Amerton Railway
WHERE
Stafford
What it’s like
Historic carriages haul you out to a picnic halt to watch trains, with Santa specials and teddy runs through the year.
The ride itself is the thing here: proper historic carriages pulled out to Chartley Halt, where you can get off, unpack a picnic and watch other trains come through before heading back. It's a slow, simple sort of afternoon rather than a white-knuckle one, and that seems to be the point. Alongside the ride there's a collection of industrial locomotives to have a look round, which will keep anyone mechanically minded occupied for a while.
The calendar's where it gets interesting. Teddy Days, a Halloween fancy dress ride and Santa Specials in winter all get a mention, so it's worth picking your visit around one of those if you want more than just the standard trip up the line. Santa brings presents scaled from babies right up to nine year olds and beyond, from what they list, so a family with a mixed-age set of kids isn't left out.
One genuinely useful bit: a ticket covers the whole compartment rather than each person. There's a wheelchair-accessible compartment too, though they ask you to book the other carriages first if you don't need it, which is a fair enough way to manage the numbers. Booking has to be done in advance, mind, they won't sell you a same-day ticket, so this isn't one for a spontaneous rainy Tuesday.
Parking is free all day in the Amerton Farm car park, and picnics are actively encouraged rather than tolerated, with the halt itself set up for exactly that. If you're relying on public transport, the D&G bus gets you as far as Stowe by Chartley, but then it's a twenty-minute walk along the A518, and it doesn't run on Sundays.
What’s on here
Facilities
Need to know
- Parking
- Free all day in Amerton Farm car park
- Picnics
- Bring picnics to Chartley Halt Picnic Area (included in ticket price)
- Getting there by bus or train
- D&G bus routes 841/841A to Stowe by Chartley (20 minute walk along A518)
- Booking closes at midnight the night before travel, so same-day tickets aren't possible
- A ticket covers the whole compartment, not each individual, which helps with toddlers and babies
- The bus route only runs Monday to Saturday and involves a 20 minute walk from the stop
- Book non-accessible compartments first if you don't need the wheelchair space, to leave it free for those who do
Plan your visit
Do we need to book a ticket for every child?
No, tickets cover the whole compartment rather than each person, so children don't need a separate ticket to the adults they're travelling with.
Can we book on the day we want to visit?
You can't. Booking closes at midnight the night before, so it needs sorting in advance.
Is there parking?
Free all day in the Amerton Farm car park.
Can we bring a picnic?
Bring one to Chartley Halt Picnic Area, it's included in the ticket price.
What if we're travelling with a wheelchair?
There's an accessible compartment that takes one wheelchair plus three adults on the bench. They ask that other compartments get booked first if you don't need the wheelchair space.
Is there anything for Halloween or Christmas?
There's a Halloween fancy dress train ride and Santa Specials in winter, with presents for children from babies up to nine and beyond.
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