• Santa Special - child with present

Santa Specials 2023

November 25 – December 23

  • Enjoy a magical Christmas journey along the whole length of our line!

  • Meet Santa and receive a special wrapped present

  • Complimentary refreshments served onboard for Adults & Children

  • Festive activity packs for each child

  • Balloon Modellers and Entertainers

  • Onboard bar – serving alcoholic and soft drinks

    • Please note dogs are not permitted on this service.

What are the Santa Specials?

Enjoy a magical Christmas journey aboard a traditional steam-hauled train!

Sit back and relax as your train steams non-stop from Sheringham up the whole length of the line to Holt. Get into the festive spirit and make merry with complimentary onboard refreshments served to your table – mince pies and mulled cider for adults and gingerbread and hot chocolate for every child! There are festive children’s activity packs too, plus entertainers and balloon modellers who will stroll through the train spending time in each carriage for part of the journey.

Your journey will break at Holt as the engine switches ends, giving you the chance to hop off and take photographs with the historic locomotive or to visit the onboard bar.

On the return journey, the train will stop at Weybourne Station where you will make your way through an enchanted Christmas Tree Kingdom with a magical seasonal theme, a snowy model railway and Santa’s friendly helpers before you meet Father Christmas himself who will present every child with a special, wrapped gift before you rejoin the train for the short journey back to Sheringham.

The whole experience lasts approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes from the time your train departs Sheringham to arriving back at the station.

The Santa Specials are designed for a family audience – bookings from all-adult parties will not be accepted.

Train Availability 

An indication of availability of tickets on the Santa Special trains is set out below.

Please note that these are not live figures but are updated every few days; to find out the current availability of tickets please check our online shop or where availability is shown as limited, please call the bookings team on 01263 820800 (Option 4 then 1) between 9.30am and 3.30pm

December 2

10:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

11:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

12:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

13:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

14:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

15:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

December 3

10:00 – Limited availability – please call 01263 820800 (Option 4 then 1) to book

11:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

12:20 – Limited availability – please call 01263 820800 (Option 4 then 1) to book

13:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

14:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

15:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

December 9

10:00 – Limited availability – please call 01263 820800 (Option 4 then 1) to book

11:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

12:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

13:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

14:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

15:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

December 10

10:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

11:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

12:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

13:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

14:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

15:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

December 16

10:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

11:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

12:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

13:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

14:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

15:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

December 17

10:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

11:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

12:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

13:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

14:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

15:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

December 19

10:00 – Limited availability – please call 01263 820800 (Option 4 then 1) to book

11:00 – Standard Seats – Good Availability        Compartments – One remaining

12:20 – Standard Seats – Good Availability        Compartments – Two remaining

13:20 – Standard Seats – Good Availability        Compartments – Two remaining

14:40 – Standard Seats – Good Availability        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

15:40 – Limited availability – please call 01263 820800 (Option 4 then 1) to book

December 20

10:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – One remaining

11:00 – Standard Seats – Good Availability        Compartments – Last Few Remaining

12:20 – Standard Seats – Good Availability        Compartments – Two remaining

13:20 – Standard Seats – Good Availability        Compartments – One remaining

14:40 – Standard Seats – Good Availability        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

15:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

December 21

10:00 – Standard Seats – Limited Availability   Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

11:00 – Standard Seats – Limited Availability   Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

12:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

13:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

14:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

15:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

December 22

10:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

11:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

12:20 – Limited availability – please call 01263 820800 (Option 4 then 1) to book

13:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

14:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

15:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

December 23

10:00 – Limited availability – please call 01263 820800 (Option 4 then 1) to book

11:00 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

12:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED       Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

13:20 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

14:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED        Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

15:40 – Standard Seats – FULLY BOOKED         Compartments – FULLY BOOKED

When do the Santa Special trains run?

Trains will depart at 10.00, 11.00, 12.20, 13.20, 14.40 and 15.40 on each day. Our booking system will show which trains have tickets available for any given day.

