We booked in for the reopening of Locomotion as soon as we heard it was opening its doors to the public again. We just love steam trains and the history behind them, we are avid visitors to steam hotspots across the UK, so to have somewhere like Locomotion nestled in Shildon is perfect for us as it means we can get our fix right on our doorstep.
The boys love to have a nosey around Locomotion and they love the royal carriages, they are definitely luxury. So we thought we would pop along to the re opening of Locomotion and once again enjoy the collection and see what measures they have in place due to covid-19.
From what we could see, they have done a great job ensuring that people can enjoy the collection safely. Visitors were mostly wearing masks, although we did not see anything stating that you have to wear them. We chose to wear ours to be on the safe side.
I feel that the outdoor play area was a bit too busy, although this is down to the parents to ensure their children's safety and to use common sense. Don't miss the gorgeous "A quiet afternoon in the cloud cuckoo valley" display. Not many people realise that the museum goes further than the childrens playpark. If you stick to the footpath and go all the way along (about a 10 minute walk) you will see some old engines and there's some buildings you go in and look around, but they are closed at the moment due to renovations.
Measures In Place for more info click HERE
*Touchless QR scanner to scan your tickets on your device
*Timed one way routes around the museum. You need to ensure you arrive no later than 30 minutes after your booking time.
*Enhanced cleaning routine
*Arrows on the floor, along with barriers to try and ease people in the one way direction.
*Hand sanitiser stations
*Staff are in PPE
Important Info
*Entry is free but must be pre booked. You can book up to 3 weeks in advance
*Picnic area which is quite large and plenty of room to be safe.
*Toilets are open (only one block in the main building)
*Cafe is open serving a range of hot/cold drinks and light lunches
*Playpark is open but the under 5s area is closed
*Shop is open
*Model railway is closed
*Tours and Talks are suspended until further notice
*Cab & Carriage access is closed but you can look through the window
*Passenger steam rides are off due to ongoing work.
*Dogs are allowed outside on leads they are not allowed in play parks or any of the buildings except Guide dogs
*Lots of parking in the main car park plus separate parking for disabled guests and an overflow car park at the other end of the site.
All of the far end buildings are closed due to ongoing renovations.
Opening times 11-4
WEEK 1 - July 28th, July 30th & August 1st
WEEK 2 - Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
September 23rd - Open all week except Tuesdays
Like this post? Check out our Durham based posts for Ideas on where to go for good North East Family Adventures!