Reviewed March 2019
For the last 2 years, our Good Friday tradition has been to take our train mad Mini Mumbler on the Easter Eggspress at Kirklees Light Railway!
We’ve been back for our 3rd year to see the Easter bunny at Shelley Station, and again it hasn’t disappointed as a great family day out!!
For the first year in three, the weather was glorious and instead of thick coats and gloves it was sunscreen and t-shirts!! We boarded the midday steam train from Clayton West (just 20 mins from the centre of Wakefield) and as all seats and carriages are pre-allocated so there is not a fight to get on the train. It’s takes around 25 minutes to get to Shelley Station as you travel through beautiful countryside there are lots of cows, sheep and horses along the way to keep the little ones entertained!
As you pull into the station the excitement builds as the Easter bunny can be seen on the edge of the platform and the children run off the train to greet it! The first activity is the carrot hunt to feed the bunny and find the 3 golden eggs! All the children run around the play area trying to find the golden eggs. There are loads of carrots too, so not even the little toddlers are left out!! All the children get a prize, and there are dairy free options too! Next is the egg and spoon race; under 5’s, over 5’s and the most important … the parent race!! Unfortunately, it wasn’t the day for the Smith’s to win but we did enjoy the competition!! There is also story time, giant games, ride on Toby and a face painting station too. The activities run one after another and are finished before the next train arrives so there are not loads of people at Shelley which makes it really relaxing!
That’s not all there is to do! Back down at Clayton West there is the Easter Craft Carriage which was filled full of ribbons, stickers, bunnies. flowers, carrots, eggs, chicks, jewels …. the list goes on and on!! There were loads of items to decorate your own Easter bonnet and there were some amazing creations coming out of the carriage!! Mini Mumbler went for a carrot, ladybird and jewel theme!
After going on the Clayton Flyer around the duck pond we needed a snack. It was great to see loads of picnic benches, with parasols, for you to have your own picnic as well as a great cafe serving sandwiches, cakes, jacket potatoes and it also has a children’s menu.
As a parent, what I really like about this Easter day out is that the price includes everything! There are no extras and you don’t have to have that awkward conversation with your child when your spending limit is done for the day! Also, what you get for your money is really worthwhile due to the number of activities included in the price. This is why we highly recommend the Easter Eggspress as a great day out!!
The Easter Eggspress is running between Friday 19th April 2019 – Monday 22nd April 2019. Limited tickets are still available to buy here
I received a free adult & child ticket in return for writing an honest review, but I think the real proof in the pudding is that we have been to the Easter Eggspress for three years in a row!
