Bluebell Railway - (Sheffield Park, Station) — Attraction in Lewes

I recently visited Bluebell Railway for a festive experience with my son on the 20th of December 2023. The overall atmosphere was wonderful, and the staff, excluding the main Santa, were incredibly nice and helpful. However, our encounter with the main Santa left us with mixed feelings.

Again on a positive note, everyone we interacted with was delightful, especially the Santa on the platform who handled children with great care and understanding. Unfortunately, our experience with the main Santa was quite different.

My son is naturally curious and loves to ask questions, which I consider a positive trait. However, when my son began questioning the authenticity of Santa, the main Santa's response was unexpected and, frankly, intimidating. Instead of handling the situation with tact, he seemed to become increasingly stern with each question, which made the encounter uncomfortable for both my son and me. He even took my son's present back and exchanged it for a smaller, different one. While my son was thankfully not too bothered by the change in the gift, the fact that it was forcibly taken from his hands was distressing.

The main issue here is not the change in the present but the way it was handled. The interaction left my son with nightmares and disrupted what should have been a joyful experience. I believe that individuals playing the role of Santa should possess the ability to handle children's inquiries with grace and patience.

My message to the main Santa is simple: if dealing with children inquisitively is a challenge, it might be best to reconsider taking on the role. The Santa on the platform demonstrated how to engage with children in a delightful and understanding manner, leaving a lasting positive impression.

I hope this feedback is constructive, as our experience with the main Santa significantly impacted our overall enjoyment...

Heritage railway running from Sheffield Park to East Grinstead. They have a large collection of engines and rolling stock with many available for service on their line which runs through beautiful country side. Each station has its own character and is set back in time to the golden age of steam with exhibitions and memorabilia. It's possible to visit the engine sheds and see engines that are having the day off or are undergoing restoration. There is also the carriage shed which is mostly open. Staff are dressed in period uniforms and many are volunteers who worked on the railway in the past. I always find them friendly and helpful. They often have special events and have visiting engines. They also run trains with various dining options like fish and chips suppers and cream teas. For a real treat take the Golden Arrow Pullman train with fine dining in restored 1920's luxury carriages or book one of their on train murder mystery evenings. As well as steam trains they also have a collection of heritage diesel locomotives and also have a diesel gala event. The stations have refreshment facilities with the largest being at Sheffield Park where there is a restaurant,pub and a kiosk on one of the platforms, at Kingscote there is a small refreshments hut which is the smallest. Stations have toilet facilities. The large car park is at Sheffield Park which also has an overflow facility across the road for busy days. Access for wheelchair users is via a track crossing at Sheffield Park, qualified staff will give assistance with crossing safely and there is a ramp at East Grinstead. In my opinion these would be the best stations for access. There are various tickets options available,these are all available to see on the Bluebell...

Normally I’d expect to give 5 stars to an attraction like the Bluebell railway. It all started with a broken down train. That in itself can’t be helped and we accept that. However, as there was going to be a delay while they rescued the train we were told it might be advisable to wait in the restaurant/cafe which we did. We were told there would be an announcement when our train was ready to leave. I happened to wander out to the platform to hear an announcement saying the train on platform 2 was ready to leave. I ran over the foot bridge and saw 2 members of staff with whistles poised ready to despatch the train. I caught the attention of the member of staff closest to the end of the train and explained we had people still to come. Fortunately she held the train for 2 minutes to allow the rest of our party to catch up. At the other end of the line (East Grinstead) it was quite confusing. The station master told me the last train back was 14:15 but the ticket agent told me 15:15 (which it was). Whilst we were chatting to him the station master despatched the train back to Sheffield park leaving 3 people at the ticket office. Apparently the SM should await permission from the ticket agent to despatch the train. Obviously this isn’t a normal occurrence but there certainly was a certain amount of confusion between the staff. Despite that we had a great day and would definitely...