Central Wales Trains, Ales & Gardens

DAY 1

Meeting in Shrewsbury at the Victoria Quay (11:45) for our tour on the Sabrina boat. Our journey will take approximately 1 hour as we travel on the Severn River around the lovely town of Shrewsbury. We will pass the beautiful park and gardens and see how they have evolved since the days of Percy Thrower. His final career move was to Shrewsbury in 1946, as a Park Superintendent. He was the youngest parks superintendent and had a staff of about 35. After our journey we will have time for a quick lunch or pick up a snack for the train as the journey is 3 hours. We will meet at the railway station (13:45) for our journey on the Heart of Wales line to the Market Town of Llandovery. On arrival we transfer to the 4-star Castle Hotel where we stay for the next five nights. There will be time to relax before meeting up for dinner in the restaurant. Nestled at the edge of the Cambrian Mountains Llandovery is the western gateway to the Brecon Beacons National Park (Bannau Brycheiniog), is a small market town rich in history, character and charm. Surrounded by rolling hills, rivers and an ancient castle, this peaceful town has long been a resting place for travellers, poets, and holiday makers. Overnight in Llandovery.

DAY 2

Today we transfer to Brecon (09:00). Situated on the border of the National Park. Llandovery was described by the early travel writer George Borrow as 'the pleasantest little town in which I have halted'. Our visit today will start with Tretower Court and Castle a medieval fortified manor house set in beautiful countryside between Brecon and Abergavenny. Here we will have a guided tour before moving onto to Brecon for our lunch break. This afternoon we take a canal boat for a relaxing journey on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. From here we travel back to Llandovery to our hotel. Overnight in Llandovery.

DAY 3

Again, we will meet up after breakfast for our transfer (09:30) to the Gwili Steam Railway in Carmarthen (thought to be the oldest Town in Wales). The Gwili Steam Railway operates a standard gauge preserved railway from Bronwydd (near Carmarthen) South Wales along a short section of the former Carmarthen to Aberstwyth railway that closed to passenger traffic in 1965, the track being lifted in 1975. The Gwili Railway was formed in 1975 and by 1978 had purchased and rescued about eight miles of track bed. After our steam rail experience, we will transfer to a local pub for our Sunday lunch before our visit to Aberglasney. A medieval house and gardens set in the Towy Valley. This beautiful property set in 10 acres of gardens was opened to the public in 1999. Here we have free time to visit the gardens at our leisure. There is a tearoom if you would like to just sit and relax with a tea or glass of wine before we return to Llandovery.

For those who still have energy (weather permitting) there is a lovely walk to Dinefwr Park. Here you will see Newton House (a National Trust property). You can also continue your walk to Dinefwr Castle. From here there are stunning views of the Towy Valley. There may also be time later in the week. Overnight in Llandovery.

DAY 4

We have an early start this morning as there is only one train we can catch, the (08:26) train to Llanelli. This will complete the Heart of Wales Line from Shrewsbury to Llanelli. At Llanelli the line joins the main line to Swansea. We will be met by our coach at Llanelli and taken to the Mynydd Mawr Railway. This is a heritage railway which aims to re-instate as much of the former Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway which closed in 1989. The initial line was a tramway powered by horses transporting coal to the sandy area of Llanelli Docks. Throughout the twentieth century the line continued as a main artery for coal distribution from the Gwendraeth Valley, until closure of Cynheidre Colliery in 1989. After our visit we transfer to the White Heart brewery pub for a break. We then Visit the National Botanical gardens of Wales. The gardens are set in the beautiful countryside of Carmarthenshire. Here you'll find and inspiring range of themed gardens, the world's largest single-span glasshouse, the British Bird of Prey Centre, a tropical butterfly house, a walled garden and a nature reserve all set in a Regency Landscape. There will be plenty of time here to relax, have some lunch and enjoy the surroundings. From here we transfer back to Llandovery. Overnight in Llandovery.

DAY 5

Today, we retrace our journey to Brecon for our visit to the Brecon Mountain Railway and time for a light lunch. This will be followed by a journey through the Brecon Beacons to Swansea where we will see where the Swansea and Mumbles Railway use to run. The Swansea and Mumbles Railway was the world's first horse car railway in the world, originally built to move limestone from Mumbles to Swansea. The museum may be closed but we are able to see a reconstructed model of the double decker tram through the window. At 16:00 we have a boat trip on the Copper Jack to explore the industrial history of the Tawe River. There is an option after this visit to travel back to Llandovery on our coach or to take the train from Swansea to Llandovery to complete the Heart of Wales Line (at own expense). Overnight in Llandovery.

DAY 6

This morning, we say goodbye to Llandovery and transfer to Aberystwyth. We leave the hotel at (09:45) with our luggage. Our first visit today will be the Caws Teifi Cheese factory and distillery. Located in Ceredigion, this is an award-winning artisan, organic, family run cheese factory where we can sample the cheese and taste the gin or whisky. We then move onto Cenarth for lunch in a local pub set beside the river Cenarth. The river is well known for its falls and salmon fishing on coracles. These are small, rounded, lightweight boats that are traditionally used in Wales. After lunch we travel onto Henllan to visit the Teifi Valley narrow gauge Railway. The railway was created from a branch line of the Great Western Railway which served the West Wales rural area. The railway is situated near the market town of Newcastle Emlyn between Carmarthen and Cardigan. From here we travel onto Aberystwyth for the next 2 nights. Overnight in Aberystwyth.

DAY 7

Our first visit today will be the Vale of Rheidol Railway. A narrow-gauge heritage railway in Ceredigion between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge, a journey of approx. 11 miles. Before we depart, we can visit the Narrow-Gauge Railway museum which has some very interesting locomotives including the famous Fire Queen. The original primary purpose of the line was to carry timber, for pit props in the South Wales valleys and lead ore from the Rheidol Valley to the sea and the main railway at Aberystwyth. We will have an hour break at Devil's Bridge before our return journey to Aberystwyth. On our return we will transfer to the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway. The railway is a 778ft long funicular railway, the second longest in the British Isles, it opened on 1st August 1896. The funicular was originally a water balance system but was electrified in 1921. It's now run by Constitution Hill Ltd., a registered charity. There is a café and a camera obscura (the biggest in the world) on the top of the hill. Of course, there are some wonderful views across the bay and surrounding countryside. There will be time for you to explore, have some lunch/snack before returning, at your leisure, to the hotel. Overnight in Aberystwyth.

DAY 8

After breakfast we take the train from Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury where our tour started. Please be ready with your luggage, the station is a short walk from the hotel. There are trains to Shrewsbury at 08:29 and 09:29. After that there is a gap until 11:28. We suggest 09:29. If anyone wishes to take another train, please let us know.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner