Stations and Trains

The National Railway Museum

May 19, 2018 thriftynorfolkmummy

We’ve been so keen to visit the National Railway Museum in York for a while now, being that the boys are such train enthusiasts we thought this would be absolute heaven for them. After some careful planning we had a lovely long weekend away in Yorkshire with the main focus being to spend a day at the museum.

The museum is very easy to find and has lots of dedicated parking close to the site on Leeman Road, parking for the day is £10.00 per car but being that the museum entry is free I really didn’t think this was too bad at all.

The Museum is set over a large site with so much to see and do for all ages, we enjoyed the Great Hall with its plethora of trains from different eras and countries. We watched the awesome turntable demonstration and saw the Mallard which made the boys jaws drop with excitement! Our older son also tried ‘signalling school’ where he learned how to operate traditional train signals. There were lots of interactive, child-friendly activities and even a children’s indoor and outdoor zone where they can let off a little bit of steam (pardon the pun!). The museum is extremely buggy friendly but there are lots of staircases to climb to see inside the trains so be prepared for getting the children in and out and where a rucksack so that you can easily keep your valuables accessible and with you. There are plenty of baby friendly toilets and places to sit. Food (as you can imagine) is expensive so we made sure we had a big breakfast and took lots of snacks. We intend to visit again during the Summer so I will investigate further what their picnic facilities are like and if its possible to being your own food and sit in an outside area to eat it.

There is so much to see and do there, I feel like we only covered a few areas and certainly didn’t do all the exhibits justice- hence arranging another visit! The Flying Scotsman wasn’t there on the day we visited but I didn’t feel our visit lacked anything due to its absence. I would strongly advise checking the museum website before a visit to ensure everything is running or there that you hope to see on the day you go. Weekends are naturally when more things are going on but are also obviously more busy.

The National Railway Museum is a stones throw from York city centre and is easily walking distance or if you fancy for an additional cost (adults £3.00 each way and children £2.00 each way) you can take the road train from the museum to the city centre.

We had such an amazing day out, I just wish this fantastic resource was closer to home, I think we’d be there every day if it was!

I will update further following our next visit…

Snow, Stations and Trains, Walks

…Sorry it’s been a while!

May 2, 2018May 2, 2018 thriftynorfolkmummy

It’s been a while, I know and that’s not to say we haven’t been busy- the trouble is we’ve been too busy! My last post was before we had the fantastic (well fantastic for the first day, fun for the second, too cold for the third and down-right inconvenient by the forth! …is school ever going to reopen?) SNOW!

My husband said I should write about the snow being a great thrifty activity and it absolutely is- snowmen et al, but it is sadly wholly reliant on the weather. Saying that, I thought I would mention that besides spending several of the days at our wonderful Eaton Park, sledging on the slopes, playing snowballs, and gazing at the bright blue frozen solid boating lake, we did discover a little area of Wymondham that will be worth another visit even if we don’t see the snow again.

We took a drive out one day (before it got too bad) to Wymondham and parked in Cemetery Lane car park, where up to an hour is free and £1.00 per hour thereafter. This is a nice big car park near the railway station– which in itself is a lovely historic station, with a good bistro, toilets and great views of the tracks from the pedestrian bridge. We took a lovely walk/ sledge around Tolls Meadow nature reserve, which is only a one minute walk in the opposite direction to the train station from the car park and free to visit. When we were there it was covered in several centimetres of snow but from the information on the website it looks like a real haven for wildlife and definitely something I will be taking my little bug hunters back to visit for an afternoon once the good weather finally gets here!

Over the last couple of months alongside our usual very thrifty adventures we have had some not quite so thrifty days out, but made the absolute most of them. A wonderful Easter visit to Bewilderwood where we met Cedric the Easter Bunny, the very breathtaking Framingham Castle, Church Farm Stow Bardol ph where we saw and fed our first lambs of the season and The Dinosaur Park (we have a season ticket so we have been spending a great deal of time there!) I will probably expand on some of these as I update alongside my super-cheap days out, as I think there may be some useful tips I can share with you.

Next post Yorkshire, where we visited the wonderful and very thrifty FREE National Railway Museum…

Shopping, Stations and Trains, Walks

Buffer Stop Books at Wroxham Station

January 27, 2018 thriftynorfolkmummy

I’ve talked about the Bure Valley Railway here before but I wanted to set aside some space for the wonderful ‘Buffer Stop Books’ based at the Bure Valley station in Wroxham. This stop is a really excellent diversion, especially on a cold winters’ day when you find yourself short of something to do for an hour or so.

We have already visited a couple of times this year; mixing it up a little bit by parking in the Roy’s free mid-length stay carpark on Station Road near to the mainline Wroxham Station, taking the footpath through the station and onto the Bure Valley Station. Lots to see on the way and a reasonably decent footpath with ramps through the station all accessible to buggies.

