Snaprails Random Things: A week in Wales

14th - 21st May 2022

Holiday! I rented a cottage in the village of Abergynolwyn in southern Snowdonia for a week away in Wales. Possibly a bit brave in May but as it turned out the weather wasn’t too awful and there’s always something interesting to do around there anyway. The 19th century slate worker’s cottage had been recently refurbished to a high standard and thankfully had full height ceilings and doorways so as long as I remembered to duck going up and down the stairs I was OK! It was also within easy walking distance of the Railway Inn which served a decent pint and had a good atmosphere (if occasionally a little lively for one of the local Miserable Sods Club).

Monday - Talyllyn Railway

Can’t go to Wales without riding on one of the “Great Little Trains”. The Talyllyn is the grandfather of all the preserved lines yet I’d never previously been on it. Only three trains a day in May so I settled for a ride from Abergynolwyn station down to Tywyn Wharf, had a look around the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at that station, and took a return ride to Nant Gwernol station. Nant Gwernol lies above the village in a gorge with only footpath access. When the Talyllyn was a slate carrying railway there was an incline down to the village.Now it’s a pleasant if steep walk through the trees alongside the tumbling river after which the station gets its name.

This 20 minute video gives a flavour of the trip.

Tuesday - Barmouth and a lake.

I drove up to Barmouth on a nice sunny morning, making use of the quaint, wooden Penmaenpool Toll Bridge which is something of an experience in itself. I walked out across the wide expanse of Barmouth Beach and turned around to find a huge ominously dark cloud looking back at me. A wander around the town centre revealed that Barmouth, a nice enough little seaside resort seems to be the area’s discount shop capital. I don’t remember it being so when I last visited and we stayed on the camp site on the seafront to the north. Mind you, that was in the late 1980s :-)

Window shopping and coffee drinking done I drove back to Abergyolwn via Dolgellau where I decided against filling up with what appeared at the time to be some very expensive petrol. When I eventually found the turn off the A493 near Arthog I took the narrow, steep, and gated road up to Cregennan Lakes. This involved getting rained on twice at each gate because Wales but is a very “interesting” road and I’m glad I didn’t meet anything coming the other way. There was only one other car in the car park by the lake. It’s a peaceful spot. In mid May at least.

Wednesday - Aberystwyth & Ynyslas

My first ever venture away from home without family was a junior school trip to Devil’s Bridge so I’ve known Aberystwyth for a long time. I have a mission to visit every funicular railway in the UK, in no particular order and without a timescale so today was the ideal opportunity to take the ride up to Constitution Hill. I discovered that it’s very hard to photograph the actual cliff railway. It was also very windy at the top though the views are excellent. Decided against a trip on the Vale of Rheidol Railway since it was apparently still operating with full-on covid restrictions and a same train out and back arrangement. Been on it before anyway - the first time it was still part of British Rail.

On the way back I stopped at Ynyslas Sand Dunes, a place I’d never been. Parked on the beach, had an ice cream from the van also parked on the beach, and went for a walk through the dunes with just the sound of the wind in the grass and the birds overhead. I’ll bet you can’t do that in July and August.

Thursday - The Cambrian Coast Line

Things Tywyn Station doesn’t have: 1. A ticket office, 2. A ticket machine.Things Tywyn Station does have: 1. free parking 2. Trains running along the Cambrian Coast railway line.

So I bough a return eTicket and went to Porthmadog. The views from the train are fantastic, rivalling its near-namesake the Cumbrian Coast Line. In Porthmadog I walked all the way out and back along the Britannia Terrace causeway and didn’t even get rained on. Most un-Wales-like.

Friday - Castell-y-bere.

Spent most of the morning relaxing and reading while the sky periodically emptied its bladder onto the slate roofs of Abergynolwn. The afternoon forecast was finer so I walked to the 11th century Castle-y-bere castle, or what’s left of it, taking the road north up out of Abergynolwyn and forking right onto a public footpath that disappeared half way up a hill and required some dead reckoning and guesswork to find again. A family were leaving as I arrived and soon I had the entire place to myself with a flask of coffee and some biscuits. Bliss - until I had to hide behind the walls from a thankfully brief shower. I followed the lane back to Abergynolwyn, on the way passing a remote rural telephone kiosk. Professional interest made me wonder and yes, it still had dial tone.