Railworld Wildlife Haven

What a nice little gem this is in Peterborough. Kids absolutely loved it from the model trains to exploring the gardens and even watching the huge steam engine coming into the platform (good timing there!!)

The size of the place is perfect as it’s not to big and small enough for the little ones to have fun running around but not big enough for them to moan about walking to far.

Everything is easy to get to and all the staff are welcoming and friendly.

With some model trains outside and also a smaller model railway inside this place is great and also if you fancy catching up on some of the history of Peterborough’s railways it’s definitely worth a visit.

The gardens are nicely kept and easily accessible which is a nice walk over a bridge next door. Encourages exploring and the signal box is a nice touch being able to go in.

Will be back again and thoroughly recommend this place to all. Nice place, nice people and a great place to go away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre (located through the fair meadow car park)

Another superb visit to Railworld yesterday. I have a six year old and a three year old and despite the weather they absolutely loved it. From the toy trains and model railway to the adventures we had in the nature haven, we played hide and seek and acted out the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff on the bridge.

The volunteers are so friendly and helpful and put so much effort into creating a wonderful place for all the family.

If your children want somewhere to explore, this is definitely the place to come. We will be visiting again.

We think this place is very good, very friendly volunteers gave us great information, took us around the site and made the impression they are all very knowledgeable about railways,rail stock and the area itself. Great viewing platform for the live train tracks coming in and out of Peterbrough. We spent about 2 hours here altogether taking pictures, walking the nature area, looking at the red kites and chatting to all the volunteers. The snacks and drinks on sale are very reasonably priced if you're taking young kids or just want a coffee. Clean toilets and the bridge over the river gave us lovely views of the rowers on the river and the green Victorian iron bridge and viaduct.
Thanks to the volunteers for all their hard work. The model railways are lovely and the minature railway looks like a lot of hard work has gone into it.
Well done
Leanne and Graeme

I visited for the first time after many years. The Haven was very peaceful and at times I would not have known that I was in the centre of Peterborough. There were some lovely places to sit and watch the river and the trains. The educational facilities particularly for children were very good and still developing. Two model railways and a garden railway would keep children and adults entertained. It’s inspiring to realise that all of this was created by volunteers. I was so inspired I am certainly thinking of volunteering myself.

My cancer charity group of 15 people visited on Friday 25 August after having been told how volunteers had turned a disued rail stockyard site into a wildlife haven . The effort and volunteer resources put in over some thirty years is nothing but astounding. Apart from the model railway layout, always bound to captivate young ones, a short work over scenic river bridge, and you arrive at a maze of secluded footways and lush planting. The walkways are interrupted by benches with scenic views, information boards , a rebuilt signal box overlooking the main line, visitor and information centre and low priced refreshments.

This is a great place to take the family for a price friendly and interesting day.

This was an unexpected bit of nature near the heart of the city! I thought from the name that it would be focused on model railways, but they've created a mini jungle with lots of beautiful nooks and crannies tucked away to enjoy. It's so serene, you can sit and watch lots of birds and dragonflies and listen to the watersoothing for the soul. Lots of work and love has clearly gone into this place!

We chose to visit based on all of the positive reviews before having lunch at a nearby restaurant. The railway exhibits were interesting but to be honest we were hoping to see a few more things especially on the “wildlife haven front” as all we noticed were bee’s and some swans with their cygnets, but maybe we weren't looking hard enough? This attraction is maybe better suited to children as they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. That said, we enjoyed the 30 minutes or so that we spent visiting and appreciate the hard work that all the volunteers put in for the enjoyment of others.

I volunteered here for the day. It was an amazing place, so well thought out and all the staff were lovely. Brian is an inspiration and really knowledgeable and you can see the passion he has put into Railworld and making it what it is today. Really interesting focus on climate change and also wildlife, also a great day out for kids!

Keeping our 3 year old grandson amused can be a challenge but we highly recommend a visit to rail world.
From the moment we walked in to the time we left some hours later he was totally captivated.
Lots of picnic tables throughout.
A great place to visit for all the family.
Good job Rail world, spot on.

I dropped my grandson here for him to do his volunteering as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. How did I never know Railworld Wildlife Haven existed? Oh my goodness how beautiful is this place. You would never know you were in the heart of Peterborough city centre you could easily think you were tucked away in Cornwall. The place is looked after and run by volunteers. They rely purely on donations to carry out the ongoing work. I am amazed at the admission price, adults £4 and children £2. There are several places you can sit and have your own picnic. We had an 11 year old with us, she was very impressed and wanted to go back again. I will certainly go back again for another wander around.