A Trip to Ireland, Epilogue.

A Trip to Ireland, Epilogue.

Summing Up

I enjoyed that. Would I go again? To Ireland yes. To Dublin? Not without a specific reason. I’m glad I went. I feel that I’ve seen what I needed to though. I’d be more likely to take a car across next time (should there be a next time) and explore the south and west of the country. Belfast and the north is another possibility.

The Irish people I met were largely welcoming and friendly. Food was good and the Guinness… well obviously that goes without saying. With the one particular exception it was reasonably priced too.

Getting around, particularly in the Dublin area was dead easy with the Leap Card. The train from Rosslare to Dublin was ridiculously cheap compared to a similar journey in the UK. The ferry experience was far less stressful than I thought it might be. I chose Stena Line partly because of timing but also they were considerably cheaper than Irish Ferries - by almost a third.

On the subject of money

From walking out of my front door to returning to it my spending was as follows:

My hotels cost £837.72

Transport costs (Ferry, Train, and Bus) totalled £261.13

Food and Drink came to £194.90 (no, that wasn't mostly Guinness 😜 )

I make that a grand total of £1293.75

Which looks like a big number (because it is) but of course that’s not all extra expenditure, I’d still have eaten and drunk if I’d been at home and almost certainly travelled by public transport or car too.

I could probably have taken a package holiday on an aeroplane to somewhere stupidly hot with a beach for less. Frankly I’d rather stick pins in my eyes. I’ve done the package holiday thing once, a week on the Algarve in August 2005 - it was her idea not mine. Too bloody hot for me although the place is nice enough. (Actually it's lovely)

The thirty Euros in notes that I brought back from Portugal have now been on a round trip to Ireland as well 😂

And Finally

Having trouble sleeping? Here are 260 photos from my trip for you to look at. 

Either here on Flickr (opens in a new page) or as a slide show below if your viewer supports it.

A Trip to Ireland, Chapter 5.

A Trip to Ireland, Chapter 5.

15th May 2026

With unusual foresight I’d arranged a late (until 1400hrs) checkout from the Beresford Hotel, thereby avoiding having to hang around the city haunting coffee shops or bars while awaiting the time to come to go to my ferry. So I had a lie in. Then I got up, showered, packed my backpack and checked the times of the number 53 bus to Dublin Ferry Port. Several times. Checked the weather forecast for both Dublin and Holyhead. Inconclusive. I went out and got something for lunch and something for later on since I was unsure what if anything would be open after eight in the evening in Holyhead.

About half past one I checked out of the hotel and walked across the road to the Busáras (Bus Station) and checked the departure boards for route 53. It wasn’t there. I checked the timetable again, it definitely said it went from Busáras. Slightly concerned I asked two Bus Éireann guys leaning against the office wall where it departed from. “Ah, that’ll be from outside, go back the way you came in, turn left, left again an’ sure you’ll see the bus stop.” I went out the way I’d come in, turned left, then left again and was relieved to find a bus stop. I was even more relieved after several minutes when “53 Dublin Ferryport” appeared on the upcoming departure display. TFFT. If you are looking for the 53 to the Ferryport although everything online says it departs from “Busáras” the actual stop name seems to be “Beresford Place, Busáras” and it’s at the junction of Beresford Place and Memorial Road. This has been a Public Service Announcement.

I got to use my Visitor Leap card on a bus just once and after half an hour that bus dropped me somewhere in the middle of Dublin Ferryport on a street called Alexandra Road Extension. I headed in what I hoped was the right direction and then spotted a “pedestrians” sign pointing through the barriers around some roadworks which led to the Stena Line Departures shed. I checked in for boarding around 90 minutes before departure, found a comfy seat in the Passenger Lounge and fire up my Kindle. A short while later two uniformed Customs Officers and a drug-sniffing spaniel came round. Fido found one passenger of particular interest so he was taken away, presumably for the full “Moon River” treatment, he then returned to pick up his case and vanished again, returning just in time for boarding. To the obvious relief and some amusement of his travelling partner.

