If there’s one thing the UK’s known for all over the world in terms of food, it’s cheese. It was cited about a decade or so ago by the British Cheese Board (now part of Dairy UK - further reading can be found HERE) that there are apparently over 700 named cheeses produced in the UK. There are plenty of different ones across the spectrum - from Baron Bigod to Wensleydale, from Stilton to Cheddar…listing them all would take a really long time! You could probably make a huge number of cheeseboards just from British cheeses alone. If you’re a cheese connoisseur, you may well want to visit one of the many places in the UK where you can sample cheeses from this country and further afield, often accompanied with wine. After all, what could be more relaxing than spending an evening with some friends, a selection of cheeses, and a decent bottle of wine?
Exploring different cheese & wine experiences is where we come in. A number of places offering cheese & wine experiences are either directly accessible by rail, or are close to a rail station, so there may be plenty of great deals on cheap train tickets to be had through our website. So let’s dive on in to see what Brie-lliant cheese & wine experiences there are in the UK! (Please note that this article only considers England, Wales, and Scotland - Northern Ireland is on a separate rail network to the rest of the UK). Please make sure you research your options carefully, and do contact us on customer.support@trainsplit.com if you have any additional questions - we're very happy to help you out!
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Pick & Cheese
Address: Seven Dials Market, Short's Gardens, London WC2H 9AT
Nearest station: Covent Garden (London Underground - Piccadilly line)
If you've ever been to a Japanese sushi restaurant where you pick the dishes you want from a conveyor belt, then you'll understand the concept of Pick & Cheese - it's essentially the same. From the conveyor belt, you can choose from a variety of different cheeses on different-coloured plates (with the plate colours corresponding to different prices), each of which comes with its own individual accompaniment to go alongside the cheese. It's a great opportunity to try different cheeses and work out what may go well with them. Most of the cheeses are from the UK, but there may be some from further afield on the menu, which changes every so often. Gluten-free crackers are available on request. Choose from the different wines available as well to help heighten your experience and see what might work with the cheeses available. Also of particular note is their 'Bottomless Plates' on Wednesdays, where you can have as many plates from the conveyor belt as you like for a set price (certain plates are excluded - consult the website for further details). There's also another Pick & Cheese which has recently opened in Camden Stables if you want to find somewhere not in the middle of London itself.
Image Credit: Seven Dials Market | Seven Dials Market
Wensleydale Creamery
Address: Gayle Lane, Hawes, Wensleydale, North Yorkshire DL8 3RN
Nearest station: Garsdale (services operated by Northern)
Wensleydale is one of the more well-known cheeses in the UK, but in the 1990s, the factory very nearly closed down due to sales having fallen, but efforts were made to revive it, and they worked. One of the most important factors was its mention as a favourite cheese of Wallace in Aardman's 1995 Oscar-winning film A Close Shave. Yes, Wensleydale was at least in part saved by some plasticine! You can visit the creamery just outside the Yorkshire Dales town of Hawes and learn more about how Wensleydale is made, its history, and be guided through a cheese tasting. While there isn't an included wine tasting as such, they do still give helpful tips on different accompaniments that could go well with the different cheeses, so it can serve as a great starting point for building your own cheeseboard at home. In addition to the cheeses in the shop, and as well as different accompaniments, they also sell a range of Wallace & Gromit merchandise - very appropriate when they're known for helping save this well-loved Yorkshire cheese!
Image Credit: Richmondshire Today | Richmondshire Today
Address: Crieff Road, Aberfeldy, Perthshire PH15 2EL
Nearest station: Dunkeld & Birnham or Pitlochry (services mainly operated by ScotRail, wth occasional trains from Caledonian Sleeper & LNER)
After a short journey out of Aberfeldy, you'll find Errichel. It's a working farm, and you can take a tour of the farm should you wish to do so. In addition to this, there's an on-site restaurant, with accommodation also being available if you want to spend a bit more time in this area of the Scottish Highlands. It would of course be remiss of us to not mention the tasting experiences they offer here. The choice is from either Scottish cheeses or Scottish charcuterie, with a deli accompaniment for each, to help heighten your enjoyment of the cheese or charcuterie. Also available is the choice to upgrade your tasting experience to include paired wine or craft beer tastings. It's a great way of sampling some of Scotland's local food products. As the name of the nearby town would suggest, Errichel is near to the Aberfeldy whisky distillery, so why not consider a tour of the whisky distillery while you're in the area?
Image Credit: scottishfoodguide.com | scottishfoodguide.com
Albury Vineyard
Address: Silent Pool, Shere Road, Albury, Surrey GU5 9BW
Nearest station: Chilworth (services operated by Great Western Railway), Gomshall (services operated by Great Western Railway), Guildford (services operated by Great Western Railway and South Western Railway)
In the Surrey Hills National Landscape is Albury Vineyard. Here, they pride themselves on sustainability and having a biodynamic vineyard, with biodiversity also being a really key focus for them. They also pride themselves on being an organic vineyard, and a wildlife walk tour is offered as well should you wish to partake. The vineyard tour & wine tasting is also an option, but the flagship offering is arguably the English wine & cheese tasting. With this, you have a guided tasting of sparkling wines from the Albury Estate, which is then followed up by a selection of English cheeses with a glass of your choice. If you wish to do so before or after the tasting, you can take a self-guided tour of the vineyard itself to help you learn more about what Albury do. Tastings usually take place inside the tasting room, but if the weather's good enough, they can take place outside instead - something slightly different!
