Crich Tramway Village With Toddlers
The Crich Tramway Village is the home to the National Tramway Museum. Here, you can spend the day hopping on and off vintage trams travelling along a mile long stretch of track through the Derbyshire countryside. It is a dream day out for transport loving babies and toddlers. This article reviews the Crich Tramway Village for toddlers.
Quick word of warning – this article is going to feature A LOT of photos of vintage trams as I fell a little bit in love with them:)
Perched above the lofty peaks of the Derwent Valley, the Crich Tramway Village is the home to over 40 trams from all over the world- all of which have been lovingly restored. At one end of the track is the Terminus which is also the home of the period village, with old fashioned shops and tea rooms. There is the Red Lion Pub, which was rescued from demolition and rebuilt brick by brick in the Crich Tramway Village. There is also Barnett’s Sweetshop, Rita’s Tea Rooms and Bluebells Ice Cream and Refreshments.
The trams themselves are a real delight. They were mainly built between 1900 and 1930, and have been rescued from British towns and lovingly restored at a cost of aprox £500 000 each. Now, they run up and down the line at the Crich Tramway Village taking visitors on rides throughout the day. The trams are all unique, beautifully detailed, and the Driver and Conductor are in uniforms appropriate to the era of the tramway operation.
The trams are really frequent, and even on a busy bank holiday weekend, we didn’t need to queue long. It is worth noting that the trams haven’t been restored to be able to cater for pushchairs, so buggies will need to be left in the covered buggy shelter.
We caught our first tram from nearby the Village entrance up to the top of the site. There are open top trams, and covered trams so you can visit Crich Tramway Village whatever the weather – there is even an indoor soft play area for rainy days.
We jumped off the tram at Wakebridge tram stop and went on the Woodland Walk and Sculpture Trail to the picnic area. This large picnic field has far reaching views of the Derwent Valley, and is the perfect place to sit back and relax with the sound of trams in the distance.
New for 2016, is a large outdoor playground which is really well equipped for children of all ages.
There is an indoor Tram Depot which houses other trams which aren’t operating on that day. There is also a Learning Centre where children can take part in craft activities for an additional cost of 50p.
There are lot of special activities taking place throughout the year at the Crich Tramway Village, such as the Beside the Seaside exhibition which was on when we visited with a beach, Carousel, Big Wheel and Punch and Judy. Check out the website for a full list of events taking place throughout the year.
Useful Information About The Crich Tramway Village With Toddlers
There is free parking onsite.
There are baby changing facilities
There is a buggy store in case you don’t want to take your pushchair around the site – as mentioned above, buggies aren’t normally allowed on the trams.
In summer, I would advise taking a picnic – the picnic area is fab!
Dogs on leads are welcome.
Costs
Adults – £16
Children (aged 4 – 15) – £9
Under 4’s are free.
Your admission includes unlimited electric tram rides, entry to the exhibitions, 3 acres of woodland parks with picnic areas and the Woodland Walk and Sculpture Trail. Tickets are valid for 12 months so you can visit as many times as you like during the year.
More Info
Visit the Crich Tramway Village website here