Dorset

Moors Valley Railyway 30th Birthday Gala

Last weekend we were invited to the 30th Birthday Gala for Moors Valley Railway.

It wasn’t until the event that I discovered that its origins went back to 1980 when Jim Haylock set up a miniature railway at Tucktonia Miniature Theme Park in Christchurch – somewhere I have very fond memories of visiting as a child.

The miniature railway then moved to the Old Kings Dairy Farm at Moors Valley five years later and opened to the public on 26th July 1986.

Moors Valley Country Park is somewhere we have visited regularly since my eldest children were small as there is so much to do for all ages and it remains a firm favourite with all the family.

Sebastian is train mad, so every visit we have to take a trip on the railway which is a recreation in miniature of a traditional British Railway complete with stations, locomotives, rolling stock, bridges, tunnel, signal boxes, carriage sheds and engineering workshops – in fact the Moors Valley Railway is the south’s longest, fully signalled narrow gauge 71/4 steam railway with the main ride being a mile long.

moors-valley-railway

For the Gala celebrations not only did we get taken on a very special loop of the Moors Valley Railway, but we got to look behind the scenes too.

moors-valley-railway

In its 30th Moors Valley Railway has carried over 3 million passengers, over 100,000 each year. A typical train consists of a barrier wagon, 11 coaches and a guards van and can carry around 65 passengers.

The workshop was fascinating as it is a true main line in miniature and has seen the construction of over 20 steam and two diesel locomotives, many of which were out on display.

moors-valley-railway

Of course the day wasn’t all about the trains as the kids were keen to explore the other things the park has to offer.

Moors Valley is somewhere I always recommend to visitors to Hampshire and Dorset as there is just so much to do with over 1000 acres to explore. There is forest trails (nature, play and story), kids parks, cycle tracks, an 18 hole golf course, fishing, the railway and picnic areas plus Go Ape, the award-winning tree-top adventure course with Tarzan swings, zip wires and Segways to try your hand at.

moors-valley

The Rangers also arrange over 300 special events throughout the year, ranging from nature walks, fishing lessons and off-road cycling to miniature railway events, art and photographic exhibitions and golf coaching. For children at the moment there is the Young Ranger challenge which involves 40 exciting challenges to complete and Joanne from CharlieMoos and her family have been busily ticking them off.

After burning some energy off in the park, we, and the CharlieMoos crew tried our hand at some Go Ape fun. Keep your eyes peeled for a post coming soon ………….

go-ape-moors-valley

Special events at Moors Valley coming up soon are:

6th November 2016 – Tank Engine Day

10th/11th and 17th/18th December – Santa Specials

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

 

Meeting the Tudors at Camp Bestival

Camp Bestival is known for hosting some fabulous events and in previous years we have seen knight’s jousting and cowboys doing some amazing tricks whilst riding their horses.

This summer, we were in for a treat with Henry VIII’s arrival at Camp Bestival from Hampton Court Palace with the unmissable Tudors on Tour.

Presented by independent charity Historic Royal Palaces, this ‘festival within a festival’ was a big hit with kids and adults alike, allowing us to step into a living Tudor world.

There was so much to do that we visited everyday to see the magnificence and splendour of the Tudor court through a spectacular mix of theatre, games, and live craft demonstrations.

the-tudors

I loved strutting my stuff in the height of 16th century fashion in the Tudor Costume Tent, although was secret relieved I didn’t have to wear it all day as it was rather warm. We also go to travel back to 1540 and meet Henry VIII in The King’s Pavilion, acting as we would have at that time – you must bow and never turn your back on the king, but he did answer Isaac’s cheeky questions with humour and a glint of mischief in his eye.

tudors

We also got to wield a deadly weapon and test our aim with a cross-bow and were able to see the skills of the master crafts-people and stonemasons who built and maintained palaces as magnificent as Hampton Court and the Tower of London and dipped our own candle to help bring light to the palace.

the-tudor-dance

My only disappointment with it was that we could see how the Tudors cooked their roast beef for the King in front of their roaring fire however we were not able to sample the meat due to the health and safety ruling.

Isaac now wants to go to Hampton Court Palace to see how the Tudors’s lived in the palace and I plan to do that very soon.

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