Image Credit: Albury Vineyard | Albury Vineyard
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Loki Birmingham
Address: 36 Great Western Arcade, Birmingham B2 5HU
Nearest station: Birmingham Snow Hill (served by Chiltern Railways and West Midlands Railway)
Conveniently located in the middle of Birmingham itself is Loki, a wine bar & wine shop. For those a bit further out, they also have establishments in Edgbaston and Knowle. There are a number of different events hosted by Loki, but the main one is of course the cheese & wine experience. These are designed to help you recognise that there may be different cheese & wine pairings than you may think, and you can always use these skills at home if you're entertaining guests. There are a number of different tasting sessions on offer as well, which can make things more interesting as well. If you're unable to travel to Birmingham, then don't worry - there are some online tastings as well, which originally came into being as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but such was their popularity that they decided to keep them going!
Image Credit: Loki Wine | Loki Wine
The Cork and Truckle
Address: 4 Abbey Green, Bath BA1 1NW
Nearest station: Bath Spa (served by Great Western Railway)
If you're spending time in the historic Roman city of Bath, and want to do something slightly different, why not take in a cheese and wine tasting at The Cork and Truckle? As the name perhaps suggests, it's a cheese and wine shop just a short walk from the station, and they do tastings in their cellar. As you'd perhaps expect from such an experience, the pairings involve a cheese, some wine, and an additional accompaniment. The wines are from England, and the cheeses are British. However, if you're not a wine drinker, then there's no need to worry - they offer beer, cider, and mead as alternative alcoholic options. If you don't drink alcohol, there are other drinks options, so you don't need to worry about feeling left out.
Image Credit: The Cork and Truckle | The Cork and Truckle
Gwinllan Conwy Vineyard
Address: Y Gwinwydd, Llangwstenin, Llandudno Junction LL31 9JF
Nearest station: Llandudno Junction (served by Avanti West Coast and Transport for Wales)
North Wales is perhaps not the first place people may think of in the UK for growing wine, but don't be fooled. It's definitely worth considering a visit to this vineyard for one of their tour experiences, with vouchers available for purchase from their website, which makes it an ideal gift for a friend or loved one. The options include your standard vineyard tour & wine tasting, a vineyard tour & wine tasting with Welsh cheeses and other accompaniments, and also a vineyard tour & wine tasting with a Welsh grazing board. Feel free to take your pick from these, and why not pay a visit to the shop afterwards to take something home with you to enjoy at a later date?
Image Credit: Gwinllan Conwy | Gwinllan Conwy
The Cheese Barge
Address: Paddington Basin, Sheldon Square, LondonW2 6DL
Nearest station: London Paddington (served by Great Western Railway, Elizabeth line, Heathrow Express, and London Underground - Bakerloo, Circle, District, and Hammersmith & City lines)
We started this list off with somewhere in London, so why not finish it with somewhere else in London? The Cheese Barge is kinda what it says on the tin, in that it serves cheese on a barge moored in Paddington Basin just a short walk from the station itself, which helps to heighten its ease of access. It's also run by the same people as Pick & Cheese, so if you like that, we're sure you'll enjoy this as well. What the Cheese Barge does is allows you to make your own cheeseboard from a number of different ones, and as is the case with Pick & Cheese, each one comes with its own unique accompaniment. Gluten-free crackers are also available on request. Various other dishes are also available, which can be great if you're dining in a group or want to enhance a romantic meal, and these can include a British cured meat selection (with crispbreads and fig chutney), a baked 250g wheel of Baron Bigod (with Coombeshead sourdough, garlic roasted new potatoes, and Ampleforth beer fruit chutney), and many more. Desserts here are also worth considering, and the wine list is well worth looking into, because what could be a better accompaniment to a cheese-themed meal than sharing some wine with friends?
Image Credit: Karen Robinson | The Guardian
We very much hope that we've been able to convince you to consider a cheese & wine experience of some description in England, Wales, and Scotland. If we have, then fantastic! If you have any questions about train tickets for getting to & from any of these, please email us on customer.support@trainsplit.com, and we'll be more than happy to assist you.
Frequently asked questions
How can I find cheap train tickets in the UK?
You can save money by booking in advance, travelling at off-peak times, and using a site like TrainSplit to find split ticket options, frequently involving cheap Advance tickets. It’s a great way to cut the cost of travelling across the UK by train.
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Absolutely! Many UK train routes allow for split ticketing, meaning you can book multiple tickets for different parts of the journey and save compared to a single through fare. Try it on TrainSplit and see how much you could save.
When should I book my train tickets for a UK journey for the best prices?
To secure the cheapest train tickets for travel in the UK, it's advisable to book well in advance, as fares tend to increase closer to the travel date. Additionally, consider exploring split ticketing options for additional savings.
Are there any discounts available for frequent train travellers in the UK?
Consider purchasing a digital railcard that offers discounts for frequent train travellers to and other destinations. A railcard can provide significant savings on train tickets, especially when combined with strategies such as split ticketing, to ensure you get great-value cheap train tickets for your journeys. Whether you're commuting regularly or planning occasional trips, a railcard is a valuable investment that can help you maximise your savings on train travel across the UK.
Is it cheaper to book train tickets for travel in the UK online or at the station?
When looking to secure cheap train tickets for travel in the UK, booking online in advance typically provides the most cost-effective fares. Using train ticket booking platforms like TrainSplit can also help in finding split ticket options, further reducing your travel expenses.
If you travel by rail when exploring cheese & wine experience options in the UK, there's also the added benefit of it helping to protect the environment through reducing the number of cars on the roads and also decreasing CO2 emissions while you're at it.
You don't have to go too far out of your way, either - we've given the closest possible stations for each location, which can also help to minimise the duration of the final leg of your journey.
Let TrainSplit help you explore the many different cheese & wine experiences in Britain - for less.
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