North Yorkshire Moors Railway Reviews 32

One of My dad’s 80 th gifts . Pickering to Goathland with a 3 course meal . £170 for both of us . Starter was ok a bit nothing really . Drinks expensive . But braised beef was absolutely vile and how a chef could serve that was embarrassing . I have pictures. All fat so vile my dad, least fussy person , left it all as did I . So we sat with no food whilst everyone else ate . I complained at the time and they didn’t charge our drinks . Fine but that’s standard . I then e mailed head office who refunded £20 and won’t budge . Disgusting in my opinion . It’s spoilt our experience and left a very unsatisfactory feeling . The whole thing is very underwhelming and not worth the money. Our food was vile and very unacceptable .
Don’t waste your money . Nothing to view except storm blown down trees .

Appalling organisation!
We went for a trip out on the NYMR and got as far Levisham before the autocar we were travelling on utterly failed and had to be towed back to Pickering. We didn't even manage to complete the extremely truncated journey to Goathland, as the railway can't currently run to Grosmont and Whitby.
We understand the autocar failed as it hadn't been tested before use and its batteries were flat - a totally preventable occurrence. Just to add to the experience the staff seemed confused as to what was actually going on and it looks like we'll be chasing our refund for some time.

Absolutely CANNOT recommend this company’s customer service at all.
30 minutes notice on 11th December to be told the train is leaving from goathlands instead of grosmont.
They then proceeded to transfer us to goathlands to board the train by a NYMR minibus.
Finally boarded the train, no option to do so early as planned as it was carnage.
When we exited the train to get back on the minibus and walk UP the steep path from goathlands station the driver of the NYMR minibus had left the handbrake off and it rolled backwards gathering speed straight into myself and my 74 year old mother in law. (both of us with limited ability to walk due to recent major surgery)
My mum dived into the nearest garden and I had to jump into ongoing traffic to avoid being run over despite having a recent total knee replacement. I actually thought my mum was under the bus and I had a panic attack.
I have twice contacted them regarding this and they (Shaun) has promised to call me back.
We are both is a substantial amount of pain and recovering from the shock and quite frankly disgusted with their care and consideration for what was a very traumatic experience.
They did pay for us to have a taxi home as the train we had booked from grosmont had left due to being so late …all In all it was a traumatic and exhausting day.
We booked it for a relaxing day….

I booked this experience in August as a birthday surprise for my boyfriend and planned the entire weekend around it. We live far away, so I booked a hotel and transport well in advance specifically for the Christmas Pullman dining experience on 20 December.

On 11 December, just nine days before the booking, I received an email informing me that the experience had been cancelled due to a technical issue that had been identified as far back as May. Despite knowing about this issue for months, the company continued to take bookings and only informed customers at the very last minute, when it was already impossible to cancel accommodation.

As a result, the birthday surprise was ruined, the whole weekend was affected, and I lost money on a non-refundable hotel and travel. After multiple calls and emails, the only thing offered was a basic refund for the cancelled experience. No compensation, no goodwill gesture, and no accountability whatsoever.

This is lamentable management. The lack of planning, foresight and responsibility is shocking. Allowing known technical issues to be ignored for months and then cancelling at such short notice raises serious concerns not only about organisation, but also about safety and reliability. If faults are left until they completely fail, this is not an operation that inspires any trust.

I would strongly recommend avoiding this company at all costs, especially for special occasions or trips that require advance planning. This has been a deeply disappointing experience from start to finish.

Lovely trip on the Flying Scotsman. Great staff.
The real negative was the chaos of the parking. We luckily were the first trip of the day and arrived early due to hearing about the parking shambles. However, when we got off the train we had been parked in. Luckily some of the other cars managed to get out eventually allowing us a way through.
Why on earth was the parking situation not discussed by the management prior to the event? I think party in brewery describes the situation.
In future if they want to run such a big event then they need to understand the implications of so many people descending on Grosmont or any of the other stations.

Horrible experience at the NYMR, nowhere to park, all of the staff seemed stressed, the train was nearly an hour late, the man in the national park car park said it was fully booked by the NYMR and we couldn’t park there even though we were going to the event. A nasty little women was shouting at the staff and when I asked the man why he let her talk to him like that he said she is the chief executive. If that is the quality of chief executive then it’s no wonder why the event was a shambles. Never again.

Applied for membership with NYMR at the beginning of October and 3 weeks later still had not received our membership cards? We had booked a break away to attend the railway but without our membership cards could not obtain the discounted tickets for the day. We have memberships with three other heritage railways who have all provided temporary passes until the physical cards arrived, but not NYMR??
I subsequently cancelled the membership and did not ride on the railway as planned.
Perhaps the NYMR has got to big to care anymore?