Boarding once again was by bus so by the time the foot passengers were aboard and I got to the Stena Plus lounge (worth the £20 upgrade) those in their own vehicles had snaffled all the best seats, particularly those next to the large portholes. I settled for a comfortable tub chair within easy striking distance of the complementary drinks and snacks and got out my Kindle again. By the time our scheduled departure at 1630 hrs arrived it was apparent that we were already under way, slipping out of Dublin Ferryport and heading east across the Irish Sea. The Stena Plus Lounge was very civilised, helped by having a “no under 8s” policy. Judging by the snoring at least one person found the ambience very restful. A text message alerted me to the fact that my phone had roamed onto the ships ultra-expensive 5G so I connected to the onboard WiFi instead. It wasn’t fast enough to do anything useful but at least prevented the roaming charges. Faster WiFi was available obviously, if you paid for it. I had no need but there were a lot of laptops in use. Not everyone on board was on holiday.

Disaster at Sea! Both of the very fancy hot drink machines started playing up. Thanks to the valiant efforts of the crew in persuading them back into action a mutiny was avoided. Not that the coffee was particularly good - it was still mechanical coffee. Fortunately there was also every flavour of Tango in the fridge. Does Tango prevent scurvy? 😀

Blimey, are we here already? That voyage passed quickly!

Of course there was half an hour’s hanging around in a corridor waiting for a bus to disembark the foot passengers. While we waited some dimwit filled the time giving the third degree to the “drug spaniel’s best friend”. Who was very restrained considering how long the dimwit carried on and on about it. I thought, “you should fucking let it go before you end up with a thick ear” 🙄

Once off the boat I headed directly to the Travelodge - it was the only place available when I made my travel bookings. I say directly but the direct route would have been via the covered footbridge from the station but that appears to be permanently shut. Instead it was up one road, over the railway, back along the other side, and turn 180 degrees again to walk to the hotel. I checked in. I came out again in search of sustenance and walked into the town. Oh Wales! So much lovely scenery, so many grim towns. I popped into a pub which I’ll not name for a swift pint. While I waited to get served one of the “happy” clientele regaled me with, “My you’re tall isn’t it how tall are you but it’s a pint are you taller than me I think he’s taller than me what if I take my hat off?!” Dear oh dear, how come I find them wherever I go? I suspect Ynys Mon has a limited gene pool 😏

I couldn’t face going to the bar again so just had the one and then picked up a Chinese Takeaway on the way back to the hotel. £14.25. They only accepted cash. I couldn’t even offload any of the twenty-year old Euros I’d carried all round Ireland but never needed because everywhere accepted contactless. Fortunately I also had UK cash.

Back in my room I noticed that the unnecessary convector heated had a red flashing LCD display and read “ERROR 20”. The 21st century is overly complicated. I turned it off at the socket outlet. When I turned it back on in the morning it did the same thing. I left it flashing away merrily.

16th May 2026

Leapt out of bed and across the room to turn off the alarm on my phone because it hasn’t occurred to Travelodge that anyone might need a socket next to the bed. Or a bedside table for that matter, only a 6” x 4” x 8” niche. Made a cup of tea, had a shower, and packed. No hair drier but honestly after a week of soft Irish water my hair’s doing whatever it wants anyway 😳

I checked out - well chucked my card over the unoccupied reception counter - and took the zig-zag route back to Holyhead Railway station, this time finding the slight shortcut via the Stena staff car park.

Holyhead Station is split in two. Platform 1 is on the through lines that pass under the closed footbridge. Platforms 2 and 3 are in a long curved train shed and are terminating platforms leading straight into the ferry terminal. Platform 3 has no tracks, a fence along the platform edge and appears to serve only as a pedestrian access to the car park and bus stop outside. A large indoor waiting area links platforms 1 and 2 but is “locked until further notice”, which I think explains the closed footbridge too.

The long curved train shed is obviously designed to accommodate the long and busy “boat trains” of yesteryear. What turned up on this Saturday morning at 0923 was a two coach Class 158 diesel multiple unit.

Around ten or twelve of us boarded at Holyhead. I got a coast side seat at a table by a window. Winning!

