Heath Park Miniature Railway image

Heath Park Miniature Railway

Tourist attraction

👍👍 We had a wonderful Sunday to end our May 2021. The weather was perfect for our mini break at Heath Park Miniature Railway. All the volunteers staffs was amazing. They really committed to do their volunteers job and give the best experience for childrens. Their mini trains and trams was amazing. Only... People often mention trains, ride, open, miniature, volunteers, visit, park, railway, friendly, year,


Address

King George V Drive East, King George V Dr E, Cardiff CF14 4AW, United Kingdom

Website

www.heathparkminaturerailway.co.uk

Rating on Google Maps

4.70 (237 reviews)

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Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: trains (16) ride (12) open (12) miniature (11) volunteers (8) visit (8) park (7) railway (7) friendly (7) year (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 EvieNolan O. 2 years ago on Google
    We had a wonderful Sunday to end our May 2021. The weather was perfect for our mini break at Heath Park Miniature Railway. All the volunteers staffs was amazing. They really committed to do their volunteers job and give the best experience for childrens. Their mini trains and trams was amazing. Only cost £2 per person/ride. Visiting local places like this is really good, cheap and cheerful also good to help local visit places like this that are charity based.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Morgan S. 2 years ago on Google
    What a great place. We as a family, especially our 2, almost 3 year old love it. The care and attention to the details of the trains, the tracks and the station, scaled down are impressive. It's a magical place where small children will be enthralled and enthusiasts will be impressed. Thank you to all the volunteers that make it so special!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 D T. 5 years ago on Google
    Outstanding I have lived in and around Cardiff for 32 years and never knew this existed. Only open at select times of the year and it's very cheap to visit. £1.80 and free for 3 and under. I was blown away by the amount of different miniature trains. You can really tell it's run by enthusiasts. The staff here are great and clearly passionate about this place. My 2 year old was in his element. They sell toys here which seem fairly cheap compared to normal shops. The food here is great. They had burgers cooking and home made cakes etc. Brilliant. It cost £1.80 to ride on the trains. This place is a must even if your not into trains See photos and videos in this review.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Natalie W. 4 years ago on Google
    Small place with ride on trains run by volunteers. Easily done in about an hour. £2 entry then charged per ride as well, again £2 per person. Cafe, eating area, and hot food stand. Where it is not very big and they have a lot of visitors, it can way too crowded, especially trying to cross the little footbridge. It is on the site of a large park. Pay and display car park that is free on weekends
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 David O. 6 years ago on Google
    Think of a family day out with young kids where you hope for a pace that keep the kids exhilarated while it takes parents back to a time when life had a more manageable and engaging pace. A visit to the Heath Park Miniature Railway museum offered such an experience and what a gem of a day out. With a variety of miniature trains to ride on from battery powered miniature intercity 125 and TGV models to genuine coal powered steam trains where I saw the driver shovel coal into the furnace with what can only be described as a table spoon sized shovel. One particular miniature locomotive was a replica of the flying Scotsman. A larger electric tram powered by 50V DC offered standing and sitting room but still small enough to be miniature and built in 1948 showed the decor and engineering of the day if you choose to sit up by the driver. On the day we visited the miniature railway society who operate the museum was open for lunch with mobile vans selling burgers and ice-creams. Volunteers ladies sold hot drinks in the main building that housed the reception ticket office and a model train set. The men who oversaw the running of the trains appeared to be an endearing group who'd look out for one another and had such a friendly and welcoming rapport  that I thought maybe something like this is what we should all aspire to in retirement where like minded people with the same passions as you and having no other agenda but to work with like minded people who have the same and exchange and interact with each other. May they have the energy and enthusiasm to keep up this fascinating miniature railway museum into the next generation.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Sophia N. 2 years ago on Google
    Amazing little place, would happily visit on the regular if they could open more, however we will most definitely be back on another open day. Enjoyed all our train rides, could fault anything about our visit 😀
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jake B. 6 years ago on Google
    Fantastic value for money! Kept me and the little one entertained for a good 2 hours. Be sure to check out their Facebook page for details of when they are open
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Victoria S. 10 months ago on Google
    A fantastic place to visit with little ones, just wonderful! There are different little trains you can ride around on (including a mini steam train) and a mini tram that has little carriages. They have open afternoons from 1-5pm starting from spring and over the summer/early autumn months. They’re open on some Sundays and some of the bank holiday Mondays. They have the dates on their facebook page. It’s £2.50 per person for entrance (under 3s are free), card only and then £2.50 per person for each ride. You can gift aid the entrance fee too. The volunteers are so friendly and helpful and I’m very grateful for all the work they’ve put into the model railway and for giving their time for these open afternoons. I can highly recommend to others and we’ll be back again!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Andy T. 4 months ago on Google
    I had a great guided tour of this almost unseen facility based at the site of the old Heath House, and was impressed with the enthusiastic and expert crew who were preparing - even approaching winter - for the coming 2024 season of public open days. Children and grownups alike surely will be enthralled at the long rides on real steam engines on 2 separate track circuits, along with operating demonstrations of smaller scale trains to watch whilst waiting at one of their two stations for your turn. Many expert enthusiasts are on hand for your enquiries at these events. Please come and enjoy!

