bekonscot model village

Where to start, My first visit to Bekonscot was in the 60's now 50 years on I revisited this attraction, and was taken straight back to being a toddler, visiting Bekonscot for the first time. The years have been kind to Bekonscot....Forget your Legolands and other over priced attractions this place still charges a fair entrance fee for a good old fashioned valued attraction. A small part of Rural England trapped in a time bubble, where cricket is still played on the green, steam trains still running adding a certain movement and depth of character to the static world. A place where not has time stood still for the models but tome stands still inside, you can lose a good half a day in here and still not appreciate all the little gags and jokes that have been subtlety placed. Bekonscot has stood the test of time and survived where many other attractions have failed. Built on family values there is something here for children of all ages. Long may it continue for at least another 100 years.

Thirty years on and now taking my own children. It was always my favourite place to visit as a child. Thinking all the models would come alive once the park closed for the night. Updated this year a bigger shop! Take a pack lunch any time of weather and have your sarnie's in the green house. If your local best time to go in the week is 2pm just as the schools are vacating the park.

Like many other reviewers, both of us first came to Bekonscot as kids and we've visited a few times over the years as adults. The village never loses its magical quality and (as long as it's not too crowded) it's a great place for a relaxing day away from the stresses and strains of modern life. Nostalgia is a huge part of its attraction, of course. This is an idealised version of rural England that probably never existed and certainly doesn't now. Its charm depends on its old-fashioned, handbuilt qualities almost as much as on its evocation of a bygone age, and modernising it would completely destroy that. Despite this, it is nice to see a bit of subtle change in the village complementing the areas that haven't changed since childhood. Several sections look to have been updated since our last visit, notably the fairground, but we were still able to recognise features we'd first seen decades ago. And the associated facilities, such as the railway carriage shop, cafe and children's play area have improved beyond recognition.We were able to park with no difficulties in the church car park. We came principally to take a look at the model railway and associated buildings and at no point felt uncomfortable about the fact we hadn't brought any children with us. We visited very close to the start of the season and the village was moderately full when we arrived, with visitors drifting away to leave just a small number by the time we were ready to leave. We would be worried about visiting in high season, due to how crowded the site must become, but at this time of year there wasn't much of a problem. All the different sections of the village were delightful - from Bekonscot itself with its minster and shops named using wonderfully dreadful puns, and Hanton with its aerodrome, to the fishing village at Southpool and rural Greenhaily with its farms and village cricket. My favourite bit was probably the marina with lock and narrowboats.The railway is a work of art - 10 scale miles of Gauge 1 track with stations, signal boxes, tunnels and a full-size control centre at Maryloo. We'd come for inspiration and reference material with a view to building a garden railway of our own and left with a camera full of photos, postcards, the guide book and another volume on creating realistic minature landscapes. There's a lot of interest in the landscaping and planting - using full-size rather than bonsai plants to create the vegetation effects, and you can watch the trains haul their way up some heroic gradients. The most fun to be had with photography is to get down to the level of the models and photograph them in such a way that it's hard to tell what you're looking at isn't full-size.As an adult you see the artifice more, and you notice the joins where not everything is perfect, but that doesn't matter. If you can suspend your disbelief just a little, abandon the quest for CGI-style perfection, and leave the cares of the outside world at the gates, you will have an enchanting visit.

It's been thirty years since I last visited Bekonscot and returning to it with the next generation (two boys aged 5 and 3) proved to be a very enjoyable day out. The boys were absolutely fascinated and insisted on going round the village three times. Each time around you spot some details you missed the previous time. The attention to detail is incredible, capturing a moment in the 1930s. I expected to be there for a couple of hours but ended up spending about four hours, not including the time spent for lunch.There is a play area, very popular with the little ones and a place to have a picnic. The café was sufficient for our needs - a warm place on a chilly day where we could have a hot drink, but we left the village and had lunch in the High Street ten minutes away before returning. Despite it being a Saturday at the end of Half Term, we had no problem with parking, the entrance of which is clearly signposted almost opposite the entrance to the village.

It is eight years since our first visit to Bekonscot and it remains one of our family's favourite places to visit close to home. When we visited a few days ago, we were impressed by the fact that many of the models looked as if they had been refreshed since we last came and the café facilities had also improved. Parking can still be a challenge at busy times.

The village is just as wonderful as ever. I loved it as a child, then took my children and now my grandchildren. I recommend it to everyone. A lovely day out, enjoyed by all. Definitely a hit for all ages.

A First class place to visit especially with young children but parking can be difficult at peak times

If you have never been then no matter what age you should go, this is the original, the one and only, non-comercial, Bekonscot Model Village. Easy to find being just a few minutes drive from the M40 J2, you can't miss it as it's well signposted.

I never fail to find the size, scale, detail and most of all the vision here, inspiring and uplifting. For children of absolutely all ages!

My husband and I went here with our friends (all adults) and we thoroughly enjoyed it. There is a little toy train which gives you ride for about 3-4 minutes and costs 1 pound per person (not included in the ticket price). Its an interesting experience so sit on it and feel the little engine pull the train around. And the place is so well kept. The whole village is connected by miniature train lines going in all directions and its a lot of fun to wait for the train to come into a station. The kind of details that you can see if you paid close attention really makes you want to spend looking at each exhibit closely. I found miniature house advertisements hung in the windows of the village estate agents shop and you can read that the are giving a 2 bedroom maisonette for 600 pcm :) We did not mind the 10 pounds ticket entry as we felt 5 pounds were worth just for the trains !The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is the cafeteria. I wish they would upgrade it. After going through the model village, the cafeteria is a bit of a let down in terms of look and feel. But the food was very reasonably priced. I will definitely come back here when I have kids but it was great fun even as an adult.

I’ve been to Bekonscot last October. I’m amazed to see the precision on which each of those models is built with. I’m a huge train fan and have lot to get excited on fully operational miniature railway track and trains running all around with an efficient signalling.The kids liked the miniature train. I strongly recommend this place.

We took our children there in the seventies. We've been recently with our grandchildren. It's wonderful and I would recommend Bekonscot not only to children but adults too because it is so cleverly designed. It's a must for tourists. It should be a must for anyone lving within a 25 mile radius of it. Please visit. It's gentle, a bit old-fashioned but great fun.

This place really reminds me of my childhood, It's great. They keep it in fantastic condition and the attention to detail is remarkable. Find an excuse to go, you'll love it.

My son truly enjoyed the experience and so did the family... What a hidden gem... And I am tilt impressed witht the model village....

Brilliant place to take the Family... So clever and beautifully maintained!! we have been here a number of times and are always amazed at the level of detail in everything they do. Wonderful!!