South Downs Light Railway
WHERE
Pulborough
What it’s like
A narrow-gauge train ride nearly a mile through garden centre grounds, with a tunnel and a deep cutting to spot along the way.
The train itself is the whole point here, a steam or diesel-hauled service that trundles nearly a mile through the grounds of a garden centre. It's not a huge circuit, but it packs in a tunnel and a fourteen-foot-deep cutting, which is the bit that'll get pointed at from the window on the way round.
There's no age range given, but the scale of it, a proper little railway rather than a full-size line, feels pitched at the sort of kids who still find a tunnel genuinely exciting rather than a bit tame. Bring your own picnic and use the picnic area on site, since there's nothing said about food being sold there. Parking is free, which takes one cost worry off the table even if the ride price itself isn't listed.
If you want to make a fuss of a birthday, you can book the whole train exclusively on a Saturday, running for up to an hour from 3:45pm, with the birthday child's name up on the engine's headboard. That's a nice touch for a child who wants to feel like the train is genuinely theirs for the afternoon, and you bring your own food to eat in the picnic area afterwards.
Come December there's a Christmas Experience with themed trains, which is worth factoring in if you're after something a bit more seasonal than the usual grotto queue. Otherwise it's a straightforward, unhurried sort of visit: a ride, a wander round the garden centre grounds, a picnic if the weather's playing along.
Facilities
Need to know
- Parking
- Free on-site car parking
- Picnics
- Bring your own picnic. Picnic area on site
- Getting there by bus or train
- Stagecoach Bus No 1 between Worthing and Midhurst passes garden centre
- Parties
- Exclusive steam or diesel-hauled train for up to an hour on Saturday starting 3:45pm
- Bring your own picnic, there's a picnic area but no food mentioned on site
- The birthday train booking is a Saturday-only slot starting 3:45pm
- You can get there on the Stagecoach No 1 bus between Worthing and Midhurst
- December brings a themed Christmas Experience train
Plan your visit
How long is the train ride?
It runs for nearly a mile through the garden centre grounds, passing through a tunnel and a deep cutting.
Is there anywhere to eat?
There's a picnic area on site, but you'll need to bring your own food.
Can we do a birthday party there?
You can book the whole train exclusively on a Saturday for up to an hour from 3:45pm, with the birthday child's name on the engine headboard.
Is there parking?
Yes, there's free on-site parking.
Is there anything special at Christmas?
A Christmas Experience runs in December with themed trains.
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