Santa Specials on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway runs Santa Specials on selected days from Saturday 28 November to Wednesday 23 December 2026; the railway's timetable shows 28 and 29 November and 5, 6 and 12 December, with later dates on its booking site. Every train is a steam train, pre-booked only, and for 2026 they all leave from Toddington station, which the railway says is new for 2026.

What happens

The train runs about 3 miles (5km) from Toddington to Winchcombe, 10 to 15 minutes each way, and Winchcombe station is dressed as the North Pole. You have about an hour and twenty minutes there before the train takes you back. Every child meets Santa in his grotto and takes home a gift, gets an activity book for the ride and, from 12 months old, a snack and a drink. Adults get a hot drink and a mince pie, with mulled wine on offer.

Check-in is in the morning, so arrive in good time: the railway's griddle is open for warm drinks and food, and the shop sells Christmas presents.

Tickets

Tickets have been on sale since 1 September and are sold only in advance on the railway's booking site, with a £1.50 booking fee; the railway warns that demand is always high. The trip is designed for children, and adults without a child are not admitted. Enter the month and year of birth for babies under 12 months when you book. A carer ticket costs £6 through the railway's office. Only assistance dogs and emotional support animals can travel.

Getting there and parking

Toddington station, GL54 5DT, is just off the roundabout at Toddington and has the railway's largest car park, free and level, with Blue Badge bays near the station building. On busy event days the railway may ask visitors to park in the grass field behind platform 2. It lies between Winchcombe and Broadway, the two ends of the line most visitors know.

Between Christmas and New Year the railway runs Festive Steam Specials, from 27 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, and on Friday 27 November and Friday 4 December it runs a shopping train to Broadway. For lunch after the trip, the Pheasant is a traditional inn in Toddington itself.