The Santa Specials will be operating on the dates below:

November:

Saturday 25 and Sunday 26

December:

Saturday 2 and Sunday 3

Saturday 9 and  Sunday 10

Saturday 16 and Sunday 17

Tuesday 19 – Saturday 23

How much do the Santa Specials cost?

Fares range between £24.50 and £29.50 per person depending on the time & date of travel. A limited amount of private compartments for up to 6 people are available on each train.

Advance booking is essential. Please check our booking system for prices on your preferred date of travel.  

Under 1’s travel for a reduced fee of £7.50 providing they do not occupy a seat – the safest place for little ones is for them to sit on the lap of one of their parents.  As there are only limited seats on each train, we are not able to offer discounts or concessions on Santa Specials.

You will be asked the age(s) of children during the bookings process, unless you book a private compartment in which case Santa’s helpers will contact you nearer the time to gather this information.

Tip:

Travel on the 10.00am departure or on 25, 26 November for our lowest fares.

Frequently Asked Questions

Overall, the experience lasts for around an hour and 45 minutes from leaving Sheringham to arriving back. However the Old Luggage Office Buffet at Sheringham Station will be open before departure and you should also allow time to check in and find your seats, so we suggest arriving early!

Our bookings system updates availability in real time – if your chosen date and time is full, a message asking you to select a different train will be displayed.

An indication of current availability is shown above but this information does not update automatically and bookings are being processed all the time – tickets should be booked online in advance.

Advance bookings close at 11.59pm – to see if you are able to book tickets for travel the same day, please call 01263 820800 (Option 4 then 1). Please check availability below before calling.

November:

Saturday 25 – GOOD AVALIBILITY

Sunday 26 – GOOD AVALIBILITY

December:

Saturday 2 – GOOD AVALIBILITY

Sunday 3 – GOOD AVALIBILITY

Saturday 9 – GOOD AVALIBILITY

Sunday 10 – GOOD AVALIBILITY

Saturday 16 – GOOD AVALIBILITY

Sunday 17 – GOOD AVALIBILITY

Tuesday 19 – GOOD AVALIBILITY

Wednesday 20 – GOOD AVALIBILITY

Thursday 21 – GOOD AVALIBILITY

Friday 22 – GOOD AVALIBILITY

Saturday 23 – GOOD AVALIBILITY

Each passenger is allocated a specific seat so we are often not able to add to an existing booking. If you wish to add to your booking please call 01263 820800 (Option 4 then 1) – our booking team will then advise you whether this is possible.

It is not possible to add tickets on trains that are fully booked.

In most carriages seating is around tables of four. Please note that if your party does not fill a whole table (or tables) then it is possible that you will be seated with another party.

Yes. Each service will have a compartment for a wheelchair-user and their party – please call our booking team on 01263 820800 to book and reserve. Please note that there are a limited number of compartments and these will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Unfortunately we cannot take pushchairs on the Santa Special trains, however we can store pushchairs at Sheringham Station ready to be collected afterwards.

Your ticket includes a mince pie and mulled cider for adults, and hot chocolate and gingerbread for children. There will also be a bar onboard each train if you wish to purchase anything extra.

Gluten free alternatives are available, and must be ordered at time of booking.

There are a limited number of toilets on board the train, and a larger volume of toilets at each of our stations.

Yes, there must be at least one paying child to enter. Please note that if you turn up to board without a child you will be refused entry.

No; other than assistance dogs no dog tickets cannot be purchased for the Santa Specials.

The trains are warm (heated by spare steam from the engine!), dry and able to operate in almost all weather conditions.

Once booked, tickets are non-refundable. Depending on the ticket type and availability it may be possible to transfer a booking to a different date. Please note that any changes should be requested at least 5 days before the date of travel and will incur a fee of £10.00.

Please see full details of our Terms and Conditions here.