Play stations: Railway stops worth lingering at

[Adlington]

BBC waxes lyrical...

stations lack the glamour formerly associated with letting the train take the strain. Often unmanned and usually unloved, they are places to hurry through.

Commuters on the daily grind tend to be grimly determined when leaving a train. Heads down, elbows out, it's a fight to get to the exit. The only reason to pause is to grab a cardboard cup of something caffeinated before stalking out into the ice-spiked drizzle of a dark winter's morning.

But what if your station wasn't full of faceless coffee chains and people pushing? What if there was a station garden filled with fragrant shrubs, or an art gallery, or a top-notch local restaurant?

Linger at Todmorden, Kemble, Melton, Wymondham, Walkden and Frimley.

 

[6Gman]

Lelant Saltings.

 

[56 1/2]

Is this a Mornington Crescent variation?

If yes then Denham

 

[Adlington]

The second BBC list of railway stations worth lingering at

• Huddersfield (cat)
• Stalybridge (buffet)
• Grange-over-Sands (bookshop)
• Great Malvern (tunnel, canopies)
• Irlam (looks like when it was first built)
• Cromford (holiday cottage)

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I second Stalybridge

 

[D6975]

Ravenglass for a meal
Worksop for a coffee and a cake
Stalybridge for a pint

 

[Dr Hoo]

Ravenglass for a meal
Worksop for a coffee and a cake
Stalybridge for a pint

Seconded for Worksop. The scones in the coffee shop are gigantic and delicious.

 

[PaulLothian]

Rannoch Station, for a sense of the immensity of the Highland landscape, and for memories of the best fish and chips we ever ate nowhere near the sea! (Was a number of years ago, sadly, and I don't know if the station cafe is still in business.)

 

[Cowley]

I’d like to linger at Exton (a favourite of Kites too I believe) and gaze across the Exe as the sun sets across the estuary with just the sounds of wading birds drifting over the mudflats.
(I’ve just got off a 143 at 4pm on a cold still autumn afternoon).

 

[Mutant Lemming]

South Hampstead seems to have a peaceful feel to it amid all thecoming and goings nearby.

 

[Adlington]

Rannoch Station [...] I don't know if the station cafe is still in business.

Sort of... From their website:

We are closed for winter until early March 2018

 

[Essan]

Or go one better and try the Station House at Corrour?

https://www.corrour.co.uk/station-house/restaurant/

After marvelling at being at one of the remotest places in the country.

 

[Adlington]

Or go one better and try the Station House at Corrour?

Don't try it now...

We are open from 8 30 in the morning, through to 9 in the evening, seven days a week from March 19th until end of October

 

[Gathursty]

Brundall Gardens - for a station that you enter through a gap in the hedge row.
Minfford - an intriguing interchange of mainline and narrow gauge services.
Carbis Bay - a perfect view of the North Cornish coast beneath you.
Sellafield - I'm astounded at the juxtaposition of a stunning beach in front of an imposing Nuclear site.
East Midlands Parkway - just look behind you or in front of you.

 

[Crossover]

I'd second Carbis Bay - the views are rather lovely

Hindley in Greater Manchester was rather pleasant on a visit a couple of years ago - one of the platforms has a lovely garden

 

[Alteran Ancient]

Elmstead Woods - The (rather wide) island platforms has a garden in the middle and the station as a whole is quite green and leafy.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Alnwick station can take up a bit of one's time

 

[Tractor37]

Church Fenton for a curry.

 

[yorksrob]

Elmstead Woods - The (rather wide) island platforms has a garden in the middle and the station as a whole is quite green and leafy.

And an attractive South Eastern Railway canopy valence.

 

[83G/84D]

Bury Bolton Street (ELR), Sheffield or Hartlepool for a pint. Halifax has a children’s nursery next door if anyone is a child at heart?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Bury Bolton Street (ELR), Sheffield or Hartlepool for a pint. Halifax has a children’s nursery next door if anyone is a child at heart?

The "children's nursery" at Halifax is a bit more than that: it's actually the Eureka! children's museum, which occupies the old station buildings along with the trackbed of the disused platforms for the former Queensbury lines. They also own the Hunslet shunter and Mk2b which can be seen as one arrives from the Brighouse/Sowerby Bridge direction. The coach being an area where school trip groups go to eat their packed lunches.

The museum being in that location does seem to encourage school outings to consider using the train rather than hiring a coach. Whilst this isn't great for the less child-tolerant such as myself, it does give the kids an early experience of train travel (more so than a trip up a heritage line with parents will) which will probably help them as they're a bit older.

 

[NSE]

Personally, I'd want to linger somewhere like London Bridge, Crewe, Clapham Junction, Birmingham New Street etc, I find watching all the moving traffic more interesting than going to a restaurant or shop or looking at an original canopy or something.

 

[Adlington]

it's actually the Eureka! children's museum

I digress, but this may be of interest to some forum members:

If you’d like to visit without a child, you must contact us beforehand to discuss the reasons for your visit

Source: museum webpage

 

[bearhugger]

Bury Bolton Street (ELR), Sheffield or Hartlepool for a pint. Halifax has a children’s nursery next door if anyone is a child at heart?

The cafe at Hartlepool does a cracking breakfast and a cuppa for £5.50 ish (when i went earlier in this year not long after the barriers had been installed). Haven't tried the micropub yet. what sort of beers do they sell?
I've tried the beer at Bridlington station which sadly tasted like it had been sat in the pipes for a bit too long. The station itself is not bad to while away a bit of time.

 

[yorksrob]

For me Huddersfield station buffet is a place to linger for a fry up !

 

[telstarbox]

The newish Prime Burger on the Euston balcony does a reasonable cooked breakfast and a brew (proper crockery for both), and allows you to keep an eye on the departure board as you wait/eat. Red and brown sauces are provided too. I hope I don't cause too many dropped monocles by revealing that the cost is slightly higher than at Hartlepool...

 

[bearhugger]

The newish Prime Burger on the Euston balcony does a reasonable cooked breakfast and a brew (proper crockery for both), and allows you to keep an eye on the departure board as you wait/eat. Red and brown sauces are provided too. I hope I don't cause too many dropped monocles by revealing that the cost is slightly higher than at Hartlepool...

£5.99 perhaps

 

[83G/84D]

The "children's nursery" at Halifax is a bit more than that: it's actually the Eureka! children's museum, which occupies the old station buildings along with the trackbed of the disused platforms for the former Queensbury lines. They also own the Hunslet shunter and Mk2b which can be seen as one arrives from the Brighouse/Sowerby Bridge direction. The coach being an area where school trip groups go to eat their packed lunches.

The museum being in that location does seem to encourage school outings to consider using the train rather than hiring a coach. Whilst this isn't great for the less child-tolerant such as myself, it does give the kids an early experience of train travel (more so than a trip up a heritage line with parents will) which will probably help them as they're a bit older.

Okay thanks for the clarification.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Dent station gets my vote, especially on those rare day's when it's warm and sunny. It's splendid isolation ensures that between trains all you can hear are the local sheep and perhaps the sound of children's voices at the holiday cottage. And the trees blowing gently in the wind. Of course on a nasty winters night it's quite the opposite!

 

[3141]

Is this a Mornington Crescent variation?

If yes then Denham

Denham Golf Club is better, because in September you can pick huge quantities of blackberries.