Visited the railway for the first time to attend the Autumn steam gala.
All of the staff and volunteers, whether in the tea rooms, on the trains, or at the trackside were all helpful and friendly to chat to.
The lineup of steam engines working was fairly substantial too, with no less than 8 locomotives working along various parts of the line - in short, a steam lover's dream.
My journey along the line was broken up, as I decided to step off the trains to explore a few of the stations, but if you decide to stay on the train from one end to the other, you have some lovely views to take in.
Would love to revisit in future.

Travelled on the train Tuesday 9th Sept 2025 at a cost of £217.00 for 2 guests on Pullman dining experience. The starter of Pate was very under seasoned, only 1 small portion of butter for 2 slices of bread & 2 of toast, the main course of Beef casserole which consisted of 5 of the smallest cubes of beef ever, it also came with a dumpling, well this was horrid, made with plain flour & far too much suet, it should have been made with self raising flour, if the chef did not know this he ought to go back to cookery school, the roast potatoes were very hard indeed, the rest of the veg was only ok, the dessert was a cheesecake and an apple crumble tart, this was just about passable. What annoyed us was they did not have any small bottles of water on the table, you had to buy water at over £3 per bottle, we thought for the price paid they could at least give you a small water. The steam engine was running so that was good, but the train stopped at every station along the route from Grosmont to Pickering leaving only 10 mins at Pickering when before when we took this journey we had around 1/2 hour to explore. For the cost of the journey & meal we felt it was very overpriced and we can get a better deal on the Great Central Railway at Loughborough than at North Yorkshire Moors railway which is a shame for them to let people down by the extremely poor catering they promote. Have left a review with customer services but do not expect they will respond to negative comments when they should, they will probably say they are too busy, but for a heritage line they should consider all reviews. One other point, maybe give the carriages a good clean outside our windows were filthy and the carriage looked shabby seems like they take your money but then any issues you have they refer you to T&C, but they should remember THE CUSTOMER IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART - THEY PAY FOR THE PRIVILAGE OF THE SERVICE.

We took our two small grandchildren for what we hoped would be a special steam train experience, (Goathland to Whitby) but unfortunately it fell far short of expectations. There was no steam train running that day — just a diesel train — which was a real disappointment for the children.
The carriages were overcrowded, making it impossible to sit together or enjoy the ride. Most of the views were just trees and bushes, very little moors, so there wasn’t much to look at along the way. To make matters worse, the train itself was very dirty and extremely hot.
It’s a shame, as we were hoping for a memorable day out, but sadly this trip wasn’t worth the cost. (2 adult tickets as kids go free)

Great set up with amazing engines travelling through idyllic locations and run by real people on a voluntary basis, so just incredibly disappointed with their inflexible attitude.
Granted we asked to swap the date of our booking outside of the period stated in the Ts&Cs but we'd hoped that real people would understand that real people get faced with last minute issues and given the current state of the NHS we thought a health issue would have been met with more sympathetic understanding.
However whilst I say last minute, it was in fact a full six days before our booked date of travel and equally whilst I applaud their planning and organising, I think ordering food and being unable to sell our dining seats to someone else during the busiest period of the year is a very weak argument for not being able to swap our date.
Maybe a waiting list for cancellations is something to consider?
Such a shame as I'm sure a cancellation is a rare exception and a bit of understanding and flexibility, given six days notice is not much to ask.
Disappointing that so many businesses simply point to Tc&Cs conditions now rather than making the effort to provide outstanding customer service.

It is very expensive and over crowded we got the earlier train and it was hard to find a seat. Car parking incorrect online it should be £7 for long stay and £5 for short stay. You'd have to get there really early to avoid the long stay
Over priced for the trip not great views for much of route

