Few Santa trains in Britain offer a 4pm departure, but on its busiest December dates the West Somerset Railway sends one out of Bishops Lydeard into the dusk along the Quantock Hills, and the railway suggests bringing a torch for the walk back to the car. Santa visits your table on board, and every child gets a gift. Find more ideas in our Santa train guide for the whole of Britain.
The short version
- Dates: 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 23 and 24 December from Bishops Lydeard, plus 28 November from Minehead
- Departures at 10.30am or 11am and 1.30pm or 2pm, with an extra 4pm train on 19, 20 and 23 December
- From £29.50 per adult or child aged 1 and over; under-ones £10 with a gift; carers travel free
- Booking: advance only, paid in full, no amendments; arrive 45 minutes before departure
- Tip: no pushchairs on the train, and the car park has a 2.1 m height barrier
The WSR Santa Express at a glance
- Railway
- West Somerset Railway
- Departs from
- Bishops Lydeard station, Somerset TA4 3RU (train runs towards Williton). One departure from Minehead on 28 November.
- 2026 dates
- From Bishops Lydeard: Saturday 5, Sunday 6, Saturday 12, Sunday 13, Saturday 19, Sunday 20, Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 December 2026. From Minehead: Saturday 28 November 2026.
- Times
- Bishops Lydeard: 5, 6 and 12 December at 11am and 2pm; 13 December at 10.30am and 1.30pm; 19, 20 and 23 December at 10.30am, 1.30pm and 4pm; 24 December at 10.30am and 1.30pm. Minehead: 28 November at 1pm.
- Fares
- Bishops Lydeard: adults and children aged 1 and over £29.50 (5 to 13 December), £31.00 (19 to 23 December), £32.50 (24 December); under 1 £10.00 including a gift; carer free (seat only); wheelchair space £29.50. The operator's age-band table shows £29.50 for all dates, while its date table shows the higher December prices. Minehead prices are on the booking link only.
- Booking
- Advance booking only, paid in full. Tickets are non-transferable, cannot be amended and are refunded only if the service is cancelled. Add a note at checkout if you want to sit with another booking. Phone: 01643 704996.
- 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 South West England.
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.
Check-in in the marquee, Santa at your table
Arriving at Bishops Lydeard
Almost all the Santa Express trains start from Bishops Lydeard, the southern end of the West Somerset Railway near Taunton, postcode TA4 3RU. The railway asks families to arrive 45 minutes before departure, which is longer than many Santa trains, and there is good reason: the car park fills up, overflow parking is on the approach road, and check-in happens in a marquee before you head for the platform.
If you drive a tall vehicle, note that the car park has a height barrier of 2.1 m, which rules out many campervans and some vans with roof boxes. The toilets are by the car park, so use them after check-in rather than waiting until the train is about to leave.
The 45 minutes can feel long with small children, so treat it as part of the outing: have snacks ready, let the children watch the engine being prepared if it is in view, and keep the gloves on until you are seated. Families who arrive late risk a long walk from the overflow parking on the approach road.
Departure times
The timetable changes through the season. On 5, 6 and 12 December trains leave at 11am and 2pm. On 13 December and on Christmas Eve they leave at 10.30am and 1.30pm. On the three busiest dates, 19, 20 and 23 December, there is a third train at 4pm. One extra Santa Express also runs from the other end of the line, leaving Minehead at 1pm on Saturday 28 November, with its prices shown only on the booking link.
The railway does not state how long the journey takes, so if timing matters for naps or a long drive home, ask when you book. Because the afternoon trains on most dates leave at 1.30pm or 2pm, lunch before boarding is the simplest plan for families on those departures.
Through the Quantock Hills with Santa
The train runs from Bishops Lydeard towards Williton in decorated heritage carriages through the Quantock Hills. Festive refreshments are served at your table, and Santa visits during the journey, handing every child a gift. If you have more than one booking in your group, for example grandparents booking separately, add a note at checkout asking to sit together, as the railway suggests.
Goodie bags and hot chocolate can be pre-booked as extras, which is worth doing if you want the children to have something to open before Santa arrives. Families in the east of the county might prefer the 30-minute ride on the East Somerset Railway's South Pole trains, about an hour's drive away.
The late train
The 4pm departure on 19, 20 and 23 December runs into the December dusk, and the railway recommends bringing a torch for the later trains. For children old enough to stay up, the dark adds a lot of atmosphere, with the lights of the decorated carriages glowing as you return to Bishops Lydeard.
