Heverlee 0623
Heverlee 0623

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Reviews

J BM

2 months ago

I am torn in writing this review. Firstly, I appreciate how much voluntary time and effort goes into running a heritage train experience. I love the beautifully decorated old buildings and the steam train ride that goes by the safari park. My husband has gone to other Santa Express days here with the kids and has said in the past it is magical but it was obvious there were cut backs today e.g. in previous years you get a take home mug with your hot chocolate which he used all year round and you get a mince pie as well as gingerbread with the hot chocolate but with the cost of living it is understandable these things have not happened this year. However, I am disappointed by how the unfortunate incident that happened today was handled and so are my children. At the end of the line a pantomine takes place in a marquee. Early on, a member of the pantomine cast (Jack Frost) had a siezure on stage and we're told by a cast member to stay in our seats and sing jingle bells. While we were awkwardly singing we heard the other cast member panic and say he's fitting. We were then told by some volunteers near the exit to evacuate the marquee and wait on the platform where Santa could be seen but the queue was horrendous so we went to look at the steam engine instead and the driver answered my son's questions about the train. Then we were told by volunteers to get back on the train where santa would visit the kids in their seats. But because this was only between the 2 small stations rather than the train ride back to the main station this was very fleeting - my son didn't even get a chance to say hello as he was in the middle of opening Santa's gift that had been left of his seat when we were in the panto. 2 very nice volunteers came around to see if everyone was enjoying themselves still. As there are disappointed kids involved you try and make the best of a bad situation so we couldn't give honest feedback in front of them. On return we saw another train was going back out - either the situation was resolved or they would also not get the santa experience they were hoping for. I understand that not everything goes to plan, and it is sad this has happened - I hope that the cast member is ok, but it was chaotic despite the volunteers trying their best on the spur of the moment. It didn't have to be this way. When there are kids involved you make sure you do a risk assessment, consider different scenarios for contingency planning and ensure that every volunteer is briefed on this. You also communicate to large crowds via a tanoy. For instance, if a cast member falls ill on stage (e.g. worst case Santa or his helper has a heart attack) have curtains ready to protect a very young audience or if you need to call off the panto and evacuate (e.g. because of electrical failure or leak) decide in advance to put everyone back on the train and have santa visit the seats. Also, have a standby santa so that he has got the time to visit all the children on the train by staying on for the whole ride. A little planning goes a long way and cost nothing more than an extra santa suit. But it made me think what else wasn't risk assessed and planned for. This was the kids' main santa experience that got ruined (my son is 7 so might not believe next year and with COVID there were some years where we couldn't do something like this), it wasn't cheap and there are other experiences to choose from of a similar price - so before losing customers think about the customer experience well in advance so that when easily foreseen risks happen the mitigation in place can kick in.

David Kirby

2 months ago

A excellent day out even if you don't like trains. I paid £25 adult all day rover (2023 prices) I started at Kidderminster and took the 10am straight to Bridgnorth, It takes over a hour and stops at different stations along the line, It was busy by the way.. You can get hot/cold drinks on board as well and there are toliets aboard. At Bridgnorth in town there are plenty of places to eat and drink, There is a leaning Castle and the Funicular railway ,Which was closed when I went. I came back and stopped off at Highley where the engine house is, A brilliant place as you see more locos in situe, As well as a cafe and a Gift Shop. I then got aboard and stopped off at Bewdley, Again plenty of places to eat and drink. The service from all the staff were fantastic and its worth having a day out on this nostalgia train line.

Andrew Cartwright

5 months ago

We had a wonderful couple of days out on the Severn Valley railway - Kidderminster Station was where we started, and to be fair looking at the timings all the later trains are coming back towards Kidderminster so probably a good place to start. Parking was in the adjacent car park (chargeable) and the station itself has toilets and a cafe etc. Quite a queue to pick up the physical tickets when we got there, so be prepared for that...! Our ticket also gave us a free return ticket for another operational day so we actually used it the day after to go to a station we didn't get time to visit on the day before. We all enjoyed are day, and the only small annoyance was not getting seated when we rejoined the train after a stop (usually a stop in middle as opposed to at the begin or far end...!)

Paul Bobo

6 months ago

Great fun and good value for money. Gala weekend had plenty of trains to hop and hop off. All the stations had decent facilities. Highly engine shed is well worth a visit and has a decent cafe with good views of the running trains.

Daniel Robins

10 months ago

Well worth the money. Really good day out if you want a step back in time and take it nice and slow. Helpful and friendly staff and a very easy and quick online booking system. The line is a great length, not too long but long enough to enjoy the ride. All the facilities are well kept - even the toilets. I honestly don't know how they can improve - recommend this place fully.

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Heverlee 0623
Heverlee 0623