A SWEDISH family who adore the Looe Valley railway line have found a great way to recreate their memories at home this Christmas holiday.
The Hauge family has spent two of the last four summers on holiday in Cornwall – and they especially love coming to the Looe Valley where their train-obsessed son Ola can travel on the picturesque branch line that links Liskeard and Looe.
The family have stayed at the Polraen Country House Hotel which is just a stone’s throw from Sandplace Station.
Ola, 10, has been missing the railway so much he asked his dad to make him a special hoodie with the logo of the branch line to wear to school.
Thinking up a nice way to entertain his family during these strange times, Dad Knut Hauge contacted Gill Bridges from the hotel, and requested a copy of the hotel’s breakfast menu so he could surprise his wife Hanne, Ola, and Ola’s brother Simen with a traditional English breakfast at home.
Knut said: “It is things like this that are keeping us busy through these strange times. When we sit at home and talk about what we miss most about not being able to travel, Cornwall is top of the list. Both the kids mention Looe - and the breakfast! We really love the line and the area. When Geoff Marshall and Vicki Pipe did their All the Stations tour in 2017, we “adopted” Sandplace after having been to Polraen.”
Gill Bridges said: “It’s heart-warming to learn that staying with us at Polraen Country House in the Looe Valley has cemented such a special place in the childhood memories of these two Swedish boys and their parents. We look forward to welcoming them back, hopefully before long. Our proximity to the Looe Valley Line makes us a hit with railway enthusiasts as well as those who prefer a more peaceful place to stay.”
After sending the menu over, it wasn’t long before Gill received an email back complete with photos of the family enjoying their breakfast and Ola in his custom made Looe Valley Line hoodie.
One of the country’s most unusual branch lines, the Looe Valley Line regularly features in lists of the most scenic rail journeys in the UK.
For more information about the line, visit www.greatscenicrailways.co.uk