Talyllyn Railway - Tywyn Wharf Railway Station Reviews Summary

Experience

Pros:

• "Cannot recommend this enough! Great experience. We will definitely go again."
• "An amazing experience, this narrow gauge railway gives a fantastic view of the beautiful landscape as you steam along."
• "Feeling the breeze and the steam rush pass me into the Welsh countryside, that was just a beautiful moment."
• "The train ride was just breathtaking."
• "The trip itself was great, with rolling scenery en route."
• "Great experience travelling through the Welsh hills on a steam train, lovely stations with great amenities like the restaurants and play area."
• "Fantastic day out, and straight out of a Thomas story!"

Cons:

• "The train journey was incredibly slow and quite boring. You can’t see anything other than bushes when on the journey."
• "Dissapointed with what we saw, a small waterfall which I missed first time pass as the views were at the other side."
• "Its incredibly slow, the train stops off multiple times but each trail is only 10 mins long, you barely see any countryside as its covered by trees and walls."
• "At £27.50 per adult I was hoping for some lovely views but all we got for the most part was roof tops, back yards and trees."
• "Ride is a bit monotonous due mainly to trackside bushes and trees overgrown blocking any views."
• "It wasn't as long as I was hoping, but as it was raining it was a great time to be in a carriage."
• "I believe it is overpriced for what is essentially a short railway run back and forth."

Staff and Volunteers

Pros:

• "All staff were very friendly."
• "The staff and team of volunteers are exceptionally helpful and happy to share their knowledge."
• "All the staff were fantastic and very friendly as was the guard on our train, Holly, and they have a good knowledge of, and love for the railway which shines through and infects you."
• "Staff are extremely helpful & friendly."
• "Staff/volunteers throughout were great, very attentive friendly and welcoming."
• "The staff, mostly volunteers, couldn't have been more friendly and welcoming."
• "Every member of staff that we came across was just brilliant!"

Cons:

• "Little confusion by platform staff who implied my wife couldn't take prosecco on board in 1st class even though we pre purchased it."
• "I was not impressed by one of your members of staff having a go at a trainee who was clearly just trying to show some self initiative."
• "We wanted to renew our yearly membership so queued to be given a form by a rather abrupt rude older lady behind the ticket office."
• "Cafe both ends if I'm honest staff could be a little more polite. The lady at the wharf end even rolled her eyes at one customer something that is very unprofessional."
• "If you go here and anything wrong with your meal, don't expect an apology, lack of organisation and none of the staff seemed to have gone to Charm school."
• "This lady has let our whole experience down. Important to mention the other staff and volunteers are doing a wonderful job."
• "Nice place to go for a Sunday lunch. Everything was as it should be apart from some customers not wearing masks or visors when in the shop or restaurant as currently mandated and required by the Welsh government making us feel a little unsafe when in line waiting to order."

Value and Pricing

Pros:

• "Parking was very reasonable £2.20 for 4 hours."
• "2 Adults plus 2 dogs was 58 pounds."
• "Parking is pay and display about a 2 minute walk from the station but not overpriced."
• "Very reasonably priced compared to other railways in the area."
• "Lovely views, friendly staff, and not too expensive."
• "Ticket prices reasonable for the experience, and parking also just a bit further down."
• "Very reasonable price for what is offered."

Cons:

• "It's a little pricey due to Covid19 restrictions, but I thought it was well worth the money to have a compartment just for your group."
• "Can be quite expensive for family groups but day rover ticket does give you chance to hop on and off as you please so can explore the surroundings more easily."
• "£50 is a lot for two sadly."
• "So unless you have £70+ for a family please don't waste your time."
• "We consider it slightly overpriced - 19,5 pound ticket including a 3 pound voucher for the shop or cafeteria."
• "It's a little pricey when you have a family as large as mine but we did get a discount voucher to use in the shop."
• "Other people have mentioned about the price but this is a very expensive show to put on coupled with only carrying half the normal numbers of passengers in order to ensure social distancing."

Facilities and Amenities

Pros:

• "There are lovely walks from each of the stations."
• "The railway is beautiful, the staff are seriously so friendly, and the locomotives I just wanna take home with me!"
• "The museum at Tywyn Wharf is really well curated and interesting to go around."
• "There are disabled toilets available as well."
• "There are accessible cafes at Tywyn Wharf and Abergynolwyn."
• "The cafe near to the top is decent with loads of food and drink options. Reasonably priced too."
• "The museum at Tywyn Wharf is a must-visit as is the café where good reasonably priced food is available."