Gwili Steam Railway, Carmarthen

The Gwili Steam railway is located near Carmarthen in Wales. It is a preserved railway running from Bronwydd along a section of the track that used to run to Aberystwyth. Although we visited the railway out of season, we visited on a special 1940's day, so I imagine that it was a little busier than usual. We had to park down the road in an overflow car park, which was a little bit of an inconvenience with baby, toddler and pushchair, but there was a complimentary period style bus to transport us, and the wait wasn't long. It is worth ringing before you visit to check the train that will be running that day. We had intended to visit earlier in the week, but found that the route was being run by a diesel train, so we rearranged in order to travel on the steam train. Also note that out of season the railway does not run everyday, so call or check the website for the timetable. The train runs as far as Danycoed Halt, where it stops briefly for the engine to turn around. There is a station, Llwyfan Cerrig, at the halfway point. On our journey it only stopped there briefly on the way out, but for half an hour on the way back. We only stayed there for the half hour, but we could have taken a later train back. At Llwyfan Cerrig there is a miniature railway and a Royal Mail post carriage to visit. As it was a special day there was also some 1940's style refreshments and entertainment which added some interest. Make sure to check the times of the trains running back from here, as there isn't a great deal to do if you've got little ones to entertain and you don't want to be stuck here for too long. We found that the train didn't follow the timetable too strictly, so check with the staff on the train or the platform. All the platforms were easily accessible by pushchair, although you will need to lift it onto the train itself, where there can be quite a gap. The carriages were divided up into small compartments which was a bonus when it came to feeding the baby! My only criticism would be that the journey was a little shorter than I expected, although for the price of the ticket you can ride the train as much as you like all day. It is an hour return trip, but that includes stops at the stations.

We visited Gwili steam railway after receiving a buy one get one free voucher that we had been given by the local tourist information centre which meant that entry was very reasonable. The parking for the railway was an absolute nightmare as it was so limited and involved multiple reversing to get into a space. This definately left us a bit stressed at the start of our visit. The railway was very charming, and had a lovely station with signal box. Services were pretty frequent and visitors had the option of paying a small extra charge to upgrade to first class. The carriages on the train were divided into seperate comfortable booths which was perfect for us as it meant that our ten month old did not disturb others with her Shenanigans. The journey itself was to Danycoed halt and is an hour long round trip so the journey is not as long as some of its counterparts. Visitors have the option of waiting at Danycoed Halt for half an hour and enjoying some food and drink while they wait. We brought our own packed lunch but you could buy food from the burger van. There was nothing else there apart from a little minature railway ride which was free for visitors to ride on and we quite enjoyed. There were no catering facilities on the train which was a little disappointing but there are special events where meals are served. There are also regular 'Days out with Thomas' events where children get to ride on Thomas the tank engine. Staff were very friendly throughout our visit and seemed to genuinely enjoy working on the railway. We did enjoy our time here but visitors should not expect a full day out when they visit here.