Wensleydale Railway: Yorkshire Dales heritage railway to host mince pie train services between Christmas and New Year

Wensleydale Railway will bring back its Mince Pie Specials train services over Christmas and New Year.

The visiting Black Five steam locomotive No. 45212 will be operating two days of steam services between Leeming Bar and Leyburn on December 28 and 29, 2024.

On December 30, 2024, the railway will operate a heritage diesel service, using its newly bought class 47 locomotive (47714). This will be the first time that the locomotive has operated a public service on the railway, since its arrival in November.

The festive journey between Leeming Bar, Bedale and Leyburn will include a complimentary mince pie and hot drink served on board and there will be an option of three trips per day to choose from. You will have the choice to depart from either Leeming Bar, Bedale or Leyburn stations, with a request stop at Finghall station.

The Leeming Bar train will depart from 10am, 12.20pm and 2.40pm.

The Bedale train will depart from 10.10am, 12.30pm and 2.50pm.

The Leyburn train will depart from 11.20am, 1.40pm and 4pm.

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All tickets are Rovers, so you can travel on any service from any station on the day. The railway’s cafes and shops will be open at Bedale and Leyburn and will serve a selection of hot and cold refreshments.

Unfortunately, there will be no cafe facilities available at Leeming Bar as the station will be set up for Polar Express.

For customers who are travelling by car, there is no car parking available at Leeming Bar station or on the street outside. There is, however, very limited parking available at the former Vale of Mowbray factory overflow carpark, located immediately behind the factory site at Low Street, off Leases Road. You can also board trains at Bedale station (DL8 1AW) where there is plenty of parking available in the town centre.

The return ticket price is £25 for adults and £5 for children (aged 3 to 15). Booking is crucial to avoid disappointment.

All passengers will be served a complimentary individually wrapped mince pie and a hot beverage (tea, coffee or hot chocolate) and there will also be an option of a gluten free mince pie or a flapjack, and children can receive a Fruit Shoot or water.