Ruislip Lido Railway — Attraction in London

This is more of a review of Ruislip Lido as a whole rather than just the railway. I lived in Northwood (next to Ruislip) so was only a bus ride from one of my (favourite) childhood haunts.

This is a great place to take kids out for the day when its sunny. There is lots for them to do from walking around the "beachfront", feeding the ducks and geese, playing in the many playgrounds (about 4 - including one in the restaurant) and a pub/restaurant to eat in. There is also a nice little train serving each side of the lake which takes you around the woodland and drop you off at the other side (or loop to where you got on). If you don't fancy taking the train (or paying the price for a ticket - price is roughly £7 for a small family) then there are paths through the woodland.

There are parking facilities for the lido (cannot remember the price) as well as a direct bus route passing through Northwood, Eastcote, Ruislip and Pinner as well as offering links to and from Harrow and Uxbridge.

Admittedly though this area has gotten a bit worse over the years. It will (obviously) be very busy over Summer/sunny periods so parking, restaurant and beachfront will all be very busy. You are also not allowed to go into the water anymore (you used to be able to years ago). Im guessing due to the dirtiness.

Overall though, i would still recommend coming here if you have bored kids as this is still a lovely...

What a great little railway this is. My son is train mad and was desperate to go on a "little train" whilst we're were visiting family in nearby Slough. The railway itself is clean and tidy, and runs 2/3 of the way around Ruislip Lido, through the woods back and forth between 2 stations and at one end, you will find a cafe along with a beach area and large play park area. You can buy tickets at either station and return tickets are available. Although I wouldn't say it was cheap it is not particularly expensive either, I think a 'day rider' type ticket would be a good idea giving unlimited rides for the day at an additional cost. Some days the trains are pulled by steam engines and these are marked as such on the timetable via their website. We unfortunately could only visit on a diesel hailed day but it was still enjoyable. At the car park end of the railway, you cam watch as the engine is turned around on a turntable, ready for its next journey. There are some covered carriages and some open carriages and there is even a buggy wagon for prams and the like to be placed on for the journey. Parking is available by the railway although it is very expensive at £8 for up to 3 hours and £15 for over 3 hours (this is not controlled by the railway but unfortunately no cheaper parking...

Ahhh what's not to love about the Ruislip Lido Railway??? It's a lovely, well maintained narrow gauge railway that takes you from one side of the lido, through the woods to the other. The two main stops are Willow Lawn (where there is a tearoom and you can watch the trains turn round on the turntable) and Woody Bay (the beach side, with playground and cafe) approx 10 mins. You can also make a special request to get off at Haste Hill, which is half way round. The staff here are all volunteers, friendly and helpful. The train drivers are often also train drivers in their day jobs - driving the Piccadilly line or Southern. We visited recently on the open day and got a chance to see inside the engine shed with a display of items including a dismantled Mad Bess engine who has been taken apart for maintenance/ cleaning, photos of the railway over time and a chance to sit inside one of the engines. We also got to take a trip on 'Charlie' for a loop round from Woody Bay, a trip not often on offer! The railway 🚂 is always an integral part of our day out when we go to Ruislip Lido...