All Aboard for 2026: Winter Works Prepare Lappa Valley for the Season Ahead

Known for transporting visitors on a memorable train journey into a hidden world of play and adventure, maintaining the Lappa Valley experience requires year-round care and forward planning. This winter, a wide-ranging programme of improvements is helping ensure guests can continue to explore, play and make lasting memories when the new season arrives.

Investing in the Visitor Experience

One of the most noticeable projects is taking place at East Wheal Rose, where a brand-new platform is nearing completion alongside a spacious tarmac concourse designed to improve accessibility and enhance the arrival experience.

Ben Harding, Operations Director, explained the vision behind the development:

“We’re not just doing the platform and tidying it, but we’re making a fantastic, nice big tarmac concourse — very good for accessibility and helping give the right impression for visitors.”

Landscaping is also underway, with new planting and green spaces planned to create an inviting area where families will eventually be able to relax, picnic and watch trains arrive.

The new platform at East Wheal Rose

Creating Welcoming Spaces

Guests who visited during the festive season may recognise the Tunnel of Lights has now been transformed into a permanent covered walkway. The structure will serve as a route to an extended undercover picnic area and provide a flexible venue for special events throughout the year.

Elsewhere, smaller upgrades are making a meaningful difference across the site. High-traffic routes are being resurfaced, while new pathways and fencing are improving both safety and navigation toward popular challenges.

“Improvements are not always big and grand projects… but we notice where the high traffic areas are and we like to make them in better condition as well,” said Ben.

New accessible pathways around the site at East Wheal Rose

Play Areas Refreshed for a new season

Winter maintenance extends beyond railways and buildings — the park’s play areas are receiving attention too. The entrance to the large tube slide has been rebuilt, and a second seesaw has been installed following visitor feedback.

“We like to listen to feedback from our visitors of how we can improve,” Ben explained.

Perhaps most exciting for returning families is the comeback of a much-loved classic.

“After a couple of years’ absence… we’re delighted that in February half term we’ll be opening our new baby go-round here in the toddler area.”

The return taps into the nostalgia that has long been part of the Lappa Valley experience, where generations of families return year after year.

A Major Redevelopment Begins

Looking further ahead, one of the most significant developments is the planned replacement of the current gift shop building, which has reached the end of its service life.

Planning permission has been secured to demolish the structure and replace it with a modern, single-storey steel-framed building that will provide a larger retail space and a more accessible environment for all visitors.

“It won’t just give us a bigger retail space, but it will be a much more accessible experience as well — pushchairs and wheelchairs will not have any problems,” Ben said.

The project represents what he described as “one of the last bigger pieces of the jigsaw” in the park’s ongoing evolution, with a dedicated construction video series expected to document progress.

Lappa Valley’s old Gift Shop, which is due for demolition to be replaced with a brand new building in 2026

Essential Railway Maintenance

Alongside visitor-facing improvements, the railway itself is undergoing its annual winter programme — a crucial process that keeps operations safe and reliable.

Carriages are being lifted so their bogies and wheelsets can be inspected, cleaned and refreshed.

“Periodically we have to lift and inspect the bogies on our carriages,” Ben explained. “We give them a steam clean and a repaint ready to carry many, many happy visitors.”

In the running shed, diesel locomotives are currently supporting services while steam engines prepare for the year ahead, including boiler inspections and mechanical work.

Heritage locomotive Muffin is receiving particular attention.

“Muffin has now gone away for some very well-deserved bottom-end attention, and hopefully is going to be in tip-top condition for the season ahead.”

Meanwhile, workshop teams are refurbishing carriages, sanding metalwork back to primer before repainting and carrying out detailed safety checks on braking systems and wheel profiles.

“All of our wheelsets are subject to wear and tear… over time the wheels wear down, and you have to replace them or reprofile them,” Ben added.

A member of the Lappa Valley team works sanding down the paintwork on open top carriage L3

Looking Ahead

With projects large and small progressing across the site, the winter months are laying the groundwork for another busy year at Lappa Valley.

As the team prepares to welcome families back, one thing is clear: even in winter, the work never stops — all in readiness for another fantastic season in Cornwall’s much-loved world of play and trains.