By the time we’d stopped at the next two stations the train was full and standing. Several parties were on their way to Chester for a Saturday out out and the beer and Prosecco had been cracked open by 10 a.m. We passed through the station with the longest made-up-for-the-tourists name in the world and picked up even more passengers. People were struggling to board, the train guard could only move from one carriage to the other by getting off and walking down the platform and getting back on. Ticket checks? Not happening. Anyone wanting the toilet better be able to hold it in for an hour. What on earth do Transport for Wales think they’re doing? We arrived at Chester, the train emptied out. Two more carriages were attached and we left for Birmingham. Welcome to Normal Island.🫨

With a bit more space to move I brought out the vegan felafel wrap I’d brought with me from Dublin for lunch. Filled a hole but mostly lacking in flavour. I arrived at Birmingham New Street with plenty of time in hand to catch the 1400 CrossCountry service to Reading. I can’t ride on CrossCountry’s plastic toy Voyager trains in standard class and still have the use of my legs when I reach my destination. Also they’re hellish at the weekend, akin to the Welsh train to Chester. Fortunately I’d bagged a couple of 1st class singles, split at Banbury for a reasonable number of pounds so had a nice solo seat, albeit facing the wrong way, and nice young ladies bringing me complementary tea, pretzels, and cake. Alas no sandwiches at the weekend 😢

We arrived only two minutes late at Reading with half an hour until my train home departed. I arrived home at five o’clock.

Six days, two boats, eleven trains, one bus. One enjoyable adventure and less stressful than I’d feared.

The fridge is empty, better go shopping.

A Trip to Ireland, Chapter 1.

A Trip to Ireland, Chapter 1.

I have somehow reached my seventh decade without ever visiting the island of Ireland.  I thought I should put that right. I don’t do airline travel so I went by train and boat, meaning I paid a visit to Swansea on the way and a very brief visit to Holyhead on the way back.

10th May 2026

I like to travel as light as I can so at 1100 on a Sunday morning I hefted a 40 litre backpack onto my shoulders and walked to the railway station to catch my first train. This took me to Reading where I changed onto a GWR IET to Swansea. Amazingly both these trains ran on time, quite an achievement for GWR, particularly at the weekend. No one could claim that this was a comfortable ride since the seats on these trains were never designed to be comfortable and are now after some years use quite knackered. I arrived in Swansea at about half past two, too early to check into my hotel so I went for a walk down the High Street to get a coffee and to see what had changed since my last visit in 2019 prior to riding the Heart of Wales railway line to Shrewsbury. I discovered that Castle Square was now a large building site behind hoardings and that Turtle Bay restaurant had closed down so no curried goat for me tonight.

The Grand Hotel is an Art Deco landmark right opposite the railway station so I’d have no trouble getting my train the next morning. It’s also an easy walk to the city centre which would give me something to do that evening. I checked in and was given a nice room on the second floor overlooking the station, despite which it wasn’t noisy.

I settled in, had a cuppa, had a sit down for a while then headed back out for the evening, walking down to the marina and then the beach, along the prom in the evening sunshine, and back into the city centre where I succumbed to the temptations of Taco Bell because it was cheap and easy. Don't @ me.

Once fed I went down to the River Tawe and then back up to the castle and to a nearby bar, Sessions by Mumbles Brewery. Very nice local beers and what’s that you say? Buy one get a second free because it’s still Happy Hour? Oh well, if you insist 😀

Some of Swansea’s finest, who had obviously been on it all day started kicking off. Not sure who upset who but eventually there were five of them all threatening one who they’d decided had upset one of the women and much squaring up and reddening of tattooed necks ensued. A couple of private security people were summoned by radio and the cabaret was curtailed. I finished my free pint and returned to the hotel, on the way passing a tattoo parlour which had a life-sized cardboard cut-out of the actor Warwick Davis inside the doorway and I have no idea why? 

11th May 2026

After a very comfortable night’s sleep I showered, dressed, packed, and checked out with plenty of time to grab some food for the day’s travels before catching the 1104 train to Fishguard Harbour. I had a brief moment of panic entering the station because I couldn’t find my ticket but it had secreted itself inside my wallet when I’d put it in my pocket. Phew!

