capstan wheel, not automatic barriers. On Camera 1 they are the white gates beyond the platforms.

Is there a museum at Blue Anchor station?

Yes. A small Great Western Railway museum with around 550 items fills the former waiting room on the down platform. It opened in 1986 and is open on running days.

Can you see Blue Anchor beach from the station cameras?

No. Neither camera faces the sea. The north platform is the one nearest the beach, and the sand is a short walk from the station.

Source: Railcam UK / West Somerset Railway