I did a steam drivers coarse at Telford which was good value and well run. It is a quiet line with no regular trains as such. The larger places are very busy commercially and that gets in the way. You could also try they Lavender Line in East Sussex which is near the Bluebell Railway but totally separate and they specialise in driver training days. Enjoy your day as you will be kept busy taking photos!

Hi there! Welcome to the forum :)

Hi Kate, It would be nice if you could let the forum know which railway you went to and how you both enjoyed the experience when you have made a choice.

Hello Kate
The East Lancashire Railway do the footplate experience courses and of course Lancashire is famous for it's hospitality and you could always try the famous Bury black puddings while your here.
Then there is the Keighley and Worth Valley railway, they also do the footplate courses and the pub over the road does a cracking pint of Black sheep bitter.
Both railways have a good internet site to look at.

Alan

Hello Kate

For a low cost, high value for money course try the Chasewater railway at Brownhills. Nearby are places like Birmingham and Black Country museum.

Richard

Well, after going through all your suggestions and getting totally confused I decided to ask my OH for his choice. On the one hand he now knows what he is getting for Christmas but on the other hand he is going to get the day he wanted and is already looking forward to it.

His choice is Chinnor, mainly because he has been there many times, it's not too far away and he was tempted by the 'good driving challenge' recommended in Chris' post. So, I'll be booking Chinnor for him and will definitely come back and let you know how we get on.

Thanks for all your replies to my original post.

Best regards for a Happy Christmas.

Kate