Destination North Pole - Winchcombe

Nostalgia at every turn today.
Memories of visiting Santa as a wee bairn in the big town centre department store. Travelling home in a no smoking compartment of a steam hauled train. Steam leaking from heating pipes between the carriages. Porters huddled on platforms plying for luggage laden travellers.
Signal lights twinkling against the night sky. Rails snaking homeward mercurially lit by the frosty full moon.

All of this back then … but also with us this afternoon/early evening on our local heritage railway line.

They had two full trains steaming throughout the day and three Santas in grottos carved out of former travelling post office carriages. There was an extensive marquee system to provide hospitality pre and post visiting Santa. In short an excellently stage managed event in every way.

Our two Wiltshire grandchildren enjoyed this experience enormously just as our two Gloucestershire ones did with us a few years ago.

The heavy frost. The starlit evening setting. The smoke, steam and firebox glow are all timeless Christmas memories - with us for ever!