During the winter months Buffer Stop Books does have slightly limited opening hours so its worth checking the website before setting out to visit. The shop has a fabulous range of pre-owned books, all in great condition. On our last visit we bought 20 children’s books for under £10.00, many of which were previously between £3.99 and £6.99 when new! The boys love to play with the train table and it affords a few moments ‘grown-up’ browsing while the boys are engrossed in their play.

On the way back you could choose to carry on the path towards the river and take a meander along the river or back round to the boardwalk (which eventually heads back to the station via a more muddy route. The riverside walk is lovely, although can be a bit wet in the winter months so wear wellies and take lots of bread to feed the water fowl!

Gardens, Playgrounds, Stations and Trains, Walks

Eaton Park

December 8, 2017 thriftynorfolkmummy

We absolutely love Eaton park at any time of the year. It has good bus connections from Norwich City Centre- number 25, great parking at both ends of the park, toilets and a fab cafe.

We love a good stomp around the paths which are super buggy, scooter or bike friendly. It’s a lovely, safe environment for the kids to practice on their wheels. There’s a miniature railway that runs on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays throughout the spring and summer months and at Christmas with a Santa Special. Even when the train isn’t running the children love looking at the station buildings and track. The boating lake is also a great source of entertainment with people regularly sailing their craft on it.

On top of all that there’s a skate park, band stand, tennis courts, table tennis, football pitches, basket ball court, crazy golf and probably lots of other things I’ve missed! The jewel in the crown is the fantastic playground suitable for all ages!

We visit the park almost weekly and always have a lovely time exploring and enjoying different events as the seasons change.

As Christmas is coming, I thought I’d make a particular note of the next event- ‘Carols at Eaton Park’ on 19th December starting at 7.30pm. It may be a little late for the younger ones but is guaranteed to get the family in the festive spirit!

Stations and Trains

Third Time Lucky! The Flying Scotsman

November 13, 2017November 14, 2017 thriftynorfolkmummy

On Saturday 11th November we finally got to see the Flying Scotsman– three times!

The first spotting meant a very early rise to get to Norwich Station for 7.30am. We parked in our usual free space just outside the station, although there were plenty of spots in the car park just to the side of the station too. Even that early in the morning there were plenty of enthusiasts about and so after checking with the station staff we joined a queue to go onto the platform and see Flying Scotsman, once the paying customers had boarded.

The wait wasn’t too long at all and soon we were allowed on the platform where we walked past all the carriages set for breakfast up to the end of the platform where we saw Flying Scotsman. Seeing the train was absolutely amazing and made all the more pleasurable because of the good organisation the Station Team and Police had put in place. We were asked to file along the platform in one direction round and then back past the train, ensuring everyone got a chance to view, take photos and soak up the atmosphere. The team were particularly mindful of the children and there was a really nice atmosphere amongst those that had come to view with absolutely no pushing, hurrying or shoving.

We waved the train off from the station and watched it steam away with its long entourage of carriages.

Later that morning we watched Flying Scotsman steam back from Ipswich from a field entrance just off the A140 and then during the afternoon we stopped off at Thetford Railway Station on our way back from a day out in Bury St Edmunds just in time to see it rush through on its way to Ely. For future reference Thetford Railway Station has plenty of parking and watching from the pedestrian bridge over the track was the perfect vantage point to soak up the atmosphere and the wonderful cloud of smoke that billowed from the engine.

Seeing the Flying Scotsman was completely free and truly a rare opportunity. We did a great deal of research (my husband mainly!) to ensure we knew times, destinations and researched the best vantage points that were both safe and legal to stop and view from. We checked the local news, as well as the Steam Dreams website (the company that chartered the flying Scotsman) and liaised with Norwich Railway Station. Although this was a one off, we are often on the look-out for vintage trains traveling to the East of England via Norwich Railway station.

Better photos of the train to follow- watch this post!

Stations and Trains

An Evening Treat!

October 18, 2017October 18, 2017 thriftynorfolkmummy

This evening we got the boys all ‘PJ-ed’ up and took them to Norwich Railway station. We did our usual 20 minute free parking and asked nicely to go on the platform. This evening was very exciting as ‘Flying Scotsman‘ was supposed to coming to Norwich from Ely, sadly (and we knew before we set out), it had experienced some engineering issues and so had been swapped for a vintage diesel. This disappointment didn’t dampen spirits and besides a whole plethora of trains leaving in the 20 minutes we were there, we saw the ‘Catherdral Express‘ minus the ‘Flying Scotsman’ pull into the station. It was a fabulous experience and brought a tear to my eye seeing everyone waving back as we waved furiously at its passengers. After everyone had disembarked we also got to walk along the platform and see the beautiful carriages all set for dining. A wonderful evening, completely free and so exciting for the boys. We will be back early Saturday morning, fingers crossed to see the ‘Flying Scotsman’.

