Avon Valley Railway (Bitton Station) — Attraction in Bitton

I took my Mum for a 90th Birthday treat for an afternoon tea for two at Bitton Railway on the 3rd July at 1pm. We arrived early and were told that we should have been there yesterday. This was the second occasion that we had been let down as I had originally booked the afternoon tea for my Mum's 90th birthday on the Wednesday 14th May at 1pm. We arrived on this occasion only to be told that they had not put it down in the diary and so therefore had not ordered the food in. I was very understanding on this occasion and did not make a fuss. The lady from the office came to apologise and we remade the date. I certainly did not expect this to happen a second time. I think it is very incompetent and also very disappointing for an old lady who was looking forward to it so much for her 90th birthday.

It had been booked for the 2nd July but I had a neurologist appointment that could not be altered so I visited the station cafe as soon as I received the appointment and explained the situation and they re-booked me for the 3rd July. I have witnesses to prove this conversation took place.

There was no apology or explanation from the staff for this mishap on the 3rd July and they acted like they could not care less. When I queried that the food from yesterday would be stale they said it had been thrown away. They also said that they had phoned me but I received no calls on my telephone from them for either day.

They scrabbled together 2 finger sandwiches of tuna mayonnaise with margarine, 2 plain ham finger sandwiches and 2 plain cheese finger sandwiches with no garnish inside. We received a microwaved scone each with cream and jam, a flapjack cut in half and a piece of dried sponge cut in half and 2 small cheesecakes.

We were given one stand and a drink with no offer of a drink refill or anyone checking that everything was satisfactory. No apology. This was given to us in the main carriage whereas I understood it was supposed to be in a special carriage. I did expect more food for the price and certainly for it to be displayed nicely. We were given no napkins or spoon etc.

I think that this is very very poor quality and customer care and feel angry that we have had what was supposed to be a nice treat for a birthday completely ruined.

I complained before leaving a bad review but t my complaint was ignored. I think it is disgusting.

Since I posted this review; I have heard back from the Visitor Services and Volunteering Officer with a very nice apology and offering us a further cream tea and a ride in the dining carriage for a round trip of the line. She wrote a lovely letter explaining some of the difficulties that they have experienced and I have been happy to accept...

I have to be honest, it was a terrible experience. I doubt very much that I will ever go again and I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone. We were told on the day that it was going to be diesel and not steam (which is acceptable as long as the below is fulfilled) I was not made aware of the resulting difference in ticket price. Is this going to be refunded to me? We were not given any ticket stubs and were just ushered up to a carriage at the end We traveled in the train for only about 20 minutes of the 60 minutes of our trip, most of the trip was waiting around in the carriage It was a very hot day on Sunday, there were no refreshments available on board There were no announcements at all to tell us what was happening, it was literally just sitting around for the majority of the time, a terrible experience

Many of the above things could be remedied easily. I would suggest making it a more theatrical experience, making more of the fact that it is a vintage train. The conductors/porters could engage more with passengers, make random announcements, talk about the history of the railway/trains/area. If you offered refreshments you would make more money and passengers would be more comfortable. If you were short-staffed or there were issues with the trains this wouldn't be such a problem if you communicated this to customers. The gentleman in the ticket office was blinkered and couldn't cope with the queue (he asked the same woman the same questions twice, obviously panicked).

What did we pay for? Hardly any views or distance traveled. No information or mementos. Discomfort. It was seriously...

Very disappointed by the Santa train experience, there were many admin issues and of the 55 (but turned out to be more like 90 min trip) only 10 were spent actually moving, the rest sat staring at a grass verge. I do understand how steam trains work (as patronisingly explained to me by management when I emailed to express my disappointment) but the amount of time stationary in comparison to mobile was very boring - especially as we were told not to exit the train and have a look as we may miss Santa being in the end carriage. Santa felt rushed and not up to standard for an £80 “experience”. It was not as advertised, we did not receive any Christmas biscuit for the kids. Avon Valley have offered a family ticket as compensation but frankly the only thing more painful than spending £80 on this would be having to go again. I would rather take the loss.

edit after the response. There may have been many biscuits, but I didn’t receive any for my kids just mince pies that they don’t like. Nobody offered any after that. Your website states it’s a “ fifty minute train ride. Whilst you’re travelling, you’ll enjoy a mince pie or festive biscuit and Santa will pass through the train saying hello to everyone”. I think this is very misleading as it insinuates you’ll be moving for 50 minutes not 10. We also didn’t receive a biscuit and Santa rushed past us in seconds because the train was due to stop and he had other people to see. I am not bothered that you are sorry I didn’t have a good experience, I just want other parents to know what they’re paying £80 a booth for....