Steaming Into Christmas

Santa Trains, Carriage Grottos and Christmas Shopping…

Here at the Ff&WHR, we’ve been busy putting festive plans in place to get you in the Christmas spirit! 

Join us on our Santa trains between Caernarfon and Rhyd Ddu, where Santa and his Elves will be greeting passengers, handing out gifts and singing Christmas carols! 

Or alternatively, why not visit them in our Magical Carriage Grotto at Porthmadog Harbour Station?

If you’re looking for some Christmas shopping inspiration, support local and head over to the ‘Gwynedd Artisans’ Christmas Market at ‘Y Gweithdy’. 

If these dates don’t suit, or you are too far away, you can always visit our web shop which has a large selection of both local and railway interest gifts.  

Finally, if you’re looking for a trip out between Christmas and New Year, join us on one of our ‘Christmas Cwellyn’ or ‘Christmas Mountain Spirit’ services! 

Read on to find our more! 

The highlight of our festive calendar… our Welsh Highland Railway Santa Trains! 

Have you booked your tickets on the Santa Train yet? – If not, don’t miss out as seats are filling fast, with First Class ‘GOLD’ tickets having Sold Out already!

At the present moment, there are seats available on four of the morning (10:00) Santa Trains – but only two of the afternoon (13:40) Santa Trains have any space remaining.

However, please note, several of the Santa Trains have only a limited number of seats remaining – so please don’t delay making a booking, as the trains could sell out quickly.

It’s nearly that time of year again when we give Santa a warm Welsh welcome as he joins us on board our Welsh Highland Railway trains between Caernarfon and Rhyd Ddu! 

Our Santa Train sets off from Caernarfon Station, where passengers collect their complimentary Christmas Hamper, full of tasty treats to enjoy on the train!  

Once on board, sherry will be served to the adults, then get ready to enjoy the fantastic scenery of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park and look out for Santa and his Elves who will be passing through the train with gifts for all the well-behaved children! There will be a quick interval break at Rhyd-Ddu station allowing an opportunity for photo opportunities with Santa and his Elves before the return journey to Caernarfon. 

Our Santa Trains are perfect for getting your Christmas festivities started so make sure you book your tickets for an exciting and fun journey through Snowdonia National Park.  

The Caernarfon station gift shop will be open on your return, so that you can purchase a memento of your day or perhaps a festive gift! 

• We will be offering both Standard and Gold seating on our ‘Welsh Highland Railway Santa train’ services. 
• Our Welsh Highland Railway Santa service will run on the December 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th, 22nd and 23rd.
• Adult fare : £25.75 (Gold ; £36.75) / Child (3-15 years) : £25.75 (Gold ; £36.75) / Child (0-2 years) : £4.75
• There will be two departures per day at 10:00 and 13:40.
• Total journey time will be approx. 2 hours 40 minutes including a 15 minute layover at Rhyd Ddu station. 
• We highly recommend that you book your tickets in advance so the Elves can organise your presents. 
• Tickets for our Welsh Highland Santa Trains can be booked online or by calling our Booking Office Santa Hotline; 01766 516024 

During his time in North Wales, Santa will also be visiting our Christmas Carriage Grotto in Porthmadog!

Harbour Station in Porthmadog becomes a winter wonderland from the moment you step inside. There will be footplate rides, selfie opportunities, Christmas shopping and mulled wine, together with seasonal refreshments in Spooner’s café/bar. Our team of Elves will transform one of our carriages into a magical Christmas Grotto so expect to be wowed as you step inside to meet Santa! Due to his busy schedule at this time of year, we are asking visitors to pre-book a slot.  

Our Santa Christmas Carriage Grotto will be open on December 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th, 22nd & 23rd. 

Tickets to visit Santa in his magical Christmas Carriage Grotto include a Gift per child, and can be booked online or by calling our Booking Office Santa Hotline; 01766 516024

Adult : £1.00 / Child (2-15 years) : £6.95 / Child (under 2 years) : £4.95

Book Porthmadog Santa’s Grotto Now

Our ‘Christmas Cwellyn’ services begin at our award-winning Caernarfon station, where our Cafe De Winton will be open, serving seasonal refreshments prior to departure.

Once on board, sit back and enjoy as the train sets off through the majestic landscapes of Snowdonia National Park, on its way to the interval stop at Rhyd Ddu station. Here, there will be a short break, allowing passengers an opportunity to enjoy the views and take some photos, before setting off on the return journey to Caernarfon.

The Caernarfon station café and gift shop will be open during your visit, so you can purchase refreshments and a memento of your day!

Our ‘Christmas Cwellyn’ services will be running on December 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st and January 1st, with two departures per day at 10:45 and 13:45. We will be offering both Standard and Gold seating.

Total journey time will be approx. 2hr 20min.

*Please note; the ‘Christmas Cwellyn’ service is NOT a ‘Santa Train’ service i.e. Santa will not be on-board for this journey! For Santa Trains, please see our Welsh Highland Santa Trains. Details, and tickets for our ‘Christmas Cwellyn’ will shortly be available online or by calling our Booking Office; 01766 516024

Our ‘Christmas Mountain Spirit’ services run between Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog and passengers can start their journey from either station.

Enjoy a festive journey through the beautiful landscapes of Snowdonia National Park, with popular sights including the towering slate tips in Blaenau Ffestiniog, the spiral at Dduallt and the tunnel near Llyn Ystradau.

Note: Tickets will be available to purchase from Blaenau Ffestiniog as well as Porthmadog.

Spooner’s Café and Harbour Station gift shop will be open during your visit, so you can purchase refreshments and a memento of your day!

Our ‘Christmas Mountain Spirit’ services will be running on December 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st and January 1st, with two departures per day from Porthmadog at 10:00 and 13:30, and one departure at 11:40 from Blaenau Ffestiniog, in order to complete a return journey. We are offering both standard and Gold seating.

*Please note; the ‘Christmas Mountain Spirit’ service is NOT a ‘Santa Train’ service i.e. Santa will not be on-board for this journey! For Santa Trains, please see our Welsh Highland Santa Trains. Details, and tickets for our ‘Christmas Mountain Spirit’ will shortly be available online or by calling our Booking Office; 01766 516024

If you are looking to get your Christmas shopping up and running, visit our online shop and browse our extensive range.

Highlights include our 2023 Christmas cards, which feature two stunning designs of Welsh Pony and No.87, by talented local artist Rebecca Kitchin BA. Each pack of ten cards and envelopes contains five of each design, with the greeting inside in English and Welsh. 

Get organized for next year with our 2024 Ff&WHR Calendar, complete with twelve stunning new images. 

We also have a fantastic range of railway and non-railway themed gifts including; James Spooner launch gifts, … 

The 2023 edition of our popular ‘A Year in the Life of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways’ DVD and BluRay will also be available on our online shop very soon. 

There is plenty of branded clothing, an extensive range of railway models, gift vouchers and much more available online, so head over and take a look for yourself! 

Click here to view all items on our online shop.

Porthmadog Harbour station and Caernarfon station shops will also be open for Christmas shopping in November and December.

So, there’s plenty to look forward to as we make our way into the latter stages of the year! 

We would like to say a big thank you for all your support during the year thus far, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming you here this festive season!