Which Santa Express suits your family
With a baby on the Quantock Santa Express
Under-ones pay £10 and get a gift from Santa, which makes the Santa Express good value for younger siblings. Pushchairs are not allowed on the train, so bring a sling. The morning departures, at 10.30am or 11am depending on the date, are usually easiest for babies, and arriving 45 minutes early gives you time for a feed before boarding. With table seating rather than rows, there is also somewhere to put down a bottle or a change bag once you are aboard, which makes the trip calmer with a baby than many families expect.
Preschoolers at a Quantock table
Choose a train that fits around nap time. The afternoon departures, at 1.30pm or 2pm, work well for children who nap in the morning or can sleep in the car on the way. If your child is wary of new faces, sitting at your own table with refreshments to focus on helps them settle before Santa comes by. Pre-booking a goodie bag gives preschoolers something to explore while they wait, and it can take the edge off the excitement of the first steam whistle.
Older children on the Quantock Santa Express
The 4pm train on 19, 20 and 23 December is the one to pick for school-age children: they are wide awake, the ride ends in the dark and it feels like a proper Christmas outing. Christmas Eve has only morning and early-afternoon trains, at 10.30am and 1.30pm. If you want the late train and the cheapest fares at once, that combination does not exist: the 4pm departures fall only in the higher-priced week of 19 to 23 December.
Budget and timing on the Quantock Santa Express
The cheapest dates are 5 to 13 December at £29.50 per adult or child aged 1 and over. On the railway's date table, 19 to 23 December costs £31.00 and Christmas Eve £32.50, although its age-band table shows £29.50 throughout. Check the price shown in the basket for your date before paying. Carers travel free (seat only), and a wheelchair space costs £29.50.
Remember that tickets cannot be changed or refunded unless the railway cancels the service, so choose a date you are sure of. If the forecast looks wet, the train is still a cosy option as you are seated at a table throughout, but bring waterproofs for the walk between the car park, marquee and platform.
Britain's longest independent heritage line, from 1862 to now
The West Somerset Railway grew in two stages. The first section, from Watchet Junction to Watchet, opened to passengers on 31 March 1862. The extension on to Minehead opened on 16 July 1874, twelve years later, finally bringing trains to the coast at the far end of today's line. Like the East Somerset line, it was not built to today's gauge at first; it was converted to standard gauge (4 ft 8½ in) in 1882.
British Rail closed it, and the last train left Minehead on 2 January 1971. Somerset County Council then bought the line in 1973, which is why some sources give 1973 as the closure date.
The heritage railway reopened in stages from the coast inland. Trains ran again between Minehead and Blue Anchor on 28 March 1976 and reached Williton on 28 August the same year. Bishops Lydeard, where your Santa Express starts, followed on 9 June 1979.
- 1862The line opens from Watchet Junction to Watchet on 31 March
- 1874The extension to Minehead opens on 16 July
- 1882The railway is converted to standard gauge
- 1971The last British Rail train leaves Minehead on 2 January
- 1973Somerset County Council buys the line
- 1976Heritage trains run from Minehead to Blue Anchor on 28 March and reach Williton on 28 August
- 1979Trains reach Bishops Lydeard on 9 June
Today the railway is about 22.75 miles (36.6 km) long and is described as the longest standard-gauge independent heritage railway in the United Kingdom. Between Williton and Stogumber it climbs onto the side of the Quantock Hills, which is why the Santa Express route from Bishops Lydeard is so scenic even in winter.
For children, the size of the line is the fun part. At 22.75 miles, the full railway is roughly twice the length of the Bluebell or the Kent & East Sussex lines in our guide, and your Santa Express from Bishops Lydeard only covers part of it, heading towards Williton rather than all the way to the sea at Minehead. The reopening story also runs backwards compared with many heritage lines: volunteers started at the seaside end in 1976 and worked inland, reaching Bishops Lydeard last of all in 1979.
A version for a six-year-old: this railway once took families to the seaside, and when the big trains stopped, kind volunteers brought the steam engines back, so now Santa can ride all the way through the hills to see you.
Around Taunton and the Quantocks in December
Bishops Lydeard is a village at the foot of the Quantock Hills, about 15 minutes' drive from Taunton, which is the obvious place for lunch, shopping or a playground stop before or after the train. Bristol is about an hour away by car. Families coming down the M5 can easily make a full day of it, with the Santa Express in the morning and an afternoon in Taunton, or an early lunch in town before a 1.30pm or 2pm train.
