Books & Publications

Encouraging Exploration by Rail

Over the years, the CRP has produced a variety of publications designed to encourage visitors and residents to discover the Island by public transport.

Rail Ale Trails

These popular guides combined rail travel with visits to local pubs, helping support local businesses while promoting sustainable tourism.

Walks from Rails

A collection of walking routes linked directly to railway stations, encouraging healthy lifestyles and helping people explore the Island's countryside, coastline and heritage without the need for a car.

Journey Maps and Information Boards

The CRP developed a series of "My Journey" map boards and publications showing the Island's integrated transport network. These resources highlighted rail, bus and ferry connections alongside attractions, helping people understand how easily destinations across the Isle of Wight can be reached using public transport.

Giving Young People a Voice

Young people have always been at the heart of Community Rail activities in the New Forest.

TravelSafe Resources

The TravelSafe programme produced a series of wallet cards and educational materials supporting three safety films covering rail, bus and ferry travel. These resources helped students understand how to travel confidently and safely while promoting independent travel skills and awareness around transport environments.

The Squirrel's Tale

One of our most imaginative publications was The Squirrel's Tale, a children's story inspired by the Isle of Wight's famous Red Squirrel population.

The story follows a group of Grey Squirrels attempting to invade the Island, only to be met by determined Red Squirrels working with the Isle of Wight Community Rail Partnership to protect their home. Combining environmental education with storytelling, the book introduced children to conservation issues in a fun and engaging way while promoting travel and exploration across the Island.

Supporting Showcase Events

Publications have also played an important role in supporting major Community Rail events and films and exhibitions.

These have included:

Each project used printed materials, guides, exhibition resources and promotional publications to engage audiences through exhibitions and films, celebrate community achievements and showcase the value of Community Rail.

Looking to the Future

While printed publications have been at the heart of our work for more than two decades, the way people access information continues to evolve.

Today, the New forest Community Rail Partnership increasingly uses digital resources, QR codes, online guides and dedicated landing pages to provide information in more sustainable and accessible ways. These tools allow us to reach wider audiences while reducing printing costs and environmental impact.

However, our commitment remains unchanged: helping people discover their railway, their communities in the New Forest.

From the Lymington Rail trail to today's digital storytelling projects, our publications and resources have helped thousands of people explore, learn and connect through Community Rail.

Eighteen years on, we are proud of what has been achieved and excited about the stories still to be told.