Restaurant/cafe to let in Station Road, Alston CA9

Visitor Attraction Railway Station Cafe

• Rare opportunity to run a café, which is part of the South Tynedale Railway
• Potential for 36 covers plus outside seating
• Tenant to work closely with South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society
• To be operated when trains run and other days to suit
• Major North Pennines visitor attraction
• No ingoing

Overview
The South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society is a charitable trust which operates a 5-mile narrow gauge railway from Alston in Cumbria to Slaggyford in Northumberland. It is a major tourist attraction in the North Pennines. Crossings Café is located on the platform on Alston Station and the Society are seeking a new tenant to run the café from April 2024.

Trains operate weekends and bank holidays from Easter to October as well as some weekdays in the main season. The tenant will need to undertake to open the café on all of the 115-120 train running days in 2024 and is free to open on other days of the year as well.

The café has a fully equipped kitchen which is ready to go and has a premises licence. The food offer is a vital part of what the railway offers, and the new tenant will also work with the railway to provide catering for special events.

Location
Alston is an historic and picturesque market town, situated in the north Pennines, 1,000 ft above sea level, noted for its steep cobble streets, surrounded by moorland and within a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with a population of around 1,200. Historically the area was mined for precious metals and coal, but today the local economy relies on farming and tourism, and it lies on the Pennine Way and Coast to Coast trails. It is 20 miles from the M6 J40 at Penrith, via the A686 road which links to Hexham, and 30 miles from Carlisle via the A689 road to Brampton. Local facilities include a secondary school, Co-op convenience store, a range of small shops and cafes, Nenthead Mines as well as the South Tynedale Railway. The café is situated on the station platform.

Description
The café includes an open plan seating and kitchen area which currently has tables and chairs for 24 covers but potentially this could be increased to 36 plus a small outside area with seating for about 16. The kitchen is is well equipped with modern equipment. The overall dimensions of the café are 5.27m x 14.23m. The station toilet facilities are along the platform and there is a separate café staff toilet.