Stations and Trains, Walks

Bure Valley Railway Station

September 27, 2017October 3, 2017 thriftynorfolkmummy

We last visited the Bure Valley Railway Station at the start of September and this is something we’ve found to be a staple activity over the last year or so. As you may have gathered my children are mad about trains and this is a perfect pursuit when they are in need of a ‘train top-up!’.

The Bure Valley Railway runs between Aylsham and Wroxham and either station is really worth a visit. We tend to visit Wroxham more frequently as it’s located nearer to the Grandparents. We have travelled on the train which is great fun, however for a more cost-effective everyday activity we find it great fun to go to the station and watch the trains arrive and turn on a turntable you can see the train go onto, turn and then leave; its worth familiarising yourself with the timetable to make sure you arrive in good time to see a train.

At Wroxham, the Bure Valley Station is located very close to the main line railway station and so this can be combined with a visit to the station, where there is a lovely walk way to and from both stations. The Bure Valley railway line also runs for a short way next to the mainline railway for added ‘traineeness!’.

The car park at the Bure Valley Railway station in Wroxham is free, the station has good toilets and a lovely pre-owned bookshop with a great childrens book section and a train table for the children to play freely with. There are also picnic tables to the side of the bookshop at the end of the train track.

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The train track has a path running the full length of the route from Wroxham to Aylsham (approx 9 miles) and can be approached to the left of the Bure Valley Wroxham station from the car park. The walk is called the Bure Valley path and can be accessed from several of the villages along the way. I have yet to explore parking at various points along the track but can safely say the walk from Wroxham along the track is lovely and great for viewing the trains as you walk side-by-side with the track for much of the way. It’s quite buggy friendly, we coped well with it although a little bit stoney in places, we have walked as far as Belaugh Lane (about 1.5 miles) from Wroxham station and back again.

Will keep you posted as we explore more of the path, more about Aylsham station to follow…

Stations and Trains, Walks

Whitwell Station and Marriots Way

September 25, 2017October 3, 2017 thriftynorfolkmummy

Marriots Way is a fantastic footpath running along an old railway line about 26 miles between Alysham and Norwich. There are lots of places to access it from along the route and a great walk to explore nature, watch the changing seasons and tire little ones out. By my understanding some of the route is easier going for buggies, bikes, scooters etc so it’s best to check the Marriots Way website for advise. I’ll also keep note of conditions on the blog as we explore sections of it.

Today we visited Whitwell Station near Reepham where part of the Marriots way footpath can be accessed from. Whitwell Station is a really friendly working heritage station with excellent free parking, great toilets and a lovely cafe. It’s a friendly place and the team who run it are really helpful, you only have to ask to access the baby changing facilities.

I’ve included a couple of photos I took of the footpath map which goes to the right of the station and can be accessed via the station platform. This forms a loop and runs just over six miles to Reepham Station (now disused as a station but has a cafe). It’s worth noting it does suggest that this route can be muddy and not suitable for buggies so today we walked a couple of miles in the opposite direction to this. The route would eventually take you to Drayton which is 9.5 miles if you were feeling energetic! The path is really flat and is excellent for both buggies and scooters as you can see from my photos below.

There are lots of bridges and points of interest along the way. We loved collecting sticks and playing ‘pooh sticks’ at one of the bridges, we also spotted a frog, some sheep, saw lots of people on bikes, walking dogs and followed some horse shoe shaped tracks.

Do take a look at the Marriots Way free download with everything in you need to know about the walks. I’ve taken a look at it this evening and will definitely be using this to help me plan future days out. The section on part of the walk we did today is on Page 24.

Stations and Trains

Norwich Railway Station

September 24, 2017September 26, 2017 thriftynorfolkmummy

I find Norwich Station is a great diversion for the kids when they’re getting a bit stir-crazy at home. The boys absolutely love trains and Norwich Railway station is a fantastic terminus where there is always an arrival and departure to watch and wave at.

Parking outside the station is usually readily available and free if you use the 20 minute ‘drop-off bays’- I’ve popped a photo in for you to see where these are located.

Once in the railway station, if you ask the platform guard nicely at the gates, they are always happy to let us through the barrier and onto the platform to view the trains.

Ok, so it’s not a full day out, but a nice short activity if you find yourself with a bit of a gap in the day or kids that need to get out the house on a rainy day.

We love visiting any railway station, so if you don’t live too close to Norwich have a go at visiting your local station, we also love Wymondham (Lovely cafe), Diss and randomly Shippea Hill– if you are ever near Ely and want to visit the one of the quietest stations in the country!

More posts later about Heritage railway Lines…