Tenterden is one of the most picturesque towns in Kent. Its broad tree-lined high street offers a selection of shopping facilities and is dominated by the pinnacle tower of St Mildred's Church. Tenterden first rose to affluence as a ship building port when the surrounding marshes were under the sea and ships docked at Smallhythe. Our attractive journey by train takes us across these marshes, making it one of the lowest sections of railway in the country – indeed part of the route is below sea level.

Tenterden Town Station is the headquarters of the railway and contains some of its principal buildings including carriage and wagon workshop. There are a variety of facilities for visitors including a shop and buffet and the Museum. To the north of the site there is a large car and coach park with hard standing and there is a small parking area for disabled persons on the station site itself.

As the train leaves Tenterden the line falls steeply away towards the marshes at an average gradient of 1-in-50 for over a mile. The train will work very hard on its return. The typical Wealden scenery in the valley below is particularly fine and you can savour fine views notably some Yeoman's' houses clustered around the Cranbrook Road which we cross halfway down. The descent continues and the line curves sharply to the left at Orpin's Farm where the track levels out and crosses the main road before running into Rolvenden Station, 1½ miles from Tenterden Town. Rolvenden was the original Tenterden Station and was always the headquarters of the locomotive works, which remain on the site although the original buildings have long gone for they were under the present wood yard. The village of Rolvenden is 1½ miles from this station containing some attractive cottages and a church that is pleasantly situated. Lovers of historic vehicles will find the C M Booth collection in the centre of the village of great interest and a short distance outside the town is the oldest post mill in Kent.

We continue onwards towards the next station, Wittersham Road, through marshlands collectively known and the Rother Levels. To the right a series of channels dug at right angles to the railway are used to farm crayfish and on the left, in the woodland, you can if you are lucky see wild boar which are also farmed. The terrain generally is very wet and until comparatively very recently was subject to frequent flooding. The most characteristic trees along the lineside are willows. The trains now cross over the New Mill Channel, a tributary of the River Rother, which now runs alongside us for several hundred yards. There are always many swans here, particularly in the winter months.

The line curves gently into Wittersham Road, a station apparently in the middle of nowhere, which actually handled quite heavy agricultural traffic. However, Wittersham itself is nearly 3 miles away and Rolvenden Layne is actually the nearest village, being a long mile the other way. The station had an exciting time during the Second World War when it was the depot site for a large rail mounted gun that fired at France. The ammunition store for this is still to be seen on the corner of the picnic site.

The sidings here are used by the permanent way department and also for storing stock that has yet to be restored.

Starting from Wittersham Road the train is faced with a steep but short climb as, following the light railway tenets by which the railway was built, the line follows the contours of the land rather than cutting through it. Over the summit the line now falls towards the Hexden Channel and the River Rother whose valley is very wide and open at this point. Romney sheep dot the landscape and you will often see turf cutting as you cross this area. To our left the Hexden Channel and the Rother join and sweep out past the Isle of Oxney on which Wittersham stands towards Romney Marsh and the sea at Rye. Turning slowly up the valley Northiam Station is reached after crossing the main A28 road. We are now 7 miles from Tenterden and heading up the Rother Valley to our right.

Northiam Station was for 10 years the terminus of the line and has extensive parking facilities and a buffet. Parking is encouraged here for a trip to Bodiam for there are no parking facilities at our terminus station. The village that you can see on the other side of the valley is actually Newenden and Northiam is one mile up the hill. It contains a very interesting church, and on the outskirts of the village is Great Dixter, a marvellous medieval house restored by Sir Edward Lutyens surrounded by magnificent gardens.

The next 3 miles sees the railway sweep up the valley betwixt the flood plain and the rich farmland on the hillsides, demonstrating the skills of the engineer of the railway, Colonel Stephens. As you look ahead to your right, you will see nestled in the hill the magnificent medieval castle at Bodiam that was built to defend the highest navigable point of the Rother.  As we near Bodiam Station, we pass through fields which were once covered with the typical hop gardens that brought so much traffic to this railway, and we finally terminate in the immaculately restored station at Bodiam, so characteristic of the Victorian light railway. Bodiam Castle is a 5-minute walk away across the valley.