Visited for the first time with my family and we had a lovely afternoon on the narrow gauge railway.Alston station is pristine with a lovely gift shop there’s a cafe too where we had a lovely late lunch serving hot and cold meals tea coffee and homemade cakes. The station has good toilet facilities very clean and there is a really good disabled toilet. My mother commented on how good it was. The station at Alston has full disabled access with a disabled access coach you can get a chair on as they provide ramps. My mam didn’t need to use that though as the train is level with the platform and she was able to walk on easily and we stored her wheelchair at the back of the open carriage .All staff which are volunteers are so nice and friendly nothing is any trouble and they will advise you well on where you want to go. The train carriage has wooden bench seats and there is plenty of leg room. The journey to Slaggyford is very scenic and on a red hot day like today it was lovely travelling slowly through the countryside taking in the scenery with a cool breeze coming in through the open carriage. On reaching slaggyford again this station is pristine it has water bowls for dogs and a buffet car transformed into a little cafe where you can get a drink and a snack. There’s also good toilet facilities There’s a good path back to Alston so if you want to walk back or half way n pick up the train at another station then you can. We will definately return and will recommend the railway to others.

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Visited the south Tyneside railway for the first time.From the moment we stepped on the platform at Alston station we were made most welcome. The knowledgeable staff told us about the railway,and in particular the engine driver took time to describe the controls.Before setting off we endulged in a lovely cup of tea and an excellent bacon roll from platform cafe. A lovely journey through the valley with an opportunity to walk the 5 miles and catch the train back there were intermediate stations if you didn’t want to walk all the way to slaggford. At slaggford there was a lovely buffet carriage with friendly staff and a nice cup of tea and some pineapple and ginger cake(lovely and moist).Then it’s back to Alston station for an excellent lunch.Can recommend the steak and wine pie and also the chicken skewers with homemade mint dip.The cafe staff were friendly and happy with there singing. It may have been the odor from the gin and tonic cake.A great day made even better by great staff. Excellent toilet facilities at both ends of the journey.

Thomas B read more