| On the right tracks |
| Explore the beautiful Welsh highlands by steam train |
North Wales boasts a greater density of
narrow gauge steam
railways than anywhere else in the world. What’s more, with many of the tracks
running alongside lakes, through wooded valleys and even as far as the summit of Snowdon itself, they are the perfect, leisurely way to see some of the best scenery that Britain has to offer.
Some of the railways on our tour endeavour to provide a timetable which connects to mainline services, but they are better viewed as a
simple pleasure journey. And, with their polished brass and paintwork and more than a century of service under their wheels, all of them evoke the romance of a past era. That’s pleasure enough for us.
The start/finish for our tour
is the Bala Lake Railway at Llanuwchllyn. It’s 12 miles north east of Dolgellau on the A494,
turning right onto the B4403.
1. Bala Lake Railway
The market town of Bala is set on the shores of Llyn Tegi, the largest natural lake in Wales. The Bala Lake Railway steams along the eastern length of these shores, and offers superb scenic views across the Berwyn, Aran and Arenig mountain ranges. Bala is a centre for watersports too, so visitors can enjoy sailing, windsurfing and canoeing on the lake.
2. Ffestiniog Railway
• Return to the A494, zero your car’s trip meter and turn right for Bala. In 4.5 miles, turn left onto the A4212. Turn right at 21.4 miles, signposted Betws-y-Coed A470/
Porthmadog (A487). After the toll bridge (cost: 5p!), at 32.9 miles turn left into the railway car park.
The Ffestiniog is rightly world famous. For a start it’s the oldest railway company in the world. In its heyday it was carrying 130,000 tons of slate a year, but with the decline in the slate industry the railway closed in 1946, to be reopened in 1982 after painstaking rebuilding at the hands of the Ffestiniog Railway Society.
The perfect weather for a ride on the Ffestiniog is when it’s both cold and sunny: that way you get great views while staying snug and warm in one of the cosy little
carriages. It runs 13.5 miles from the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog in the mountains, through the superb Snowdonia National Park scenery of towering peaks and wooded slopes, past lakes and pasture land, to the
harbour town of Porthmadog. The return journey takes around two and a half hours, and there is an an onboard buffet service.
For those with a broad have-a-go streak in them, there’s a guest
driving programme in operation. Alternatively there are a number of special events to attend, including ‘jazz on a summer’s evening’ and ‘fish and chips trains’, where your lunch will be ready and waiting for you at one of the minor station stops.
3. Snowdon Mountain Railway
• Head back across the toll road and turn left on the A4085 for Beddgelert at 36 miles. At 43.2 miles in Beddgelert, turn right on the A498 and ascend the pretty Aberglaslyn Pass, then left at 50.5 miles onto the A4086 for Llanberis and Caernarfon. The road ascends to the Snowdonia National Park rangers’ outpost at Pen-y-pass, then descends the Llanberis Pass between Snowdon and the massive rock slabs of the Glyders. Entering the village of Llanberis, parking for the Snowdon Mountain Railway is on your left at 55.6 miles.
The Snowdon Mountain Railway is Britain’s only rack-and-pinion railway and a masterpiece of Victorian engineering. The five-mile track has gradients of up to 1 in 5 and, on its way to the summit, the train runs along the edge of the Clogwyn du’r Arddu precipice.
In all, the railway climbs more than 3000 feet up Snowdon from Llanberis, with the upper terminus just below the summit.
The railway is laid along the north-western slopes of Snowdon, and on clear days the views all the way up the ascent are unrivalled. You’ll need a fair head for heights though: as its advert states, this is “the little railway with views far above its station”.
4. Llanberis Lake Railway
From the Snowdon Mountain Railway car park, it’s only a mile to Llanberis Lake station, in the Padarn Park.
As this track looms over the
village of Llanberis, the views over Lake Padarn towards Snowdon are stunning. Penllyn and back,
including a short stop at Cei Llydan for sightseeing on the return leg, takes just over 40 minutes. You can choose to stop off here for a picnic or walk and catch a later train back to Llanberis.
• Return to the A4086 at 58 miles and drive up the winding Llanberis pass. At 63.1 miles, follow the road around to the left in the direction of Capel Curig. Turn right onto the A5 at 67.2 miles and return to Betws-y-Coed at 72.6 miles. Continue on the A5 and at 81.5 miles turn off right onto the B4501. At 87 miles, turn left onto the A4212, which brings you back to Bala at 89 miles.
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Distance 89 miles.
Time Nine hours.
Start Bala Lake Railway.
Suitable for All the family.
REFRESHMENTS
Pont-y-Pair, Betws-y-coed Tel 01690 710407
Pen-y-Gwyrd, Nant Gwynant Tel 01286 870211
Capel Curig 01690 720223
ATTRACTIONS
Snowdon Mountain Railway Tel 01286 870223
Llanberis Lake Railway
Tel 01286 870549
Ffestiniog Railway
Tel 01766 512340
Bala Lake Railway
Tel 01678 540666
Parks
Bala Camping and Caravanning Club Site
Tel 01678 530324
Conwy Touring Park
Tel 01492 592856
Beddgelert Forestry Commission Caravan Site
Tel 01766 890288
Bron-Y-Wendon Touring and Caravan Park
Tel 01492 512903
Bryn Gloch Caravan Park
Tel 01286 650216
TIP
To join the Ffestiniog Railway Society, phone 01766 512340, or for more information visit their website at www.festrail.co.uk.
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