On the platform at Pickering this year, children will walk past a Naughty or Nice scanner before they even reach the carriage, and then a gingerbread puppet called Gingersnap joins the story on board. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway steams its Santa Express up Newtondale to Levisham and back four times a day on eleven dates in 2026, and fares are frozen at last year's level. If you are still comparing lines, our map of Santa trains across the UK sets this one beside the rest.
The short version
- Dates: 28 and 29 November, then 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 22, 23 and 24 December 2026 (no train on 21 December)
- Departures: 10.30am, 12 noon, 1.30pm and 3pm from Pickering, about an hour there and back
- Fares: from £29.50 per person on the November weekend, rising to £39.50 in the week before Christmas
- Booking: online only through the NYMR shop, with a £1.50 fee per booking
- Tip: the 3pm train on Saturday 28 November is a Relaxed Santa Express with softer sound and allocated seats
The NYMR Santa Express at a glance
- Railway
- North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- Departs from
- Pickering station, North Yorkshire (return trip to Levisham)
- 2026 dates
- Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November; Saturday 5, Sunday 6, Saturday 12, Sunday 13, Saturday 19, Sunday 20, Tuesday 22, Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 December 2026. No service on 21 December.
- Times
- 10.30am, 12 noon, 1.30pm and 3pm on every date. The 3pm on 28 November is the Relaxed Santa Express (be on the platform by 2.50pm).
- Duration
- About 1 hour return, Pickering to Levisham and back
- Fares
- Per person: 28 and 29 November £29.50; 5, 6, 12 and 13 December £34.50; 19, 20, 22, 23 and 24 December £39.50. Carer ticket £17.50. Booking fee £1.50 per booking. No age bands or free age are listed.
- Booking
- Online through the North Yorkshire Moors Railway booking shop. Wheelchair user tickets can be booked online. The NYMR shop had no Santa Express date marked as sold out on 4 November 2026.
- Checked
2027 ticket alert
Santa trains sell out fast
The best dates are often gone weeks before December. Leave your email and we will write once, the moment 2027 bookings open in Yorkshire and the Humber.
The train story to read before you boardRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a little corgi’s first train ride to see his grandparents, hand-painted in real watercolour. For ages 0 to 5.
From the Pickering platform fete to Levisham and back
Platform 1 at Pickering before you board
The Santa Express starts and finishes at Pickering, the market town at the southern end of the line. The railway has turned the platform into a small Christmas fete this year: there is a Naughty or Nice scanner for children to step through, traditional fete games, a post box for letters to Santa, a sing-along stage and a Christmas Emporium. The tearooms and gift shop sit on Platform 1, so a warm drink before departure is easy to find.
It is worth arriving with time to spare rather than at the last minute. Children who get to post their letter and try the scanner tend to board already in the mood, and a calm start makes the hour on the train feel much more special. The railway does not publish a recommended arrival time on the Santa page, so if you want to know when the platform activities open, ask the booking team.
Elves, songs and the Gingerbread Man on board
Elves welcome every family as you find your seats. The show this year is built around The Gingerbread Man, performed by Wise Owl Theatre Company, with songs, games and a brand new puppet character called Gingersnap. The railway describes the whole trip as a performance rather than a simple ride, so expect the carriage to come alive with music rather than quiet window gazing.
Outside, the train climbs out of Pickering into the North York Moors National Park, heading north through Newtondale towards Levisham. In late November and December the light is low and soft, and on the 3pm departures it will be nearly dark on the way back, which children often love because the carriage feels cosy against the black moor.
Santa's visit and the gift
Santa makes a personal visit to every family on board. Each child receives a 20cm gingerbread man plush, matching the story, and a festive book. The railway's July 2026 announcement confirmed the plush gift for this season, so you can safely tell younger children that a soft gingerbread friend is waiting for them.
After Santa moves on, the train makes its way back from Levisham to Pickering. The total trip is about an hour, which is a sensible length for toddlers and short enough that nobody gets restless before the end.
Keep a bag free for the gift, as a 20cm plush and a book are just big enough to be awkward for small hands on the walk back along the platform. Many families take a photo of the children holding their new gingerbread friend on the platform before heading back to the car.
The Relaxed Santa Express on 28 November
One departure has been set aside for families who find busy, loud events hard. The 3pm train on Saturday 28 November is the Relaxed Santa Express, with fewer guests, softer sound and lighting, allocated seating and a quiet waiting area in the Visitor Centre on Platform 2. Families receive an email before the visit explaining what will happen. You need to be on the platform by 2.50pm for this train.
