plr

I've noted in my thread about "6 Days to Find The Best Castle Ruins in Wales" that I will likely rent a car for the trip. But I love to travel by train through areas of spectacular scenery when I have either few or no stops to make. It may be that my priorities for castle ruins are mostly in the north and the south of Wales.

Can any of you recommend daytime train segments that would be really special if I just had few or no ruins to stop to visit for major stretches or areas? I have in the past arranged complicated tours with trains & buses, and can do some of that during this trip as well if a site is in the midst of a great train route.

Frances

If you look at a railway map of Wales you will see that the main north -south route is a long way east and via England. This means that it is a long journey if for example you are trying to get from Anglesey to Fishguard.
However if you are looking for interest as opposed to speed , I would not miss
1. The section of the Cambrian Coast line which approaches Harlech from the south. You swing around a bend and suddenly there is Harlech castle- striking enough from any approach as it is high up above flat plains leading down to the sea.
2.Travel over the Britannia Bridge on to the mainland from Anglesey. You can do this as a short journey from Llanfairpwll to Bangor (5 mins- one stop)or better still take the train from Holyhead to Bangor (about 20 mins). You cross Anglesey(which I do twice a day by car) but see an entirely different view of a rural island. The views from the bridge are fantastic. Look out for the lions guarding the bridge which you cannot see any other way ( without trespassing).
Taking the train from north to south gives you a really nice ride and you realise how varied the landscape is. You probably won't want to do it twice though!
Finally there are a number of narrow gauge railways which have been restored to take advantage of the landscape and if you are a train buff you will enjoy all of these.

Ackislander

Yes, the narrow gauge trains were the first in the world, and are well worth the time. You get everything from vast views to riding past the corners of someone's garden. Not to be missed.

thursdaysd

Definitely check into the narrow gauge trains, especially the train that goes up Snowdon. See http://www.greatlittletrainsofwales.co.uk/

plr

Thanks for your detailed reply, Frances! I'll be studying my map shortly. Do either you or Ackislander have any specific recommendations for one or two of the narrow gauge routes that run through particularly beautiful areas?

As an aside, I am remembering that when in Scotland I was not allowed to leave my luggage in any of the train stations, so ended up unable to make use of quick stops to jaunt about while en route. So I guess I'd need to do shorter train trips when "planted" at a B&B for a day or two, so I can hop on & off if desired.

Wonder if it would be better to drive or to take a train from north to south, renting a car separately for both areas?

janisj

The best option is to keep your car and just ride some of the narrow gauge lines as excursions. Especially the Snowdon Mountain RR in Snowdonia.

Luggage storage won't come into it since they are only a few hours in length . . . You drive to the station, hop on the train, take the round trip and then drive on to your next adventure.

plr

Thank you Janis--just what I was trying to describe. Any other "excursions" that might be unmissable?

janisj

thursdaysd's link lists them w/ links to their individual websites. I've been on the Ffestiniog, Mt Snowden, and Bala Lake (on different visits) and would repeat any of them. Great scenery.

But check the specific sites and just decide which ones make most sense for your route

RosemaryM

The Welsh West Highland line runs from Caernafon (giving you the opportunity to see a great castle)into the mountains and is a spectacular route. It was a highlight of our trip last year. We did the train in the morning and the castle in the afternoon. The Ffestiniog is also great, from Porthmadog, and in a previous trip we enjoyed the Vale of Rheidol line from Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge. (My husband is well into trains!)

Rosemary

plr

Thanks for the recommendations, Janis & Rosemary. I've been poking around the websites for the narrow gauge trains, and the trips look great! I'm drawn most to the Welsh Highland, the Ffestiniog, and the Vale of Rheidol trips.... Clearly I'm wanting to pack too much into my tiny little week in Wales! How to narrow down the choices?

plr

I see that I omitted Snowdon just above. So I have narrowed my first choices to Snowdon and the Caernarfon Welsh Highland trips. If I have time for only one of these, do any of you have an opinion as to which is more exciting or scenic?

RosemaryM

As a personal opinion, the Snowdon has wonderful scenery but the train is less comfortable. They pack you in eight to a compartment and if, like me, you are a large sized person it can be very cramped. Also a seat in the middle doesn't get the best of the views! The West Highland is a real train (Snowdon only sends up one car per train) and is more comfortable. The views are great and varied but not so in your face awesome (hate that word) as the Snowdon.
Hope this helps.
Rosemary

julia_t

There is someone who posts here from time to time who has travelled much of the UK by train and posted trip reports. I think he calls himself rogerdodger.

He also posts on another forum, TravelersToGo, and has posted several trip reports in the Trip Report foum in the England section. He uses the name uktrainman.

I recall his posting at one time about train travel along the Welsh borders, stopping in Ludlow, Shrewsbury, etc.

Maybe you can track down that trip report, or send a message via TTG.

GeoffHamer

The weather is also a factor. I went up Snowdon by train once when it was cloudy and you could see nothing at the summit - it was a complete waste of money.

plr

I appreciate this thread being resurrected. Your comments today are very helpful! Rosemary, just to clarify--are you saying the Snowdon is a single car trip? And where would the best seats be if not in the middle? Is your reference to the "West Highland" the same train as the Caernarfon Welsh Highland I see on this website? http://www.greatlittletrainsofwales.co.uk/

Julia_t--Funny you should mention rogerdodger. He was a great help to me in planning my first, incredibly complicated 2-week adventure in Scotland which I accomplished completely by use of trains & buses (rented a car one day only). I'll look him up again! Had not occurred to me that he "specializes" in trains all across the UK.
(If anyone is so inclined, you can read my Trip Report of 4/06 here: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...p-report-2.cfm ).

GeoffHamer, I've already been concerned about the weather, and decided not to reserve the train tickets ahead of time, for that reason. Will just have to risk not being able to get on when the weather is right, I guess.

RosemaryM

Sorry about that. Yes, it is the Welsh Highland Rail from Caernafon. The Snowdon train is only one car per trip with a little rack and pinion engine pulling it up. The best seats are by the windows. The car is divided into compartments seating four on each side facing each other. If the people on the window seats are co-operative you can get the view but last year the guy beside me spent the entire trip leaning out of the window with his camera and we had to get glimpses around him. Luckily I had been there before but my son was rather disappointed.
The tickets specify the compartment but not the seat so if you get there well ahead of the time given you should get a window.
I agree with Geoff, if it is cloudy, don't bother.

Rosemary

plr

Julia_t, how can I "send a message via TTG"? I would like to ask rogerdodger to chime in on a couple of my threads here, but can't figure out how to do that.

julia_t

www.travelerstogo.com

You'll have to register and log in.

Then find a post by uktrainman (there are several in the Trip Report forum, under the England tag).

Click on his name, and you'll a profile page.

Here there will be a tag called write or message, click this, and you can then send a personal message.

Good luck!