The station announcer at Swansea that Monday morning seemed to have had too much sugar, peppering his announcements with a variety of funny voices, accents, and inflections. Way too happy for a Monday. The train arrived and I managed to get a seat on the left facing forwards, which would get the best views as we wound our way along the south Pembrokeshire coast before turning north to cross the peninsula to Fishguard. At Fishguard Harbour station the platform is adjacent to the Stena Line terminal, in fact the station is the ferry terminal, no chance of getting lost between train and boat.

I checked in and obtained my “Boarding Card” and “Stena More Members Card”, both actually just flimsy pieces of till-roll paper and took a seat to wait for further instructions. Through the window I could see the boat moored alongside bearing a large three-legged cross with the words “Isle Of Man Steam Packet Company” around it emblazoned on its side. Because Stena Line’s usual vessel was in dock being repaired we would be travelling on a borrowed boat, the somewhat smaller Ben My Chree. (Stena have since sent me an unexpected 20% discount code for any Fishguard-Rosslare or Holyhead-Dublin sailing if I travel before April 27th next year as recompense for not having the usual ship.) 

The only way to get foot passengers aboard was using a minibus to drive us the 100m or so from terminal to ship. Which meant all those who’d driven their own vehicles aboard had got first dibs on the seats while we were still in the terminal. I went up on deck to watch as we left port and for the first time since 2007 I left the UK mainland (if you don’t count the Isle of Wight).

It was breezy but not cold, actually quite pleasant when the sun came out if a little noisy with the exhaust stack adjacent to the public outside deck, so I remained on deck along with quite a few others for the whole crossing. Eventually most of the alarms on the expensive cars below stopped sounding. Except for the big Audi SUV. When I made a brief visit to the heads I discovered that inside the ship was quite as chaotic as I expected and had the weather prevented staying on deck it would have been bloody awful. Three and a bit hours later I got my first sight of Ireland, it was much smaller than I expected:

Oh, but that’s just Tuskar Rock, a ship’s graveyard six nautical miles off the Wexford coast which has 176 shipwrecks listed around it and one Vickers Viscount airliner. The rest of Ireland was appearing off the starboard bow. Another half an hour passed, we arrived in Rosslare Europort and the ship was neatly reversed into a parking spot alongside the seaward jetty ready for us to disembark. 

Which took ages for us foot passengers as once again we waited for shuttle buses. The bus took us on a great loop through the port to Immigration where an Irish Customs lady checked our documents (I’d blown the dust off my passport, not strictly needed because of the UK & Ireland Common Travel Area but I’ve no other photo ID). Then the bus drove all the way back around the port to the terminal building where we were turfed off to make our own way out. I followed the pedestrian signs out of the port, climbed the long steep steps up to the RNLI lookout cabin since it looked like the shortest way and then through the town? village? of Rosslare Harbour to my B&B, Ferryport House. I had a warm welcome from Sue, who pointed out where I’d be able to get food, although I’d already scoped out the local chippy on my way from the port, the facilities of the hotel. She supplied a large bottle of chilled water, explaining that the water in the taps is drinkable but comes from their borehole so I might prefer bottled, handed me my keys and pointed my towards my first floor room. The room was large, the whole place was spotless, the view was of the backs of the semi-detached houses in the next road but who cares for one night, and there was a generous supply of tea, coffee and milk which would put most chain hotels to shame.

Having limited time in Rosslare I had a cuppa and then headed out to explore. First stop Tuskar Takeaway the chippy I’d spotted earlier. I had a Fish Box Meal, fresh fish in batter with homemade tartare dip and mushy peas, chips & drink for €14.95 (£12.95) was good value and delicious. I ate it on a bench in the evening sunshine overlooking the Europort and overlooked by a noisy beady-eyed and ultimately disappointed Black Headed Gull which was perched on top of a lamp post.

I watched Ben My Chree leave harbour and a small sailing fishing boat pass by heading north and then I went in search of what turned out to be a rare commodity in Rosslare Harbour - a litter bin. Having eventually found one and responsibly disposed of my takeaway box I walked down to Rosslare Harbour “town centre”. This is mostly the SuperValu supermarket whose building also contains a cafe/pizzeria, the Post Office, a pharmacy, hairdressers, and a dog grooming parlour. On the other side of the road was a petrol station with a convenience store and “The Dock Boutique Hotel, bar, and eatery”. What there wasn’t was a proper pub. I consulted the map. The Kilrane Inn, in the village of Kilrane 15 minutes walk down the road. Off I went. My first pint of Guinness in Ireland, it had to be done. At €5.80 (£5.02) it would also prove to be my cheapest pint of Guinness in Ireland.

Suitably refreshed I walked back to my B&B as the sun set over County Wexford. I was a little confused on opening the door to my room to find the TV was playing. It hadn’t been when I left so either it was switched on but on a channel that wasn’t broadcasting when I went out or I’d had a visit from a Leprechaun while I was out.☘

I slipped into the largest most comfortable bed in the world and slept like a log.

The next day I’d be in Dublin…

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That was my week in Wales. There are 156 photos here.

 

I’d definitely consider a return visit to Abergynolwyn at some time.

 

 

 

Monmouth

 Sunday 6th September 2020

First full day of my Forest of Dean based holiday, weather forecast "uncertain" - well it is on the Welsh border - and  I needed to get provisions. I took the scenic route from Blakeney through the forest which reminded me just how hilly the area is and eventually as the border was now open ended up at Monmouth.

Parked up in the Cattle Market Car Park next to the River Monnow and after eventually finding a ticket machine that "spoke" English went for a walk around the historic county town of Monmouthshire.

Starting with the ancient and hard to miss Monnow Bridge. The medieval stone bridge with it's incorporated gatehouse is the only one left in Britain. Now only open to cyclists and pedestrians of which there were plenty on a Sunday lunchtime some of them even attempting to maintain social distancing.

Because the pavements are narrow in this old town a temporary road closure was in place in Monnow

Street to give more space to pedestrians in much the same way as has been done in parts of London. Theoretically there was a one way system to walk uphill on the left side and down. Like that was going to happen. There weren't that many shops open although there was quite a lot of people about and though I'd have quite liked a coffee all the (reduced) seating in the cafes was full.

In normal times Monmouth is a nice place to wander around in a touristy fashion and I have been here before and done so back in the 1990s in what feels like another life. From what I remember it hasn't changed a lot. 

I walked up to the castle, tucked away up a side street. there's a small ruined bit remaining in the

corner of the grounds of Great Castle House, HQ and museum of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers whose history is depicted in a series of panels on the wall in the street leading to the castle. 

King Henry V of England was born is the castle in 1386 though I'm not sure he'd recognise it now, it having been knocked about a bit in the English Civil War (or Wars of the Three Kingdoms or whatever we're supposed to call them now) and after partially collapsing in 1647 was built over by the house mentioned above. The military museum was on covid-reduced opening hours and this wasn't one of them so after taking some pictures I headed back down the hill (keeping left) and got

some lunch from Waitrose and then was lucky enough to secure a bench next to the River Monnow to sit and eat it.

It had turned warm if not actually sunny (Wales remember) and made a nice place to watch the world go by, or at least a small part of it, before joining an inexplicable traffic jam to cross back over the River Wye and back to England and the Forest of Dean.

Monmouth's nice still.

The Heart of Wales Line

23rd July 2019

The rail trip from Swansea to Shrewsbury via what is now known (and promoted) as The Heart Of Wales Line is high on any list of scenic railway journeys in the UK. Technically The Heart of Wales runs between Llanelli and Craven Arms but the trains run from Swansea to Shrewsbury which are more convenient start and finish points.

So I was up early on what was already a warm morning and forecast to be a hot day in time to check out of the hotel and find some breakfast before going to Swansea station ready to catch the 0934 departure for Shrewsbury. I was on an Advance Standard Single so trading cost against flexibility, which meant valid only on this train and no hopping on and off at intermediate stations alas.

If travelling from the Swansea end you'll want to get a seat by the window and facing "the wrong way" as the train reverses at Llanelli so you'll be facing "the right way" for the most scenic part of the trip.