The West Somerset Railway lists its own festive events alongside the Santa Express. At the other end of the line, Minehead station hosts a Christmas Market and Carol Train on 5, 12 and 19 December 2026, according to the railway's events listing. Those dates coincide with Santa Express days from Bishops Lydeard, but the two ends of the line are a long way apart, so treat the market as a separate outing or a coastal day with older children. Check the railway's events page for times and whether you need to book.
Closer to Bishops Lydeard, the Quantock Hills themselves are the local attraction. On a dry December day, a short walk before an afternoon train lets children burn off energy, and the views from the hills echo what you see from the carriage window. Taunton, meanwhile, has the town centre facilities that a village station cannot offer, so it is the natural place to stop if you need nappies, a café or a rainy-day backup.
We have not found a Christmas market in Taunton or Bishops Lydeard with confirmed 2026 dates, so we are not listing one here. For families coming from the city, our Bristol page of festive outings with children gathers events and days out.
If you fancy a second steam railway in the holidays, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's Santa trains from Toddington are a couple of hours' drive north, with a grotto at Winchcombe.
Bishops Lydeard Santa Express notes for parents
No pushchairs on board
Buggies and pushchairs are not allowed on the train. Bring a sling or carrier for babies, and be ready to carry tired toddlers between the car park, the marquee and the platform. Ask the railway where you can leave a pushchair if you need one in the car park.
Seating together
Seats are at tables. If your family is booking in more than one transaction, or travelling with friends, use the checkout note to ask to sit together. The railway invites this, but it cannot be added after booking because tickets cannot be amended.
Parking and arrival at Bishops Lydeard
The station is at Bishops Lydeard, TA4 3RU. The car park has a 2.1 m height barrier and fills up on Santa days, with overflow parking along the approach road. Arrive 45 minutes before departure to park, check in at the marquee and use the toilets, which are next to the car park.
Wheelchairs and carers
Each Santa Express has four wheelchair spaces, bookable online, at £29.50 each. Carers travel free on a seat-only ticket. Book early if you need a wheelchair space, as there are only four per train.
Tickets and refunds at Bishops Lydeard
Tickets must be booked and paid for in advance. They are non-transferable, cannot be amended and are only refunded if the railway cancels the service. If you need to sit with another family who booked separately, add a note at checkout.
Heating and clothing on the Quantock Santa Express
The page does not describe carriage heating. Dress children in layers, with coats for the outdoor check-in and the walk to the train. For the 4pm trains, bring a torch, as the railway recommends. December evenings in the Quantocks can be cold, so pack hats and gloves even if the morning felt mild.
Food and extras
Festive refreshments are served at your table. Goodie bags and hot chocolate can be pre-booked. If your children have allergies, ask the railway what the refreshments contain before you travel.
Journey length
The railway does not say how long the Santa Express takes. Ask when booking if you need to plan around naps, feeds or a long drive home afterwards.
Dogs on the Quantock Santa Express
Only assistance dogs are allowed on the Santa Express, so leave the family dog at home or arrange a sitter for the day.
Who to call
For anything not covered on the Santa Express page, such as journey length, heating or allergy information, call the West Somerset Railway on 01643 704996 before you book. Because tickets cannot be changed later, it is better to ask first.
What to take on the Quantock Hills Santa train
With no pushchairs, an outdoor check-in and possible dusk departures, this list is about carrying less and staying warm.
- A sling or baby carrier, as pushchairs cannot board
- A torch, especially for the 4pm trains
- Waterproof coats for the marquee and platform walk
- Your booking confirmation and any checkout note about seating
- A small bag for the gift from Santa and any goodie bags
- Wipes and spare clothes for little ones at the table
- Snacks for the 45-minute wait before departure
- Your vehicle height, written down, before you drive in under the 2.1 m barrier
- Gloves and hats for the dusk run on 19, 20 and 23 December
The West Somerset Santa Express in figures
- 9 Santa Express dates in 2026, including one from Minehead
- 3 departures on 19, 20 and 23 December, the last at 4pm
- 45 minutes: how early the railway asks you to arrive
- 4 wheelchair spaces on every train
- 2.1 m: the car park height barrier at Bishops Lydeard
- 22.75 miles (36.6 km): the full length of the railway
- 1862: the year the first section opened, to Watchet
- 1979: the year heritage trains returned to Bishops Lydeard
Getting to Bishops Lydeard from Taunton and Bristol
Bishops Lydeard station is just outside Taunton; drive times below are approximate without traffic, and you should add the 45 minutes the railway asks you to arrive early.
| From | Drive time (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Taunton | about 15 minutes |
| Bristol | about 1 hour |
Other Santa steam trains in the South West
These are the nearest alternatives in our UK guide if the Santa Express dates do not work.