  • 5/5 Mc D. 9 months ago on Google
    Lovely little place set in the middle of a stunning park. The crew are very friendly and welcoming, and extremely proud of their work (and rightly so!). I stumbled upon it early in the morning on my way to work and was still welcome to come inside and browse around and see everything they had on offer, from the café to the engine workshop :-) I am definitely going to get back to have a ride on one of the trains or trams!

  • 5/5 Juliana K. 10 months ago on Google
    Absolutely an amazing place with children! We had a lot of fun there. We appreciated all the efforts made by the volunteers!

  • 5/5 Ella C. 10 months ago on Google
    We had a fab day out here with my 3 year old and 1 year old! Children 3 and under are free to enter and ride the miniature trains! Queues for the train go quickly, and all the staff are very friendly and helpful. We took some food in to enjoy as a picnic but also brought hot dogs and burgers from the little hut. Lovely afternoon out!

  • 5/5 Matthew H. 1 year ago on Google
    Great day out, my 2 boys loved it as did I getting to ride on some miniature trains. They had a good amount of engines out the day I went and the queues moved quicker than expecting. I Paid £2.50pp entry and £2.50pp for the train rides. Under 3s were free entry and rides. Highly recommend, they do allow picnics but food was available on the day they do not allow dogs though.

  • 5/5 Dean 1 year ago on Google
    A real gem of a place, only recently found out it was there. Great place to visit and very reasonable prices.

  • 5/5 Jose Manuel Naranjo E. 1 year ago on Google
    Lovely place, with many friendly volunteers! There is not enough parking inside, so I would suggest to park outside and walk (I had to wait more than 20 mins until a parking spot became available)

  • 5/5 Steven T. 1 year ago on Google
    Situated on the edge of Cardiff in a beautiful park, and is open to the public for a family outing one Sunday a month (check the website for details) good value for money and safe for all ages.

  • 5/5 Sophie B. 1 year ago on Google
    Pleasant, hidden gem that's ideal for a family day out. Only open on select days throughout the year, the park was very busy but we still waited no longer than ten minutes to get in. Extremely reasonably priced entry fee of £2.20 per person with under 3s going free, this was duplicated within the park when paying to ride the trains. Plenty of seating provided on the lawns, tasty and decently priced snacks and refreshments from the vendors on site, queues look long but decrease pretty quickly. Staff are all amazing, polite, helpful, knowledgeable and cheerful. Will be very happy to return for another open day soon!

  • 5/5 Mark H. 1 year ago on Google
    Utterly brilliant. Great fun, reasonable in costs. Clean, accessible...and full of smiling people. The entire volunteer team are wonderful.

  • 5/5 Terence A. 1 year ago on Google
    Really clean site with friendly staff and a fantastic little place to loose yourself for a couple of hours plenty of space to picnic or even enjoy the onsite food

  • 5/5 Fred F. 2 years ago on Google
    Great place to visit especially with the kids young or old.

  • 5/5 Alex M. 2 years ago on Google
    Amazing miniature railway from Cardiff Model Engineering Society ❤

  • 5/5 Tricia R. 2 years ago on Google
    A lovely afternoon watching my grandson on the trains. Well organised and keeping to covid restrictions

  • 5/5 Vince C. 2 years ago on Google
    Wow, what a fantastic place and experience. The staff are super friendly and helpful. Highly recommended

  • 5/5 Jasmin M. 8 months ago on Google • 166 reviews
    Very lovingly maintained miniature railway system and a great destination for a family trip. At the entrance there is a model railway inside, which is monitored and maintained by enthusiasts - all true to the original. There are several routes outside that you can ride. The volunteers are mechanics or railway fans themselves and are happy to answer questions or explain how it works. There is also a large lawn for picnicking or eating. Food & drinks as well as souvenirs are available on site. We drove several laps and had a lot of fun. There is also a playground nearby. Entrance fees and costs for the trips benefit maintenance and are absolutely reasonable/cheap. We would come back.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍


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