East Somerset Railway Reviews Summary

Train Journey

Pros:

• "A round trip of approximately 4 miles behind a vintage steam engine, through the Somerset countryside."
• "Definitely worth a visit and travel along the railway by authentic steam engine."
• "The line is only two and a half miles long, but you can travel on it as much as you want with one ticket."
• "For a single ticket you not only gain access to the whole facility, but you can ride as many of the train services as you like!"
• "Your train ticket is unlimited for that day so you can travel up and down as many times as there are trains if you so wish."
• "It's a short but beautiful trip up and down the track and once you have your ticket, you can use it all day if you like."
• "The train journey isn't very long but it goes through some lovely countryside."

Cons:

• "Not worthy at all, very short trip. Shabby train."
• "It's not a very long ride... 10mins each way and at £14pp not a cheap 30mins."
• "Interesting to see a steam locomotive up close but very disappointed that the rail track is only 2.5 miles long."
• "It was very expensive ticket prices for such a short ride on the train."
• "The only negative is that we felt the ticket prices were a bit pricey when compared with other railways."
• "I found this one very pricey considering the short run."
• "The train journey is short. Everywhere looks run down, neglected, dirty and in need of tidying up."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Everyone v friendly and enthusiastic."
• "Very good, volunteers on railway answered all my questions with ease."
• "The railway staff were also dressed in period costume & very friendly & welcoming."
• "All the staff/helpers were so helpful and informative."
• "The staff were really helpful and knowledgeable."
• "They say they are friendly and I could that spot on from the platform staff to the café staff."
• "The staff are friendly and helpful, giving you an enjoyable day out."

Cons:

• "Clear lack of investment in the infrastructure of this attraction has led to the place becoming completely run down with huge potholes in the car park."
• "The railway staff were friendly and chatty, more than can be said for the restaurant staff who were curt, bordering on rude to customers."
• "The cafe had a terrible smell of cooking fat so strong that I did not even bother to have a cup of tea."
• "The ladies toilets were untidy and not very clean."
• "Not enough disabled parking, not helped by people parking there without displaying blue badges."
• "The compartment I was in looked like it had been vandalised."
• "The windows were filthy, one lady pointed out where someone had left the contents of their nose on her window!"

Facilities and Amenities

Pros:

• "The station cafe has a nice selection of food and drinks."
• "Dog friendly 🐕😁."
• "The restaurant served good, freshly cooked food."
• "Plenty of on-site free parking."
• "Easy to find and ample parking (free) when you arrive."
• "The cafe serves lovely food and excellent coffee."
• "Nice cafe with a good selection of food and drinks."

Cons:

• "Cafe was very busy inside with limiter menu."
• "There's an expensive cafe there and a few bits to look at."
• "Unfortunately, the kitchen closed at 2:30pm so had to leave."
• "The only reason I have given this a star is because the food was good and the train is authentic."
• "The cafe was not brilliant menu-wise."
• "Long wait to get a hot drink (cold) and an almost cold hotdog, very slow service, rather spoiled it."
• "We didn't use the cafe but also didn't find it inviting due to the fact that chairs were piled on tables well before closing time."