Disappointing experience
My family and I booked a day out with Bluebell Railway to enjoy a Train to be a Knight day. We are three adults and two children making the cost almost £100.00. We are a visiting family from South Africa with a real interest in the English history so thought this would be a wonderful way to experience a steam train and an immersive experience of medieval history. Firstly, the bluebell company emailed to say “due to the heat the steam engine was being replaced by a diesel engine” which was the first disappointment, especially coming from Africa where this heat is common so a foreign concept to cancel a train ride due to this. But we were thankful that it was going ahead. We got on the train at the advised time and arrived at Horsted Keynes to enjoy the medieval immersive experience. It was held in a field next to the station with little shade for the customers while the actors stood in the shade of their tents. We understood this as they were wearing the traditional clothing from that time so would have been very hot. There were no drinks or food to purchase despite being over lunchtime so we took the children back to the train station. We were told by the refreshments seller that the only hot food available is at Sheffield Park. We got back on the train and travelled to Sheffield Park. The restaurant had stopped selling hot food but had a variety of sandwiches on offer. We sat down and enjoyed our sandwiches. After 15 minutes we got up to take the train home only to be told that the last train had already left leaving us no option to take a taxi home - costing more money. My constructive criticism would be to ensure the communication given is clear to customers and is coherent between stations.
By Nikki P.