Which Santa Express date and time suits your children
Babies and toddlers on the moors Santa Express
With a baby, the 10.30am or 12 noon train is usually kindest, because it fits around a late-morning nap and you are home before the early December darkness. The NYMR page does not list a free age or a lap fare, and it shows one per-person price, so ask the booking team before you book whether a babe in arms needs a ticket and whether a seat is allocated for them.
For toddlers who are walking, think about the platform as much as the train. The fete games, the scanner and the post box are at child height and happen before you board, so a toddler who has had a run around on the platform is far more likely to sit happily through the show. On the busiest December weekends, an earlier train may mean a quieter platform.
Preschoolers and the Gingerbread Man
This is the age the Gingerbread Man story suits best. The tale is familiar, the plush is cuddly and the hour on board is short. The 12 noon and 1.30pm departures give time for the platform games before you leave. If your child is unsettled by noise or crowds, the Relaxed Santa Express at 3pm on 28 November is designed for exactly that, and it also happens to fall on the cheapest weekend.
Older children on the moors Santa Express
Children of seven or eight who are starting to question Santa often enjoy the 3pm departure most, as the return run in the dusk feels like a proper adventure. They will also get more out of the steam locomotive itself, so stand on the platform at Pickering to watch it arrive.
If you have a mix of ages, pick the departure for the youngest and let the older ones take charge of the letter to Santa and the photographs. A ten-year-old who is given the job of spotting the locomotive number or timing the run to Levisham will usually forget to be too old for the whole thing.
Budget and weather on the moors Santa Express
Fares rise in three steps: £29.50 per person on 28 and 29 November, £34.50 on the first two December weekends and £39.50 from 19 December. A family of four saves £40 by choosing the opening weekend over Christmas week, before the £1.50 booking fee. Most of the trip is spent inside the train, but the platform fete at Pickering is outdoors, so on a wet or frosty day you will want hats and waterproofs for the time before departure.
George Stephenson's horse railway that became the moors steam line
The line your Santa Express runs on is one of the oldest in the country. George Stephenson planned the Whitby and Pickering Railway in 1831 to open up trade routes inland from the port of Whitby, and it opened in 1836, built for horse-drawn carriages rather than locomotives. In its first year it carried 6,000 passengers.
In 1845 the York and North Midland Railway took over and re-engineered the route for steam. One section, the Beck Hole incline, proved too steep for steam locomotives, so a new route was opened in 1865, and that deviation is still the one trains use today.
The line was listed for closure in the Beeching cuts. The last passenger train ran on 6 March 1965 and freight carried on until July 1966. Local people refused to let it go: the NYMR Preservation Society was formed in 1967, and in 1972 it became The North York Moors Historical Railway Trust Ltd, the charity that still owns the railway. Trains ran again in 1973, and Pickering was officially reopened in 1975.
Since then the railway has kept growing. Newton Dale Halt opened to the public in 1981, and from 2007 regular services began running through to Whitby over Network Rail tracks. The heritage railway itself is 18 miles long, or 24 miles when extended to Whitby, with six stations including Whitby. Levisham, the turning point for the Santa Express, is a small countryside station in the Newton Dale valley, nearly two miles from the village it is named after.
Today the trust's subsidiary, North Yorkshire Moors Railway Enterprises plc, runs the trains. In 2020 it had 100 full-time staff, 50 seasonal staff and more than 550 volunteers. Around 355,000 passengers travelled in 2010 and nearly 350,000 in 2014, a long way from those 6,000 riders of 1836.
- 1831George Stephenson plans the Whitby and Pickering Railway
- 1836The line opens with horse-drawn carriages and carries 6,000 passengers in its first year
- 1845The York and North Midland Railway takes over and converts the line for steam
- 1865A new route avoids the Beck Hole incline; trains still use it today
- 1965The last passenger train runs on 6 March, with freight ending in July 1966
- 1967The NYMR Preservation Society is formed
- 1973Trains run again under the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust
- 1975Pickering station is officially reopened
- 2007Regular services begin running through to Whitby
A sentence for a six-year-old: long, long ago horses pulled the first carriages along this line, then steam engines took over, and when the trains were nearly taken away for good, kind people saved them so Santa could ride here today.
Pickering, York and the moors in December
Pickering is a small market town, so the easiest plan is to make the train the centre of the day and add something gentle around it. The station tearooms on Platform 1 cover lunch or a hot chocolate, and the town's streets are a short walk from the platform.
Many families staying further afield combine the trip with York, about 50 minutes' drive away. York's St Nicholas Fair Christmas market is listed for 12 November to 21 December 2026 by the parking guide JustPark, closing on Tuesdays; check the city's own listings before you travel, as we have not seen the council's 2026 page. Scarborough, about 35 minutes from Pickering, gives you a seaside walk on a bright winter morning before an afternoon train.
Darkness comes early on the moors in December, so if you are combining the train with York or the coast, put the drive and the outdoor stop in daylight and save the 1.30pm or 3pm train for the afternoon. The tearooms at Pickering are a good place to wait if you arrive early, and the Christmas Emporium on the platform is handy for a small stocking filler.
If the moors have caught your children's imagination, the railway itself is a destination in quieter months too, with the line running on through Goathland and Grosmont towards Whitby outside the Santa season. For more festive ideas in the region, have a look at Christmas days out with kids around Leeds, which covers the wider Yorkshire picture.
Families who want a second Santa trip in the north could look at the Elf Explorer on the Worth Valley line near Haworth, or head north to the Tanfield Railway Santa trains in County Durham, both within a long morning's drive.
Practical notes for a Santa Express morning in Pickering
Pushchairs at Pickering
The Santa page does not say whether pushchairs can be taken on board or stored at the station. Ask the NYMR booking team whether a folded buggy is allowed in the carriage and whether there is somewhere to leave it on the platform, and if in doubt bring a baby carrier.
The platform fete takes up space on Platform 1, so even if buggies are allowed at the station, a carrier makes it easier to move around the games and the sing-along stage with a baby.
Toilets and food on the moors Santa Express
The tearooms and gift shop are on Platform 1 at Pickering, which is the obvious place for a drink and a snack before boarding. The page does not mention toilets on the train itself, so use the station facilities before the 10.30am, 12 noon, 1.30pm or 3pm departure, and ask the railway if you need to know about changing facilities.
Heating and clothing on the moors Santa Express
The Santa page does not describe the carriage heating. Heritage carriages can feel cool near the doors, so dress children in layers they can take off once the show starts, and keep coats handy for the outdoor platform fete.
Reaching Pickering by car or bus
Pickering is about 50 minutes' drive from York and about 35 minutes from Scarborough. The Santa page we checked does not set out parking arrangements for the season, so ask the railway where to park and whether you need to pay, especially on the busy December weekends.
If you are coming from York by public transport, check bus connections to Pickering before relying on them for an early train; the Santa page does not give public transport advice.
Tickets and access
Tickets are sold online with a £1.50 fee per booking. Fares are per person and no free age is listed, so confirm the rule for babies before you pay. A carer ticket costs £17.50, and wheelchair user tickets can be booked online. Ambassador and Patron members of the railway have their own booking link.
For the Relaxed Santa Express, the pre-visit email explains the plan for the day, which helps children who like to know what is coming. If a child in your group would benefit from that departure, book early, as the railway describes it as having fewer guests and it is a single train.
Weather on the moors
The North York Moors can be noticeably colder and windier than York or the coast. Frost and fog are common in December, so check the forecast on the morning and allow extra time on the moorland roads.
The railway's terms on cancellation and changes are not set out on the Santa page we checked, so if snow or ice could stop you travelling across the moors, ask the booking team before you pay what happens to tickets in bad weather.
What to bring for the Santa Express from Pickering
A short list for a moorland Santa trip with a show on board and a fete on the platform.
- A letter to Santa, ready for the post box on the platform
- Warm hats and gloves for the outdoor fete games
- Layers that come off easily once the carriage warms up
- A small bag to carry the gingerbread plush and festive book home
- Snacks and drinks for the drive across the moors
- A phone or camera with space for Santa's visit
- A baby carrier, until the railway confirms its pushchair rule
- A torch for the walk back to the car after the 3pm train
The Pickering Santa Express in numbers
- 1836: the year the Whitby and Pickering Railway opened
- 18 miles: length of the heritage railway, or 24 miles through to Whitby
- 11: Santa Express dates in 2026
- 4: departures on every date, from 10.30am to 3pm
- About 1 hour: the return trip from Pickering to Levisham
- 20cm: the size of each child's gingerbread man plush
- 550+: volunteers helping run the railway (2020 figure)
Driving to Pickering from York, Scarborough and Leeds
Allow about 50 minutes from York, about 35 minutes from Scarborough and about 1 hour 30 minutes from Leeds, without traffic. Moorland and market town roads can be slow on December weekends.
| From | Drive time (approx.) |
|---|---|
| York | about 50 minutes |
| Scarborough | about 35 minutes |
| Leeds | about 1 hour 30 minutes |
More Santa trains in the north of England
These are the closest other Santa trains to Pickering in our guide.