- East Somerset Railway Santa trains to the South Pole Cranmore, South West England
- Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Santa Express at Toddington Toddington, South West England
- Father Christmas Express from Ropley in Hampshire Ropley, South East England
More for Christmas train families
West Somerset Railway Santa Express: questions from parents
When does the West Somerset Railway Santa Express run in 2026?
From Bishops Lydeard on 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 23 and 24 December 2026, and from Minehead on Saturday 28 November at 1pm.
How much is the Santa Express from Bishops Lydeard?
Adults and children aged 1 and over pay £29.50 from 5 to 13 December, £31.00 from 19 to 23 December and £32.50 on Christmas Eve. Under-ones pay £10 including a gift.
How do I book the West Somerset Railway Santa Express?
Book online in advance through the railway's Santa Express page. Tickets are paid in full at booking.
Can I change or refund West Somerset Railway Santa Express tickets?
No. Tickets are non-transferable, cannot be amended and are refunded only if the railway cancels the service.
Do babies go free on the West Somerset Santa Express?
No. Babies under one pay £10, which includes a gift from Santa.
How long is the Bishops Lydeard Santa Express?
The railway does not state the journey time. Ask when you book if you need to plan around naps or travel.
Where does the West Somerset Santa Express leave from?
Most trains leave Bishops Lydeard station, TA4 3RU, near Taunton. One departure leaves Minehead on 28 November.
Is there parking at Bishops Lydeard for the Santa Express?
Yes, but it fills up and has a 2.1 m height barrier. Overflow parking is on the approach road, so arrive 45 minutes early.
Can I take a pushchair on the West Somerset Santa Express?
No. Buggies and pushchairs are not allowed on the train, so bring a sling.
Are there toilets at Bishops Lydeard station?
Yes, the railway says the toilets are by the car park.
Is the West Somerset Railway Santa Express heated?
The page does not mention heating. Dress children in layers and coats for the outdoor check-in.
Does Santa visit every child on the Bishops Lydeard Santa Express?
Yes. Santa visits during the journey and every child receives a gift.
Is food included on the West Somerset Santa Express?
Festive refreshments are served at your table, and goodie bags and hot chocolate can be pre-booked as extras.
Which Bishops Lydeard Santa Express departure is best with a baby?
The morning trains at 10.30am or 11am usually suit babies best. Under-ones pay £10 and travel without a pushchair, so bring a sling.
Is there a late West Somerset Santa Express train?
Yes. On 19, 20 and 23 December there is a 4pm departure, and the railway recommends bringing a torch.
How long is the West Somerset Railway?
It is about 22.75 miles (36.6 km) long, described as the longest standard-gauge independent heritage railway in the UK.
When did heritage trains return to Bishops Lydeard?
Trains reached Bishops Lydeard on 9 June 1979, three years after the heritage line reopened at Minehead.
Is there a Christmas market on the West Somerset Railway in 2026?
Yes. Minehead station hosts a Christmas Market and Carol Train on 5, 12 and 19 December 2026, according to the railway's events page.
Are there other Santa trains near Taunton and Bristol besides the West Somerset Railway?
Our UK Santa trains hub lists them, including the East Somerset Railway at Cranmore, the GWSR at Toddington and the Watercress Line at Ropley.
Can dogs travel on the West Somerset Santa Express?
No pets, please: the West Somerset Railway accepts assistance dogs only on its Santa trains.
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 South West England.
Sources
- West Somerset Railway: official page (west-somerset-railway.co.uk) (opens in a new tab)
- West Somerset Railway: official page (west-somerset-railway.co.uk) (opens in a new tab)
- West Somerset Railway: official page (west-somerset-railway.co.uk) (opens in a new tab)
- West Somerset Railway (Wikipedia) (opens in a new tab)
Checked on the railway’s official pages on 4 November 2026. This train is run by West Somerset 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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