My wife and I visited NYMR on bank holiday Sunday for the pullman dining experience. Firstly we were expecting a steam train. Unfortunately due to recent dry weather conditions the steam experience wasn't available. I think it's fair to say that the vast majority of visitors go for the steam train. So it was disappointing it wasn't running. Apparently five or more weeks since it has run. I fully understand the reasons but I believe we should have been informed in advance so that we knew. No doubt there is a policy in place stating this. But non the less when you have paid top dollar for a dining experience you at least expect to be kept informed if certain things that would be expected on a steam railway will not be available.
It goes without saying that the countryside was spectacular. But I can't help thinking that there were things that could be done better. The windows of the first class dinning car were filthy. There were even people's nose marks left on the glass. As the main course was being served we stopped at a station. My wife's view was a pile of scrap metal. My view was a water tower.
The service was OK and the starter wasn't too bad. Chicken terrine. The main course was poor. Very over cooked and dry beef. And inedible roast potatoes. Of which I received two. I was asked how my meal was before I started it. And didn't see anybody until we had finished. Ordinarily I would have questioned the quality of the food. But I didn't think it fare on my fellow diners in the garnet carriage to be making a fuss. But I was very disappointed. I wasn't asked if I enjoyed my meal. I assume the dried up meat and potatoes on my plate was a bit of a giveaway. Though any server with training should have asked if we had enjoyed it. Having spoken to fellow diners after the trip we were advised to never order the beef. They all ordered pork. Lesson learnt.
Overall I think the experience is very expensive for what we received. For that money the food needs to be spot on. And first class carriage windows need to be clean.
When we left the railway we asked about tickets into Whitby for a day out the next day. I was advised £50 each. And I could also make a donation if I wished. Wow!!! I know it's expensive to keep these historical attractions running. But another £100 on top of what we had already paid was just a stretch to far. We drove to the park and ride in Whitby and got the bus in and back for a fiver.
Overall I have to say that it's a very expensive experience. And for that money it needs to be spot on and attention to detail needs to be better

Perfect for steam buffs and lovers of a by-gone era

It’s not the first time I’ve undertaken the Pullman dining experience and there’s a reason I come back time and time again. This truly is an amazing day out. From arriving at the picturesque village of Grosmont to stepping into the old fashioned station the scene is set for a step back in time. The smell and the sound of steam hits you as the engines chug by, all before you board the beautiful, comfortable dining cars with everything set out stylishly. It’s like stepping onto the set of The Lady Vanishes or another great, timeless movie depicting the romantic age of steam. The sound of the whistle and you’re off, travelling through magnificent countryside with spectacular views as you enjoy a superb three course meal accompanied good wine. The customer service matches the quality of the food and scenery as you relax and enjoy a fantastic dining experience. This is exceptional value for money and I highly recommend it.

Our children presented me with a birthday gift card to be used for the NYMR Pullman Dining Experience. The day was a delight, from start to finish, not least because of the extremely courteous staff. We were made to feel like royalty. It was a very peaceful trip, with good food, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone - but it is probaby more suited to the older age bracket (I did have a short snooze after lunch, haha). Definitely, a lovely present!

Something I noticed as we passed some 'ordinary' NYMR trains on our journey - there were quite a lot of dogs with passengers and these dogs were sitting on the carriage seats. Basically, not everyone loves your dog - or any dog. This is not good practise, and certainly not hygiene-wise, and if dogs are to be allowed into the carriages (possibly in certain 'dog only' ones?), then they should be kept on the floor.
Obviously, we had no such problems in our Pullman Dining train.

What a delightful journey through the Yorkshire moors we did the full line and got off a couple of times to explore the local areas! The steam trains offer a charming blend of nostalgia and natural beauty that's hard to beat.

From the moment we arrived, the friendly staff made us feel right at home. Their warm welcome and attentive service really enhanced our experience. It's clear they take pride in their work and enjoy sharing the magic of these historic trains with visitors.

As we chugged along, the scenic views of the moors were simply breathtaking. Rolling hills, vibrant heather, and picturesque villages created a perfect backdrop for our journey. The gentle rhythm of the train and the occasional whistle added to the atmosphere.

This excursion is suitable for all ages, from families with children to older visitors looking for a relaxing day out. It's a wonderful way to experience the beauty of Yorkshire and step back in time for a few hours.

We highly recommend this steam train adventure to anyone visiting the area. It's a memorable experience that combines natural beauty, history, and good old-fashioned hospitality.

This was our second visit this year but on both occasions there were dogs being allowed to sit on carriage seats leaving them covered with dog hair. Despite certain people having allergies to dog hair, many people, not wanting their clothes soiled, were having to avoid sitting on these seats. I wish NYMR would have specific carriages for dogs and their owners.

For £25 per person I'd expect a higher level of service. Had to stand for return journey from Gothland after being told Whitby passengers needed to change trains at Grosmont. Utter chaos when this advice was changed with dozens of passengers stood on the platform wondering what was going on. Surely when booking you should book both legs and be guaranteed a seat. Spoilt what should have been an enjoyable journey.

Had a lovely day travelling up and down the line. a very busy day as some trains was cancelled no problem it happens but my gripe is the dog owners who think it is o k to have a dog on a seat and put nibbles on the table for the dog people get dressed up to go out and don't want to be sat in a seat with dog hairs still a good day