There were quite a few other passengers aboard when we left Swansea and a lot more joined at Llanelli so bagging a decent seat was a must. Given the forecast temperatures I went for what I hoped would be the more shaded side of the train too - starboard to start which became port after the train reversed at Llanelli. Also took plenty of drinking water, this isn't a service run with modern air-conditioned rolling stock - our train was a two car Class 150 Sprinter. It did have free WiFi though, however this resolutely refuse to allocate me an IP address and eventually gave up the ghost altogether. It may have been due to the heat but the train electrical system did appear to be quite unwell resulting in no interior lights (cue ghost train screams in the tunnel sections) and a khazi door with a mind of its own 🙄

Anyway, the scenery, yes it's worth the trip.

Sugar Loaf Station. Sadly no one requested to stop at this most remote of stations and I was distracted so didn't manage to get a picture ☹️

This one is taken from the top of Cynghordy Viaduct though, which is quite a view.

At Builth Road there was quite an exodus of passengers and from there on we gained and lost quite a few as locals as well as tourists make use of this line.

The scenery continued to be worth the trip.

We gained a couple of well laden cyclists for a while who were so keen they almost got off one stop before they were supposed to (too many stations with names beginning Llan ?) and then stood by the door for the next several miles.

Most of the stations, even the smaller ones, appeared to be well looked after especially those under the care of community groups.

Still more scenery.

Between Knucklas and Knighton we crossed the border into England and lost the "Llans" and the terrain became more rolling than hilly.

Around Craven Arms there were more industrial buildings and eventually we crossed the River Severn into Shrewsbury Station.

My word it was hot in Shrewsbury town centre!

I found a cafe in the shopping centre and had a much needed cup of tea ⛾
then checked into the Premier Inn and turned the air-con down ❄


The Heart of Wales is definitely one to tick off the scenic railway must do list and will quite possibly get a revisit at some point, hopefully with some more time available to explore.

More photos from the Heart of Wales (and a bit of England too):

Swansea

22nd July 2019

I needed to get to Swansea as the starting point for a trip on the Heart of Wales line. Checking for tickets on GWR's website I noticed that an Advance 1st Class single could be had for only a handful

of pounds more than an Anytime Standard Single. So the lure of a comfortable seat and sufficient legroom proved irresistible and besides which you get fed and watered in 1st Class. Which means the price differential is even less by the time you've had lunch and a couple of cups of tea. Given that there were only 2 other passengers in my section of the carriage I assume that the bargain fares are GWR's attempt to fill some seats that would otherwise remain empty. Worth checking when booking anyway.

It would prove to be by far the most comfortable and pleasant journey of a 3 leg trip over the next 4 days.

A late booking netted a good deal at the 4* Dragon Hotel a short walk from the railway station and convenient for the bright lights of Swansea city centre. 

Nice to have an air conditioned room which was quite big although with only a view of the backs of neighbouring buildings. I've noticed that as a solo traveller you rarely get allocated a room with a decent view.

The city centre did seem to be one big building site mind you, which made it difficult for someone from off to get their bearings.

An early evening explore revealed Swansea to have the usual complement of chain bars and restaurants so I settled on Turtle Bay more or less at random, which turned out to be a good choice. I very much enjoyed the curried goat and the waitress reminded me of a girl from Llansamlet that I knew back in the early 1980s. Maybe she was related, I wasn't going to ask.

Post-prandial wandering took me via the marina  to the huge expanse of Swansea beach, along which I walked from end to end in the warm evening. It wasn't busy, a few walkers and joggers mostly. It stayed dry too in spite of the gathering clouds.

Swansea is an interesting place which will probably be worth a longer visit at some point rather than just a Monday night stop-over.

I retired to The Three Lamps, a "new multi floor venue in the heart of Swansea" of which only the ground floor bar was actually open, and sampled a pint of their own beer from the on-site micro-brewery, which wasn't bad at all. From a seat by the open front of the bar I was able to watch the world go by for a while, which inevitably included the various dodgy characters who gathered in Castle Square outside. Then back to the hotel for an earlyish night as I had to be up in the morning to catch the 0934 to Shrewsbury.

More photos from Swansea: