All Aboard

For a ride on the Mid Norfolk Railway, a standard guage preserved line running from Wymondham to Dereham.

A week or so ago M and I enjoyed another day trip with our local coach company. The itinerary was to board the train at Wymondham to Dereham, have lunch then by coach to Gooderstone Water Gardens finishing the day with complimentary coffee and cake. However........ engineering work on the line meant we had to do the trip the other way round.

Starting at Gooderstone we had coffee and delicious bakewell tart, before exploring the meandering paths around the ponds and the nature trails at this little gem. It's not as impressive as Leonardslee Gardens but still a very nice place.

Clever placing of craft stalls at the entrance to the tea room

Unfortunately it was a bit of a whistle stop trip because we had to be at Dereham in time for our inclusive lunch and be ready to depart at 2pm.

It's a lovely old station, just as I remember from my childhood

Lunch was a delicious quiche salad with gorgeous new potatoes followed by a scrumptious raspberry and cream sponge cake.

The lovely station master and ticket inspector.

The train should have been pulled by a steam engine but because of the risk of sparks landing on any of the very dry crops or hedgerows along the line it was changed to a diesel engine.

The destination should have been Wymondham but because of the engineering works we could only go as far as the tiny station at Thuxton where we had a look in the signal box.

I was hoping we would be in the old fashioned carriages but they were reserved for afternoon tea. They have dining days of afternoon tea, and the Breckland Fryer Fish & Chips Train. That's our kind of trip, shame we don't live closer!

∼ Be safe and well∼

Polly x