A mother looks back on her son’s last summer before school – so full that telling the tales of the adventures barely happened. Now is the moment to put that right and start a series of posts about summer fun. First up is Bekonscot Model Village.
Two years had passed since the family’s first visit, and back then the toy railway that runs through most of the village had left the boy spellbound. A return had been overdue for a while. Some time ago a portion of Tesco points was swapped for Days Out vouchers, and when his father took a week off early in the month, the trip finally came together.
The drive over was an easy one. Near the church on the opposite side of the road there is limited free parking, and both times it worked out – helped, no doubt, by arrivals that fell almost exactly on the village’s 10:00 opening.
The moment the car was parked, the boy shot off ahead, towing his father along. ‘Daddy, where are the trains?’ So they made straight for the train area. One nice feature of the village is that it can be walked around as many times as the visit allows, so the route began there, on the idea that after a fix of trains the rest could be revisited and explored in more detail. His delight as he spotted and followed the different trains was a pleasure to watch. Along the route there was even a chance to see them controlled from the main signal box.
Beyond the trains, each corner of the village rewarded a closer look. The firefighter putting out a fire by a thatched-roof cottage was one of the best moments, and so was the coal moving along its belt towards the waiting wagons. Everything is recreated in the spirit of the 1930s, from the cars at the garage to the planes at the airport, and the detail is wonderfully done.
After a while the picnic beckoned. There are plenty of tables at Bekonscot Model Village, both under a parasol and under cover. The family brought the food along, though the café also has a choice of dishes at reasonable prices. Last came a ride on the miniature railway – a separate charge, but only £1 per person, and one that left the boy thoroughly delighted.