Moors Valley Railway — Attraction in St. Leonards and St. Ives

Cannot rate this place highly enough!! Went for a nice stroll, having never been there before, ended up staying for around 5 hours We went in August, me, husband and 3yr old so as busy as you'd expect for summer holidays But there is so much to do here and the place is so huge it didnt feel awful, quite the opposite. As you drive into the carpark theres a cafe, an outside food vendor, a gift shop, toilets with baby changing and an ice cream place. Theres the railway, segway hire, Go Ape and various walks and trails so something for everyone.

The railway is adorable, situated next to a big lake, theres a ticket office next to the first station, cost £13.85 for all 3 of us for a return. The ride goes round part of the lake through a couple of tunnels and lasts around 5mins, then you get off at a platform thats been done up to look like a 1920s train station

Here theres picnic benches, toilets with baby changing and an ice cream kiosk. We sat down and had a quick snack then got on the next train back; again a few minutes journey through tunnels and round corners. 3 year old absolutely loved it and it was such a cute activity.

After that we did the Play Trail, would absolutely reccomend for the kids! Every so far along the trail they have built great big wooden play structures; ones a pair of snakes that you can crawl in and outof, ones a crocodile, ones a house etc, 3 year old was in heaven and hubs and i enjoyed the beautiful forest surroundings.

Well signposted, amazingly well maintained. Toilets were clean despite how busy it must get.

My only note here is bring a picnic! The food in the cafe is a bit odd, the choices were limited and were things we wouldnt really eat (black pudding hotdog?!) And typically pricey. We were caught out as hadnt expected to stay so long! Hubs ham sandwich was 4.25, my tuna salad was 5.75 i think, and toddlers lunchbox was around 5.95 which was cheese sandwich, crisps, a yoghurt and a fruit rollup.

If you are looking for an outdoorsy day especially for the kids to let off some steam...

A brilliant small-gauge railway, There are two stops: "Lakeside Station" to the South by the picnic and play areas and "Kingsmere station" to the North where there is a lovely little miniature reproduction of an old train station with a gift shop and ice creams. The railway loops between the two, usually with multiple trains running at a time.

You can buy a single, return or all-day passes. I'd recommend a return so you can ride the whole route (which is longer than it looks as it loops around each station before reaching them) and stop at the Kingsmere gift shop before returning. Chances are you'll be boarding from Lakeside as that's the natural boarding point on arrival at the country park but if you're going to buy a single I'd recommend the Kingsmere to Lakeside route as it's a fair bit longer and more interesting plus you'll get to wait in the shade of the mini-station in a repro waiting room ("Lakeside is simply an outdoor queue).

The staff are friendly and helpful - if you have a younger child I'd recommend sitting at the back as you'll be further from the steam clouds and noisy engine - the whistle blows in tunnels can be a bit loud for small ears if you're up front. The view is identical wherever you sit as at the front you'll still have an adult driver sat in...

This gem of a place is hidden away inside the moors valley country park. If you love the outdoors and have children (or grandchildren like me) to entertain for a day then this place is perfect. Included in the parking are all the walks, the bike trails, play trails, outdoor instruments, play area and lake. The lake has a huge variety of bird life on it and some very greedy swans and ducks who love being fed (please only take decent quality foods designed for wildfowl). The trains are run by local enthusiasts who love to show off their steam engines and talk about the railway. They really know their stuff and if you are lucky you might even get a tour of the sheds and find out about what goes on behind the scenes. Going on the trains for a ride does cost a bit extra on your day but it's money we'll spent for a fun experience your children will remember for a very long time and one which you can...