Waterford Suir Valley Railway Reveiw
This summer I'm bringing you a new series of adventures as myself and the family are exploring and reviewing some of the amazing places Ireland has to offer.
I'm kicking it off with a review of a place that's a stone throw away form my own house. Its the Waterford Suir Valley Railway. I can't believe we haven't been out here before until recently we went after I spotted it advertised on Facebook.
There are Family Fun days every Wednesday and Sundays at the Kilmeadan Station right up until the end of August. The train goes every hour on the hour (roughly) on a Wednesday from 11a.m to 4p.m and on a Sunday 12p.m to 5p.m.
The railway also offer face painting, a chance to chat with local falconers and meet some of their beautiful Owls and also to a Teddy bears picnic. These normally don't always happen at once but I will leave a schedule for the forthcoming season at the bottom of this post if you do wish to plan a trip or day out.
On the day we arrived there was free face painting however my two hate their faces being painted so we didn't que for that however we did get a chance to meet some very friendly teddy bears who also waved us off on our train journey.
When we arrived we boarded an old Train that was now being used as the ticket office/gift shop. Here is where we purchased our tickets and each child was given a piece of paper and a pen where they had to tick off different places and things that they saw along their train ride. I personally thought this was a lovely touch and as the train is 45 minutes long it tends to keep them interested. However my smally who is just about too turn 2 next month grew board after about 10 minutes so word to the wise pack plenty of snacks!
The Train itself runs along an old train line that corresponds with Waterford's new Greenway so theirs plenty of eye catching scenery. It also makes a stop through Waterfords very own fairy garden where if you look closely you can actually spot real fairies climbing the trees! This was quite a special moment for all the kids that were aboard the train as it stops for a minute or so to let the kids take in the experience. You could feel the excitement from them all as they pointed up and each discovering a little house or bridge that led to a different fairy. This was definitely my favourite part.
As you can see from the above picture some of the scenes are just quite breath taking being from Waterford both ourselves and getting to see this part of our city in a different light for the first time was amazing!
Once we arrived back at the station we were again greeted by the teddy bears who were situated beside the small play area. Smaller kids could not be left unattended as it is situated close to the tracks. There is also toilets, a small shop and gift shop of the premises.
Over all as a whole experience we thought it was great. The kids most importantly had a ball. It was definitely worth the money as we found we got a values worth! We will 100% be going back hoping next time we go, we will get to meet some owls.
If you are travelling to Waterford or are from Waterford yourself this is definitely a great way to pass a morning or afternoon with the kids. We went on a Sunday, the weather was great and the kids were in top form I mean we really couldn't of asked for anything else. Below I will leave the price list aswell as the schedules for the upcoming season! If their is a place you have been and would definitely recommend for a family please let me know below as we are always looking for fun things to do with the kids!
Price List
Train Fares
- Adult €8.50
- Children €4.00
- Students & Golden Years €7.50
- Babies under two are Free
Family Fares
- 2 Adults & 1 Child €20.00
- 2 Adults & 2 Children €23.00
- 2 Adults & 3 Children €26.00
- 2 Adults & 4 Children €29.00
Summer Schudule
- Wednesday 19th July - Enjoy a picnic with the Teddy Bears
- Sunday 23rd July - Teddy Bears Picnic with Face Painting
- Wednesday 26th July - Enjoy a picnic with the Teddy Bears
- Sunday 30th July - Meet the Mayfield Birds of Prey and the Teddy Bears
- Wednesday 2nd August - Enjoy a picnic with the Teddy Bears
- Sunday 6th August - Teddy Bears Picnic with Face Painting
- Monday 7th August - Teddy Bears Picnic with Face Painting
- Wednesday 9th August - Enjoy a picnic with the Teddy Bears
- Sunday 13th August - Meet the Mayfield Birds of Prey and the Teddy Bears
- Wednesday 16th August - Enjoy a picnic with the Teddy Bears
- Sunday 20th August - Teddy Bears Picnic with Face Painting
- Wednesday 23rd August - Enjoy a picnic with the Teddy Bears
- Sunday 27th August - Meet the Mayfield Birds of Prey and the Teddy Bears
- Sunday 3rd September - Teddy Bears Picnic with Face Painting
- Sunday 10th September - Meet the Mayfield Birds of Prey and the Teddy Bears
- Sunday 17th September - Teddy Bears Picnic with Face Painting
- Sunday 24th September - Meet the Mayfield Birds of Prey and the Teddy Bears
Pros
- The family tickets are very reasonable considering your not hit with any extra costs i.e for face painting etc.
- The place was emaculate and the toilets were very well kept.
- Gorgeous scenic views of Waterford and Kilmeadan.
- Kids are given a sheet of paper and have certain things to tick off throughout the journey which is great because it kept my 4 year old busy.
Cons
- As I said my 1 year old did get board after a little while so for the under 2's I would recommend packing snacks etc.
- This would not be a day trip as the train ride itself lasts only 45 minutes the rest is really what you make of it. It would be a perfect afternoon or morning adventure.
As I said I above we had a ball and will definitely be back before the summer is out!
If you want to check out more about the Waterford Suir Valley Railway then head over to their Website or Facebook.
Until next time,
Lisa.
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