- Worth Valley Elf Explorer from Oxenhope Oxenhope, Yorkshire and the Humber
- Tanfield Railway Santa trips near Gateshead Stanley, North East England
- Weardale Railway Christmas trains from Stanhope Stanhope, North East England
More for Christmas train families
NYMR Santa Express: questions from parents
When does the NYMR Santa Express run in 2026, and at what times?
It runs on 28 and 29 November and on 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 22, 23 and 24 December 2026, with no train on 21 December. Every date has departures from Pickering at 10.30am, 12 noon, 1.30pm and 3pm.
Can we bring the dog on the NYMR Santa Express?
The Santa Express page does not give a dog policy, so ask the North Yorkshire Moors Railway before you plan to bring one.
How much does the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Santa Express cost?
Fares are £29.50 per person on 28 and 29 November, £34.50 on 5, 6, 12 and 13 December, and £39.50 from 19 to 24 December. A £1.50 booking fee applies per booking, and prices are frozen at 2025 levels.
How do I book the Pickering Santa train?
Tickets are sold online through the North Yorkshire Moors Railway booking shop. Wheelchair user tickets can also be booked online.
Do babies need a ticket for the NYMR Santa Express?
The railway lists one per-person fare and does not publish a free age or lap fare. Ask the booking team before you book whether a baby needs a ticket.
How long is the Santa Express from Pickering?
The trip from Pickering to Levisham and back takes about an hour.
Where does the NYMR Santa Express depart from?
It departs from Pickering station and returns there after turning at Levisham. The railway's Santa page does not set out parking for the season, so check with the railway.
Can I take a pushchair on the Santa Express at Pickering?
Buggies are not mentioned on the NYMR Santa page. Ask the railway whether folded buggies are allowed on board or can be left on the platform.
Are there toilets at Pickering station for the Santa Express?
Pickering has tearooms and a gift shop on Platform 1. The Santa page does not mention toilets on the train, so ask the railway if you need details.
Is the NYMR Santa Express train heated?
The Santa page does not describe the heating. Dress children in layers and ask the railway if you need certainty.
Does every child see Santa on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway?
Yes. Santa makes a personal visit to every family on board.
What present do children get on the NYMR Santa Express?
Every child receives a 20cm gingerbread man plush and a festive book.
Which Santa Express departure from Pickering is best with a baby?
The 10.30am or 12 noon train usually fits best around naps and gets you home before dark.
Is there a relaxed or sensory-friendly Santa train at Pickering?
Yes. The 3pm train on 28 November is the Relaxed Santa Express, with fewer guests, softer sound and lighting, allocated seats and a quiet waiting area. Be on the platform by 2.50pm.
What is the weather like for the Santa Express on the North York Moors?
December on the moors is often colder and windier than in York, with frost or fog. The platform activities are outdoors, so bring hats and waterproofs.
How old is the railway the NYMR Santa Express runs on?
The Whitby and Pickering Railway opened in 1836, planned by George Stephenson, and was first worked by horses.
When was the North Yorkshire Moors Railway saved?
The line closed to passengers in 1965. A preservation society formed in 1967 and trains ran again in 1973.
What can we do near Pickering after the Santa Express?
The station tearooms are handy for lunch, and York and Scarborough are both within an hour's drive for a longer day out.
Is there a Christmas market near Pickering in 2026?
York's St Nicholas Fair is listed for 12 November to 21 December 2026 by JustPark, closed on Tuesdays. Check York's official listings before travelling.
Are there other Santa trains near York and Leeds besides the NYMR?
Yes. Our UK Santa trains hub lists them, including the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Elf Explorer from Oxenhope and the Tanfield Railway in County Durham.
2027 ticket alert
Santa trains sell out fast
The best dates are often gone weeks before December. Leave your email and we will write once, the moment 2027 bookings open in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Sources
- North Yorkshire Moors Railway: official page (nymr.co.uk) (opens in a new tab)
- North Yorkshire Moors Railway: official page (nymr.co.uk) (opens in a new tab)
- North Yorkshire Moors Railway (Wikipedia) (opens in a new tab)
- UK Christmas markets 2026 (JustPark) (opens in a new tab)
Checked on the railway’s official pages on 4 November 2026. This train is run by North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Rally Takes the Train is a children’s picture book; we are not partners with or affiliated to the railway. Book only on the official site and check dates and fares before you travel.
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