Ffestiniog Railway - (Blaenau Festiniog, Station) — Attraction in Ffestiniog

I have travelled on this railway many times in the past, but today's visit was a real disappointment. We arrived at Porthmadog and managed to get a disabled spot in the carpark at the station for my daughter. Very handy, then it just went down hill from there unfortunately. We joined a que and got shouted at for standing in the wrong place, then we where told we can check in, inside the booking office. We got greeted by a bloke with painted fingernails and a baseball hat, he then just looked at my wife not a word, my wife had to explain we had booked and got told to come him. He said they don't deal with it and we should go outside again. My wife said no and he processed the tickets. Onto the station we went we had 20 minutes before we left so my wife and daughter got on the coach and I said I would go to the cafe at the station to grab some drinks. I had about 4 people in front of me and 3 people waiting for hot drinks they had paid for. Two very young girls where behind the counter. One making drinks while the other stood there not saying a word or doing anything. In 15 minutes of waiting one lot of drinks had been made. Myself and a number of other customers just gave up and walked off. The train journey was nice enough and staff on board the train where polite enough. The main shop I have no idea why screens are still up as it made purchasing items and hearing what the person was saying impossible at timea.Unfortunately its the little things that make...

The train itself was great to see, and the staff were very friendly, allowing the children to look inside the engine area when we stopped, however, overall the experience left a lot to be desired. Firstly, we thought the free parking was near the station, but when we arrived we were sent to another car park, with directions that weren't very clear. When we found the car park, it was full, so we had to go to a nearby pay and display. Having wasted 20 minutes trying to park, we then had to hurry to catch our train. It was a very hot day and we were very hot by the time we got on the train. The journey was through beautiful scenery and was pleasant, apart from the heat, but that's not the railway's fault. When we got to our stop, we had expected an hour before coming back, but we were told 35 minutes, so by the time we had got the children a drink and visited the loo, there was no time to explore. We were then told to get on the train, far too early as we had another 5 minutes in the hot carriage. A member of staff came round, and told us there was a delay, then locked us in the carriage so we couldn't even leave the door open to cool down! When we got back to Porthmadog we had a look round the gift shop, but we were glad to get out of the train. It was very expensive for what we got, so I wouldn't go again. If you're a railway enthusiast you'll love it, but try not to go...

The Ffiestiniog Railway journey to Portmadog is a picturesque ride through the rugged & mystic Snowdonia National Park. I took the one way trip from the bleak, slate quarried hills of Blaenau Ffiestiniog to the quaint harbour town of Portmadog on a quiet Sunday late Sept 2024. The views of mountains, lakes, streams & forests were enchanting even though the autumn colours were not in full display. The stark, grey landscape lightened up as the train chugged its way to Portmadog passing along the vast Tanygrisau Reservoir adding to the experience. On either side, there is a small gift/food outlet & amenities of course.

For the umpteenth time - I wished that I could also take pics standing outside of the train against the backdrop of the scenic landscape!

One of my highlights of the trip was chatting with the train driver at the start, who mentioned that they have had exchanges with the Puffing Billy Railway staff in Melbourne, which was delightful to hear. It was also a novelty to ride on Prince - the oldest narrow gauge steam engine. An enjoyable & memorable experience!

Cons: No commentary during the journey, the windows needed cleaning for clearer views & nil food/drinks trolley service. It was also quiet on the Blaenau side & not many Cafes were open to have lunch prior to the 12.45...