Bure Valley Railway (Aylsham station) Reviews Summary

Category: Heritage preservation

Address: Aylsham Station, Norwich Rd, Aylsham, Norwich NR11 6BW, United Kingdom

Phone: +441263733858

Rating: 4.6
based on 263 reviews.

Scenery and Route

Pros:

  • "There are views of the countryside, working farms, rivers and the occasional walker."
  • "Enjoyed the gorgeous scenery which the train passed through."
  • "A really lovely journey through beautiful Norfolk countryside."
  • "The passing natural sights are very beautiful."
  • "The scenery on the journey is lovely and Wroxham is a beautiful town to visit, which provides access to the Broads and boat trips as well as boat hire."
  • "Ride takes you through lots of different types of scenery."
  • "The views on the train ride were really enjoyable."

Cons:

  • "The reality is a track alongside the railway line that spends a lot of its time wending through either farmers fields or in a shaded extended railway cutting."
  • "The track bed is nestled within a number of cuttings/ravines, which we felt restricted the overall impression (views) of travelling the broads by steam train."
  • "Narrow route so mostly high hedge sides with little scenic views."
  • "The train journey is ok but seems to be almost endless banks either side of the track so not that much to look at."
  • "I was slightly disappointed as the views weren't very scenic due to there being hedges/ bushes along both sides of track for a lot of the route."
  • "The train ride itself is uninspiring. The views are quite bland...when you're not in a cutting."
  • "Train journey to Wroxham is 45 mins though, which is boring! Literally nothing to see and it becomes uncomfortable sitting in the little carriages."

Value and Pricing

Pros:

  • "The combined ticket for the steam train and Norfolk Broads boat tour represents good value."
  • "Bought the train and boat ticket which was really good value for money."
  • "Really nice day out that won't break the bank."
  • "A brilliant little trip and really good value for money - I'd recommend this to anyone in the area."
  • "The journey prices are very fair so it's not going to cost you an arm and a leg to have a fun day out."
  • "However a 45min journey is a usefully long trip (90minute return), making the price per person good value, with dogs allowed to travel for £3.50."
  • "All very well priced and well worth the money, will definitely visit again."

Cons:

  • "Good day out, nice to see all the countryside... the only reason why i gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was because it is quite expensive."
  • "A novelty experience that I felt was a bit too expensive to repeat."
  • "Great if you have small kids or a penchant for narrow gauge steam trains. Otherwise it's just an expensive train journey."
  • "Nice looking long steam train journey. A bit on the pricey side."
  • "It's ultimately far too expensive for what it is."
  • "Be forewarned the prices are quite steep and they charge for dogs to travel as well (2.50 each as of this review)."
  • "Food in the cafe is basic but good. Did think £6.50 was a bit expensive for a toastie."

Facilities and Accessibility

Pros:

  • "The locomotives, stations and railway are very well maintained and looked after."
  • "Tickets available to purchase both over the phone and in person at the station."
  • "The railway station has a very well stocked shop and a nice cafe serving very tasty snacks."
  • "Access to workshops to see the servicing and repairs done by volunteer staff."
  • "Free parking at the railway is a big bonus."
  • "Plenty of parking space at both stations including several blue badge bays with easy access to the stations for the less mobile."
  • "Wheelchair friendly."

Cons:

  • "Could benefit from a cycle park and availability of cycle stands where bikes can be locked."
  • "Alas not as good as it used to be, the management here still think we are in Covid Lockdown."
  • "We didn't manage to see any of the other engines working the line as they were out pulling trains."
  • "Could do with a few more Disabled bays but I can't see where they could really fit them in."
  • "There seemed to be too much of a gap between the rail ends meaning that the wheels seemed to bump across too noisily."
  • "Unfortunately for us, this was also the main crossing point to a Riverside view point, which the blind crest bridge and volume of traffic made nervy, alongside limited pavement and space."
  • "My only grumble is that on hot days, you'll really notice the lack of air conditioning as the trains are very old fashioned in design."

Staff and Service

Pros:

  • "The team were friendly and flexible."
  • "Very friendly staff."
  • "All of the volunteers made the trip fantastic."
  • "Everyone was friendly, free parking and coaches were in good nick."
  • "Staff were very friendly and helped our trip to run smoothly."
  • "The staff were all lovely and it was really nice to see the engineers busy at work in the workshop."
  • "The staff were all very friendly and helpful."

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