There is something about a steam train that stops you in your tracks, the whistle, the hiss, the smell of it, and we are lucky to have one of the very best just up the road. The Severn Valley Railway runs through some of the loveliest river country in Worcestershire, and it is under half an hour from our gates. It’s a proper old-fashioned day out. The sort of thing you forget you can still do.
We send a lot of guests off in that direction, and they come back full of it.
The ride through the Worcestershire countryside
The Severn Valley Railway is an award winning heritage line, and it runs sixteen miles between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth, following the River Severn most of the way. The engines are beautifully restored, and so are the stations, so you feel like you have stepped back a good few decades the minute you climb aboard. You settle into your carriage, the whistle goes, and off you go along the river, the countryside rolling past the window.
It’s different, isn’t it? Most days you are behind a wheel or staring at a screen, and here you are just sitting back, watching the water and the woods go by, letting somebody else do the driving. That is half the joy of it. You do not have to do a thing.
Stops along the line, Bewdley especially
Part of the fun is that you can hop off along the way. The Engine House visitor centre sits along the line, and it tells the story of the railway, the engines and the people who keep it all going, which is lovely if you want to understand a bit more about what you are riding on.
And then there is Bewdley, a lovely stop along the line, right on the river, and well worth breaking your journey for. We will save the full tour of Bewdley for another day, but it is one of those places that rewards a wander. You will see why people fall for it.
Whether you go for the whole run or just potter between a couple of stops, it suits couples and families alike, which is not something we can say about every day out.
Planning your day from Ockeridge
Because we are so close, the railway makes an easy day from here. You can have a slow morning in the hut, a soak in the copper bath, a proper breakfast, and still be trackside in good time. The Severn Valley Railway in Worcestershire sits neatly with everything else around us, the woods, the river, the Malvern Hills you can see from the gates, so you can build a whole few days out of it without going far at all.
If you are bringing little ones, the Montana is the one for you, our only family retreat, with a king size master, a bunk room and its own outdoor bath. A day on the steam train and a night in the cabin go together beautifully, the children worn out and happy, you two with a bit of peace once they are down. That is a good day in anyone’s book.
We do not do timetables or fares here, those change and the railway keeps them right up to date on their own site, so have a look there before you set off and you will have everything you need.
It is one of those simple pleasures that people forget about, and simple is what we are all about here. A steam train, a river, a slow day, then back to the hut. Come and wake up here, spend a day on the rails, and let us spoil you a little. Book your stay with us and we will point you to the best of it.
