RAIL enthusiasts are being urged to sign up for a day out in the West Country with the Cotswold Line Promotion Group.

The group is chartering a Great Western Railway High Speed Train for a day out at Minehead, on the Somerset coast.

The excursion, on Saturday, September 23, will be only the second time a CLPG charter has reached Minehead. The first Cotswold-Quantock Express ran in 2010.

Many seats on board have been snapped up already by members of the group, which represents passengers on the rail route between Oxford, Worcester and Hereford, but tickets are now on sale to the general public as well.

A limited number of first class tickets are still available, along with plenty of seats in standard class.

The train will leave Oxford at 7.45am, calling to pick up passengers at Hanborough, Charlbury, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Shipton, Kingham, Moreton-in-Marsh, Honeybourne, Evesham and Pershore en route to Worcester Shrub Hill. It will leave Worcester at 9.20am, running via Bristol and Taunton, and arriving at Minehead at 1pm.

The return train will depart from Minehead at 5.20pm, running via Swindon and Didcot to reach Oxford at 8.25pm. The train will then make the same stops as the outward journey to drop off passengers, arriving in Worcester just before 10pm.

Standard class tickets are £50 for adults and £20 for children aged five or over - children under five travel free. First class tickets are £90, but with no child discounts.

Group chairman John Ellis said: “We know how much our members and people living along the line enjoy being able to catch a direct train to a special destination. We are looking forward to seeing friends old and new. I would like to thank GWR for again making a High Speed Train available to us.”

Booking forms can be downloaded from clpg.org.uk.

Completed booking forms, along with a payable to the CLPG, should be posted to Brian Clayton (CLPG), Newhaven, Greenway Road, Blockley, Moreton-in-Marsh, GL56 9BQ. All applications must include a stamped addressed envelope, which will be used to send out tickets in September.