Perrygrove Railway - A Toddler Explores

Earlier in the year I went to a blogger event, Traverse16, and was invited to spend the day at Perrygrove Railway* in the Forest of Dean. They have Toddler Days every Tuesday and are open weekends until the summer holidays when it is open everyday. We only have Bear in the week so we had to wait ages for a Tuesday to be free so we could visit. Here is our review Perrygrove Railway - A Toddler Explores. If you don't have a toddler then you are missing out. This was one of the best days out we have had.

Right from the beginning I knew we'd love it. From the car park you walk across the railway lines and you can see if the train is at the station.

The entrance is a short walk from the car park across the railway lines

The train is at the station! Wait for us!

The entrance takes you through a little cafe and like royalty the train was waiting for us. We had a buggy with us and thought that may be a problem with so many toddlers but no, we were helped into a carriage and I noticed a ramp at the side that would be used for wheelchairs.

We had our own carriage and soon we were off!

The friendly driver checks all is safe before we leave the station

Bear watching the driver check the doors are closed

Bear loved standing and looking out the window

The train goes slowly and the carriages are enclosed so great for toddler explorers. Bear loved it. He loved looking out the window, the horn of the diesel engine, just everything. We loved it too.

There are no restrictions on how many train journeys you take. There are four stations and you can hop on and off as you like. We decided we would stay on and do the whole journey in one go.

We passed an undercover playground and  picnic area, fields and woodland.

The undercover playground at Foxy Hollow from the train

Lovely views across the countryside

At the end of the line the engine leaves to go to the front of the train to take us back to Perrygrove Station

Jubilee- Our diesel train

Don't forget to bring a pen and join in the treasure hunt. We were given a board with a key attached and a question paper. I'm not going to spoil the fun but look out for clues along the way.

Bear helping with the treasure hunt and wearing the clip as a badge

Mmm Next clue is tricky!

Keep your eyes open for the clues!

Then we were back at Perrygrove Station and our next adventure began. The Treetop Adventure playground. It is suitable for buggies and wheel chairs but we left ours with Grandad on the ground.

I thought I wouldn't get Bear off the bouncy bridge. He ran back and forth for ages, it was only the slide that enticed him away. What a great slide, even I had a go.

The Treetop Adventure Playground has safe flooring and high fences

and lots of interesting windows to look through

and a woggly, bouncy bridge

back and forth....

bouncing and running.

The slide looking down

and looking up. Who's going first?

Whee! Bear looks worried but he really did enjoy it and wanted to go again

so we went together

Yeah! Happy Bear.

He couldn't resist having a look up the slide

We didn't explore the woods but there are woodland walks and places to build dens. There are lots of places to watch the train go by and wave. The woodland walks are not suitable for buggies and could be muddy in wet weather. We would have loved to explore but just ran out of time.

Hello

We decided to have a break before we went into the Indoor Village and find our treasure. Bear found the Wooden Railway in the cafe and I couldn't get him away. Eventually I persuaded him to sit on the little picnic table outside the door. A perfect size for a toddler.

We then went to explore the Indoor Village. This is where you will find your treasure and if you search secret passages that are toddler sized.

Grandad got stuck! Oh I laughed! Bear just ran around and had fun. It would be a perfect place to play on a cold or wet day.

This is where all the treasure boxes are. I'm not going to tell you how to find the treasure, we did it so I know you can too!

Is it up here?

or down here?

Out here?

In here?

Yes! We found it.

And the treasure? What was it? Not telling you!! Don't want to spoil the fun but Bear loved it.

We really enjoyed our visit. We spent three hours here and could have stayed longer as there was so much we didn't get to explore but Bear was tired and needed his nap so we headed home. We loved that it was designed for little ones. From the child sized picnic tables to the little stairs in the Indoor Village. We went on a warm, dry day but there is plenty to do undercover if it was raining. A great day out.

Booking isn't necessary, just turn up. It costs £7 per adult, children under 3 free and there are family tickets too. The treasure hunt costs £1.90 with a £5 deposit for the key.

Tuesdays are for toddlers so they do not have to share the fun with bigger children. They have birthday parties and weddings here too. Oh and Christmas!! We will definitely be back for that.

There is lots more information with up to date prices and opening times on the Perrygrove Railway website.

Across the road is Puzzlewood another great place for toddlers and where Star Wars was filmed. If you had lots of energy you could easily visit both in one day. Why not have a look at my review Puzzlewood In The Forest of Dean - A Toddler Explores?

There is so much to do in the area. A great resource is the Wye and Dean Tourism website it has lots of suggestions for everything you need for a great stay in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley.

*We were given complimentary entrance for the purpose of this review. All opinions are honest and our own.

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