Caldecotte Miniature Railway is always a popular day out in Milton Keynes, I’ve heard so many great reviews, but I’ve only just got around to visiting. It’s a small miniature railway run by The Milton Keynes Model Engineering Society, with locomotive trains going around a small track near Caldecotte lake.
At the weekend we found ourselves with nothing to do and wanting to get out of the house with the kids for a bit when I spotted on Facebook that Caldecotte Miniature Railway was running that afternoon. Both our kids love trains, especially Ivy our 2-year-old so we knew they’d enjoy it, so off we went.
You don’t need to book beforehand, so you’re free to just turn up on the day, and it cost £4 for the four of us to go twice around the track. We arrived an hour after it opened and there wasn’t much a queue in front of us so we didn’t have to wait long until we boarded our train. You’re given little tickets for the train too which the kids loved, and the volunteers punch holes in them once you get on the train just like old steam trains which was cool.
We rode a train called Hagrid, which as a Harry Potter fan I enjoyed! It was lovely and bright blue and turns out he’d recently been repainted. All of the staff are volunteers and are really lovely, they made the experience really fun, and were fantastic with the kids.
How to Find it
You can find Caldecotte Miniature Railway at the back of the Windmill Pub, Lakeside Grove, Milton Keynes MK7 8HP – use the map below for directions.
There is a free car park, but it can get pretty busy!
Good to Know
- Caldecotte Miniature Railway is open every Sunday and bank holiday from the beginning of April until the end of October from 1 pm – 5 pm
- It costs £1 per person for two rides around the track. Children under 2 ride for free
- No need to book – you can just turn up on the day!
- During Halloween and Christmas, there are often special rides so keep an eye out!
I Enjoyed Caldecotte Miniature Railway, Where Can I Go Next?
After we visited Caldecotte Miniature Railway we crossed the carpark and visited the park next to the pub. It’s a nicely spread out park, with lots to do for different age ranges with climbing frames, slides, swings and rockers. There’s also the pub if you fancy grabbing some food or a drink. When we’ve visited there was an ice cream van outside so we grabbed a few ice creams and sat on the tables outside the pub.
You can always extend your visit with a walk around Caldecotte lake, which has a 3.5 mile route around, which takes around 90 minutes to complete. I’ve done this walk around the lake a few times, and it’s a lovely walk with lots of wildlife to see!
