Volk’s Electric Railway

Old school seaside entertainment.
Since being a child, I have always loved miniature railways that go up and down seafronts. I love the rusting rails. I love the vegetation that grows through them. And I love it when the rails and road merge at level crossings.
Volks Railway has all this and more. It trundles along between the road and the pebble beach and takes passengers from the Big Wheel to The Marina and back again. There isn’t much to do at The Marina end. The Sand Sculptures don’t seem very enticing. But the Volks Railway isn’t about the destination. It’s all about the journey. And on a warm summers day, little can compare with rattling along the tracks in a scaled down wooden carriage.

This is always a good way to waste some time on a summer Sunday and also to get across the beach with a hangover. I suppose mostly children enjoy it, but us 20-​somethings do seem to like it too. We focused our beach day on the railway and «crazy golf» one fine summers day and it led to lots of giggling and sunburn. If you intend to do the same I recommend this beach combination for all and sundry as it is a nice relaxing way to get a pan of Brighton beach and «crazy golf» is at least five minutes of fun before you start sabotaging the game and jumping out of bushes to scare your friend mid-​putt in order to break the monotony. It is quite magical how these miniature versions of reality manage to make you feel like you have achieved something on your day out.