Miniature Train Rides In The Park

A Memory of Watford.

Close to the Grand Union Canal which runs through Cassiobury Park is a splendid miniature railway. It loops through woodland, has level crossings over footpaths and criss-crosses several lines before returning to the terminus beside the canal. I remember going on this as a child myself, and then taking my son David in the 1980s.

More recently I took my niece for a train ride in 2002 one hot summer's day. We needed ice creams to cool down afterwards!  That same summer I saw a grass snake swimming across the canal from the busy towpath side to the sanctuary of the quiet reedbank on the opposite side.

Cassiobury Park is a magnificent asset for Watford residents with everything you could wish for: sports pitches, woodland walks, canal towpath, wild life, paddling pools, train rides and picnic spots - all within 15 minutes walk of the town centre. It's the jewel in Watford's crown and holds a special place in the affections of older residents who still mourn the demolition of the famous "Cassiobury Park Gates" which were taken away in a controversial road widening scheme in the 1960s.