Cosiest UK station (trivia)

[hermit]

Probably in a minority of one, but I do find Westbury quite cosy.

So do I. Just as well, given that the leisurely connections between the Portsmouth and West of England trains usually give you plenty of time to appreciate its charms.

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

Hellifield struck me as rather cosy and quaint last time I changed trains there, especially with the cafe and little museum on the platform open.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Knaresborough is an obvious candidate but I also have a soft spot for Evesham - there's nothing special about the station but it feels well looked after and like how stations in small country towns used to be before they became unstaffed and lost many of their facilities. By contrast, Great Malvern would once have been a candidate but I was disappointed when I visited last year to find the cafe closed and the ticket office unattended.

Evesham is indeed a pleasant station, unfortunately the people around it aren't quite so much. A lot of anti-social behaviour/revenue issues on North Cotswolds, particularly in Evesham.

 

[xotGD]

The Stalybridge Buffet Bar pub is pretty cosy.

Whereas the commuters festering in the cold and wet before trying to squeeze on to a TPE service to Manchester look anything but cosy!

 

[mq90]

Wemyss Bay station is also very pleasant. There is something how so worldly about integrated rail and sail services to start with, but the station has a fantastic bookshop and station bar. To an extent that I would rather wait for a later ferry so I can enjoy both.

 

[duffield]

By the coal fire in the West Riding Refreshment rooms, Dewsbury station.
...

Oh yes, the West Riding is great! I'll make sure to drop in during the run up to Xmas, the atmosphere is just perfect for the season.

Photo showing the interior of the West Riding Refreshment rooms at Dewsbury station:

 

[Mike99]

By the coal fire in the West Riding Refreshment rooms, Dewsbury station.

Alternatively, the small, heated waiting room at Crianlarich felt cosy in comparison to the snow and -13 degrees outside while I was waiting for the sleeper…

I was waiting to add Crianlarich, I used the cafe/waiting room on one occasion having come up from London on the sleeper to wait for the first Oban to get the mileage, not a bad way to spend an hour or so and having a breakfast.
I also quite like the cafe/pub at the end of the platform at Manningtree, even though I don't drink alcohol the outdoor pub style benches look tempting on a nice summer evening.

 

[vic-rijrode]

I'm not sure that "cosy" describes Tynemouth on the T & W Metro but it's a lovely station (if much reduced track-wise these days), especially when the market is held there on Saturdays and Sundays.

 

[D6130]

I was waiting to add Crianlarich, I used the cafe/waiting room on one occasion having come up from London on the sleeper to wait for the first Oban to get the mileage, not a bad way to spend an hour or so and having a breakfast.
I also quite like the cafe/pub at the end of the platform at Manningtree, even though I don't drink alcohol the outdoor pub style benches look tempting on a nice summer evening.

Unfortunately the café at Crianlarich has been closed for over a year and is up for lease.

 

[Revilo]

Yatton is high up there in the coziness stakes. Its a small station that has a community-run cafe on one platform and a proper waiting room and booking office on the other, GWR benches, footbridge (albeit without cover) and Brunelian stone buildings.

 

[hermit]

Unfortunately the café at Crianlarich has been closed for over a year and is up for lease.

Sorry to hear that. Even when we weren’t using the train it was our favourite refreshment stop on car journeys to reach the hills. Always a friendly welcome.

 

[yorksrob]

I agree with Lewes and the various station buffets on the TP main line.

I personally think that Lancaster is a cosy place to wait and enjoy a pint. Appleby has a nice feel as mentioned up thread. Rye in Sussex is cosy in a similar vein - generally staffed, nice waiting rooms. It even has a cafe.

 

[FrontSideBus]

Birmingham Moore St. It reminds me of something on the Severn Valley Railway!

 

[brad465]

Castle Cary has a very good farm shop and restaurant feature attached that can help kill time if there's a long wait for a connecting train, while the station itself is quite pleasant I think.

 

[321362]

Bruce Grove - a diamond in the rough, the other stations along the route are all very bland but the refurbished waiting room gives it quite a charm

 

[John Luxton]

Liskeard anyone?

Coffee Bar in the upper mainline station building run by Bodmin Railway and heritage display in the waiting room on the detached platform 3 which serves Looe.

Porthmadog Harbour - FWHR - Spooners Bar is a pleasant place to have a pint and something to east whilst watching the trains. Can get a bit too busy at times though!

 

[Furrysquid]

For an unexpected moment of cosiness, getting to Rannoch on a cold, damp winter day and discovering that the waiting room has a kettle and an honesty pot so you can still have a hot brew even when the cafe's closed.

 

[cjw714]

Liskeard anyone?

Coffee Bar in the upper mainline station building run by Bodmin Railway and heritage display in the waiting room on the detached platform 3 which serves Looe.

Porthmadog Harbour - FWHR - Spooners Bar is a pleasant place to have a pint and something to east whilst watching the trains. Can get a bit too busy at times though!

The branch line platform is very nicely done at Liskeard but the constant noise from the nearby dual carriageway rather ruins the atmosphere. However, if there was a thread for stations with the most unusual layout Liskeard would definitely be a contender.

 

[Sealink]

Hear me out... the end of Worcester Foregate Street with Café Loco. Love the paved platform and the old-school signage for two way working.

 

[ian1944]

I've not been to Altrincham for a while, but last time the station interior had retained a lot of period features. Supposedly a cafe opened in June (M-F only).

 

[josh-j]

Garsdale is very cosy and well looked after when you're in the nice warm waiting room after an extremely wet time walking the hills. Your mileage may vary when standing on the platform however!

 

[GuyGibsonVC]

Hexham is decent. Cosy may be pushing it.

Nice bar on the station with a historic footbridge and signal box.

Corbridge, too, if you’re in the Indian restaurant!

 

[consettman]

Yep, Hexham - and I'd call the bar cosy, though it can get a bit Royston Vasey with all the locals

 

[Tram203]

Possibly stretching the definition of "cosy" in the warmth context, but I'll give Elmstead Woods a mention, the London ends of the platforms in particular.

Pleasant, green gardens with benches, and animal "statues" including Paddington bear. Very tranquil and quiet save when a train enters or exits the tunnels just off the platform ends.