For those travelling from further afield or perhaps those of you wishing to make a weekend of it, the following is provided for information along with some suggestions for possible locations to stay in the surrounding areas.
Hotels and Guest Houses shown below have been grouped by the nearest ELR station with approximate walking times indicated where appropriate as well as some ideas of places to stay in the Wider General Area including the Burrs Caravan Park, plus Metrolink details and link.
For more details about the ELR including Station locations and gradient profile, see the About the Line page.
The ELR spans three Council areas, Bury, Rochdale & Rossendale. Tourist Information links are below, plus the Visit Lancashire site. Most have details of places to stay.
(5-10 minute walk)
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Old White Lion Bolton Street |
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Premier Inn Knowsley Street |
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(15-20 minute walk)
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The Old Mill Springwood, Ramsbottom |
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| Burrs Caravan Club Site, Bury |
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Village Hotels Waterfold, Bury |
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The Red Lion Hawkshaw |
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Red Hall Hotel Walmersley |
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Bolholt Hotel nr Tottington |
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Travelodge M66, M60, Bolton, Oldham and Manchester |
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All links are for information only and are not recommendations. The ELR accept no liability for any losses incurred or other problems should you choose accomodation shown. However, please let us know if you have any very good or very bad experiences so that we can consider altering content accordingly.
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The Yell site may also be of use along with the Tourist Information links. |
If have your own transport, accomodation in the surrounding area may be suitable. Hotels and Guest Houses close to Bury are often booked up very quickly ahead of major ELR events.
Accrington, Bolton, Blackburn, Oldham, Rossendale, Rochdale and others are all within 30-40 minutes by car. Public Transport services vary.
Manchester and Metrolink
Staying in Manchester and using the Metrolink service to travel to Bury is also possible, however please note that Engineering Works can sometimes disrupt weekend services. Please check before travelling.
The Metrolink network extends to Rochdale, Oldham and Ashton-Under-Lyne and South Manchester but Please Note that in order to travel from any of these you will need to go through Manchester, there is no direct route. Click the below to access the Metrolink website.
There are a wide range of events at the East Lancashire Railway ranging from Family and Education, Re-enactments, Sci-Fi, Transport and Collector's Fairs.
Selected events are shown below. See the ELR Website for the full event schedule including Family Events.
| Event | Date(s) |
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| Santa Specials | Saturday 22nd November to Wednesday 24th December |
| Mince Pie Specials | Friday 26th December |
| 40106 Running Day | Saturday 27th December |
| 2026 | |
| Whisky Chaser | Thursday 1st January |
| Open House Weekend | Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th January |
| Diesel Running Day | Saturday 7th February |
| Small Engines Gala | Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd February |
| Legends of Steam III |
Friday 10th, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th April |
| Day Out with Thomas |
Saturday 2nd, Sunday 3rd and Monday 4th May |
| Summer Diesel Gala | Thursday 2nd, Friday 3rd, Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th July |
| Day Out with Thomas | Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th July |
| Autumn Diesel Gala | Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th September |
| Day Out with Thomas | Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th October |
| Autumn Steam Gala |
Friday 16th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October |
| DMU Weekend | Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th November |
All events subject to availability
While every effort will be made to ensure events take place as advertised, rostered locos or units are available
and running to the advertised timetable, the ELR reserves the right to cancel or terminate without prior notice.
