Chinnor's Santa steam trains leave Princes Risborough from 28 November, £24.50 early on. Odds Farm's grotto is from £35 and the Hellfire Caves' from £20.
Three places near High Wycombe have already put their 2026 Santa visits on sale: a steam train from Princes Risborough station, a grotto inside the Hellfire Caves at West Wycombe, and the Christmas Cracker at Odds Farm Park. All three price by date.
The quick answer
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway Santa Steam Specials: 28 and 29 November, then December weekends and 22 and 23 December; £24.50 in November, £29.50 in December, adults and children alike, from Princes Risborough Platform 4 (Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway). Odds Farm Christmas Cracker: selected dates 27 November to 24 December, from £35 (Odds Farm Park). Hellfire Caves grotto: December dates, £20 to £24.50 a child (Hellfire Caves).
Santa Steam Specials from Princes Risborough
The Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway runs its Santa trains from Princes Risborough station, Platform 4 (sat nav HP27 9DN) to “Santa’s Enchanted Workshop and Grotto” at Chinnor, which the railway calls the North Pole station. The railway says it is holding prices at 2025 levels this year (Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway).
| Dates | Price per person (adult, senior or child 1 to 12) |
|---|---|
| Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November | £24.50 (early season, £5 off) |
| Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December | £29.50 |
| Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December | £29.50 |
| Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December | £29.50 |
| Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 December | £29.50 |
- Departures: 10.30, 12.30 and 14.30 on every date. The round trip takes about 1 hour 35 minutes.
- Included: the steam train ride, a visit to Santa, and a mince pie or biscuit with tea, coffee, hot chocolate or a Fruit Shoot, served at Chinnor. Each child ticket (1 to 12 years) includes a present. Babes in arms under one need no ticket and still get a small gift. Teenagers and adults get no present.
- Face painting for 3 to 11 year olds while the train is at Chinnor.
- Seating: allocated, at tables of four; a booking that is not a multiple of four may share a table.
- Buggies cannot go on the train; leave them on Platform 4 or in the car.
- Wheelchairs: one space only, in a separate area, for one wheelchair user and one carer.
- Dogs: small dogs on a short lead are allowed on the train but not in the grotto.
- Parking: Chiltern Railways’ pay and display at Princes Risborough station.
- The railway may swap in a diesel locomotive if a steam engine is unavailable.
Bookings: 07979 055366, 10am to 4pm, or bookings@chinnorrailway.co.uk; the volunteer back office asks for 48 hours to reply. After Christmas the railway runs “Winter Warmers” trains on 27 and 28 December and 1 and 2 January.
Christmas Cracker at Odds Farm Park, Wooburn Common
Odds Farm Park runs its Christmas Cracker on selected dates from 27 November to 24 December 2026, with booking slots from 8.45am to 6pm. Every ticket includes a full day at the farm park (Odds Farm Park).
- Price: standard tickets from £35; member tickets from £22.
- What a child gets: a private family visit with Santa in the grotto, a cuddly bear to make and take home, and a free toy chosen from Santa’s Toy Shop.
- Shows: Christmas character shows in the Show Barn, illuminated tree shows and the farm’s “A Cappella Penguins”.
- SEN-only sessions are offered on dedicated dates.
- Prize draw: tickets booked before midnight on 31 October 2026 are entered into a draw for £500 towards Christmas.
The farm park is closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, and open on the Tuesdays of the Christmas holidays (opening times).
Santa’s Grotto in the Hellfire Caves, West Wycombe
The Hellfire Caves close to general visitors in the run-up to Christmas and turn the tunnels into a Santa’s Grotto: an elf-led trail through the caverns, a Grinch to watch out for, a present from Father Christmas for each child, and photo booth photos (Hellfire Caves).
- Dates listed: 5, 6, 12 and 13 December, and 8 to 12 and 15 to 19 December.
- Price: £20 to £24.50 per child depending on the date, including the gift.
- Tickets are non-refundable; exchanges for another date may be possible.
- The caves are not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs, and pushchair parking is provided (visiting).
The caves’ own pages are not consistent on when the grotto season starts: the Christmas page says 22 November and the visiting page says the caves close for the grotto from 16 November. The booking system has the bookable dates. General admission reopens from 27 December to 3 January, 10am to 4pm daily.
Still to be confirmed
- Odds Farm’s exact Christmas Cracker dates and which ones are SEN sessions: book through the farm’s ticket site to see them.
- The Hellfire Caves’ first grotto date.
- Sell-outs. Chinnor’s booking page showed no sold-out departures on 25 September. We will note it here when the weekend slots go.
Also on Wycombe Today: Peter Pan at the Wycombe Swan, the Christmas lights switch-on, Hughenden at Christmas and Christmas trains and travel.
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