DarloRich
Veteran Member
This is a report on a fairly recent trip to the Sidings Hotel near York. I thought I had lost it but found it saved on my computer under an erroneous file name! It is based on my Trip adviser review but with added railway emphasis for the benefit of this forum 
The Sidings by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
The hotel is an unusual and quirky place and I doubt you will find another like it! Almost the entire hotel is constructed out of old railway carriages, stuffed full of railway memorabilia and right next to the east coast mainline. It is somewhere I have blasted past about 100000000 times on the ECML and wondered what it was like to stay there and thanks to my girlfriend we were about to find out
We stayed here for 2 nights in March on a group on voucher. It offered good value for money and the stay was really good. They even let us bring the dog. Our deal included a two course evening meal on one night, which was very good, while the drinks were reasonably priced. The restaurant was in an old MKI railway carriage and offered private, candle lit booths which were really romantic. The food was really good and in the end we ate there both nights. The costs were not outrageous for a decent three course meal with wine. After our meal it was really nice to sit next to a large open fire and have a drink and chat. Breakfast was a continental selection (meats/cheese/eggs/pastry) cereals, tea and juice but it was plentiful and was served in the viewing gallery/conservatory right next to the tracks.
The Sidings by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
The rooms are small; after all they are compartments in converted MKI carriages and they could do with a spruce up. They are basic and our bed wasnt the most comfortable while the bathroom was very simple, needed better ventilation and a refit. The room was also very hard to keep at a constant temperature due to the method of construction although the heater in the room was very nice when it kicked in. That said I have stayed in much worse and there was evidence, supported by the owners comments, to indicate there was a refurbishment programme going on. The room had free wifi, a TV and the usual tea and coffee making facilities and was extremely tidy with fresh bedding.
The Sidings by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
Despite being next to the railway line the noise or vibration wasnt an issue and we both slept very well over the two nights. The hotel is very well situated for York or for exploring North Yorkshire. The tourist sites of York are 15 minutes by car with a park and ride facility 5 minutes away but without a car you may struggle. The staff & owners were really friendly and helpful and the service was good.
The Sidings by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
Because of the tiredness of the room I cant give more than 3 stars (on trip advisor) but the friendliness of the staff, the great food, the fun we had and the idea of sleeping in a converted railway carriage complete with the sliding windows and communication cords coupled the sounds of trains whizzing past has its own unique attraction and charm and pulls the rating up to a 4. If the rooms get a refurb this could easily be a 5 because it is just so unique. You will experience something different here if you like chain hotels this one isnt for you, but if you want something quirky, individual and full of character and/or you like trains this is the place for you! We really liked visiting and would very happily visit again.
The Sidings by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
So onto the Railway stuff! Obviously the location next to the main line means you will see a procession of East Coast 91s and HST, Voyagers (plus the odd XC HST) TPE185s and of course the HSTs of Grand Central. Freight wise there are colliers to / from the ports on Tyneside and Teesside hauled by a smorgasbord of 66s along with some other industrial fre3ight to the steel works in Middlesbrough & Redcar and NR balsst/engineering trains. The highlight traction wise was a couple of DBS 60s and an NR test train hauled by 37s.
During the day the trains are not really noticeable but at night I was worried some of the heavy coal trains rumbling past on the slow line, about ½ an inch (or so it seemed) from our heads, might disturb our slumber. If they did rumble past I barely noticed although an errant hopper with a wheel flat did briefly awaken me. Other than that there were no problems
The Sidings by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
There is something quite nice about watching the sun rise as trains speed past, occasionally giving a toot on the horn in place of an early morning wake up call. We could open our curtains and watch the passing traffic without getting out of bed although I am not sure that went down very well with the boss The other guests were a mix of spotters, couples and people after a different place to stay. It was a good mix with a nice atmosphere and well worth a visit
The Sidings by DarloRich2009, on FlickrThe hotel is an unusual and quirky place and I doubt you will find another like it! Almost the entire hotel is constructed out of old railway carriages, stuffed full of railway memorabilia and right next to the east coast mainline. It is somewhere I have blasted past about 100000000 times on the ECML and wondered what it was like to stay there and thanks to my girlfriend we were about to find out
We stayed here for 2 nights in March on a group on voucher. It offered good value for money and the stay was really good. They even let us bring the dog. Our deal included a two course evening meal on one night, which was very good, while the drinks were reasonably priced. The restaurant was in an old MKI railway carriage and offered private, candle lit booths which were really romantic. The food was really good and in the end we ate there both nights. The costs were not outrageous for a decent three course meal with wine. After our meal it was really nice to sit next to a large open fire and have a drink and chat. Breakfast was a continental selection (meats/cheese/eggs/pastry) cereals, tea and juice but it was plentiful and was served in the viewing gallery/conservatory right next to the tracks.
The Sidings by DarloRich2009, on FlickrThe rooms are small; after all they are compartments in converted MKI carriages and they could do with a spruce up. They are basic and our bed wasnt the most comfortable while the bathroom was very simple, needed better ventilation and a refit. The room was also very hard to keep at a constant temperature due to the method of construction although the heater in the room was very nice when it kicked in. That said I have stayed in much worse and there was evidence, supported by the owners comments, to indicate there was a refurbishment programme going on. The room had free wifi, a TV and the usual tea and coffee making facilities and was extremely tidy with fresh bedding.
The Sidings by DarloRich2009, on FlickrDespite being next to the railway line the noise or vibration wasnt an issue and we both slept very well over the two nights. The hotel is very well situated for York or for exploring North Yorkshire. The tourist sites of York are 15 minutes by car with a park and ride facility 5 minutes away but without a car you may struggle. The staff & owners were really friendly and helpful and the service was good.
The Sidings by DarloRich2009, on FlickrBecause of the tiredness of the room I cant give more than 3 stars (on trip advisor) but the friendliness of the staff, the great food, the fun we had and the idea of sleeping in a converted railway carriage complete with the sliding windows and communication cords coupled the sounds of trains whizzing past has its own unique attraction and charm and pulls the rating up to a 4. If the rooms get a refurb this could easily be a 5 because it is just so unique. You will experience something different here if you like chain hotels this one isnt for you, but if you want something quirky, individual and full of character and/or you like trains this is the place for you! We really liked visiting and would very happily visit again.
The Sidings by DarloRich2009, on FlickrSo onto the Railway stuff! Obviously the location next to the main line means you will see a procession of East Coast 91s and HST, Voyagers (plus the odd XC HST) TPE185s and of course the HSTs of Grand Central. Freight wise there are colliers to / from the ports on Tyneside and Teesside hauled by a smorgasbord of 66s along with some other industrial fre3ight to the steel works in Middlesbrough & Redcar and NR balsst/engineering trains. The highlight traction wise was a couple of DBS 60s and an NR test train hauled by 37s.
During the day the trains are not really noticeable but at night I was worried some of the heavy coal trains rumbling past on the slow line, about ½ an inch (or so it seemed) from our heads, might disturb our slumber. If they did rumble past I barely noticed although an errant hopper with a wheel flat did briefly awaken me. Other than that there were no problems
The Sidings by DarloRich2009, on FlickrThere is something quite nice about watching the sun rise as trains speed past, occasionally giving a toot on the horn in place of an early morning wake up call. We could open our curtains and watch the passing traffic without getting out of bed although I am not sure that went down very well with the boss
The other guests were a mix of spotters, couples and people after a different place to stay. It was a good mix with a nice atmosphere and well worth a visit
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