| Scenic Railways Wales UK |
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Featured Article
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Through the Heart of Wales by Roger Thomas |
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The Heart of Wales line winds its way through beautiful green landscapes on a 120-mile journey between Swansea and Shrewsbury. It's a line from a vanished age, harking back to the great days of the railways when many rural communities were only accessible by train. Only a handful of such lines survive today. On the Heart of Wales Line, the enjoyment of the journey is just as important as getting there!
As a passenger you can sit back and watch, as hills and vales, woods and meadows unfold before you whilst the train travels deep into the Welsh heartlands. You can hop off wherever you want - to explore traditional country towns, go walking, mountain-biking or birdwatching in the hills. |
It all begins at Swansea (or Shrewsbury, if that's your starting point!). The first stretch of the line runs through a part of South-West Wales which has seen more than its fair share of industrial activity, but is now being actively regenerated.  Views of the Llwchwr Estuary and the Gower Peninsula demonstrate the natural beauty of the area. Llanelli now boasts an international standard coastal golf course, the Millennium Coastal Path - a cycle and walking route with unsurpassed views - and the nearby Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre with something to see every season of the year. After Ammanford, it's a very rural railway all the way.
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The first major stop is at Llandeilo, a handsome old country town on a rise above the Vale of Towy. One of the beauties of this train is the opportunity it gives passengers of stopping off for a few hours - or overnight - at charming places like Llandeilo. If you're a fan of the great 18th-century landscape artist Capability Brown you won't want to miss Dinefwr Park and Newton House, a National Trust property on the outskirts of the town. |
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The railway follows the course of the stately River Towy from Llandeilo to Llandovery, 'the pleasantest little town in which I have halted'‚ according to George Borrow, author of 'Wild Wales', the classic 19th-century travel book - still in print. Llandovery's cobbled marketplace preserves the look and atmosphere of times gone by. Although the livestock mart has moved from beneath the ruined castle to a modern location, the town is still at its characterful best every Tuesday when the farmers arrive for the sales. |
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Llandovery, along with a number of other places along the line, offers the canny traveller the opportunity of really getting off the beaten track. Ask at Tourist Information Centres about the Royal Mail's rural Postbus services; passenger-carrying minibuses which go where no ordinary buses go in delivering the mail to outlying villages, hamlets and farms.
A Heart of Wales Line highlight is the Cynghordy Viaduct spanning the River Bran. From here there are magnificent views northwards to the unexplored Cambrian Mountains, while the Southern horizon is filled |
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with the Black Mountain in the remote western corner of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
 If you're lucky, you might catch sight of a red kite circling in the skies, before you plunge into the 1,000-yard-long Sugar Loaf Tunnel. Then it's downhill all the way to Llanwrtyd Wells, reputedly Britain's smallest town. Llanwrtyd is one of a quartet of Mid Wales spa towns which grew up when 'taking the waters' became fashionable in the 19th century. Their popularity was also due to the coming of the railways, which allowed the urban populations of the South Wales Valleys and |
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English Midlands a brief escape to the fresh air of Mid Wales. |
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Llanwrtyd is quieter now, though there's a working woollen mill just up the road. The town also attracts much attention for its imaginative and wide-ranging programme of annual events, including a 'Man versus Horse' marathon and the bizarre sport of bog-snorkelling. The town also boasts a number of award-winning restaurants, some of which receive their ingredients by rail (an organic food supplier from Shropshire regularly receives consignments by train - probably the only regular rail parcels service currently operating in the UK). |
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After sleepy Llangammarch Wells look out for the halt at Cilmery. The nearby monument marks the spot where all hopes of Welsh independence died in 1282, when Llywelyn the Last, Prince of |
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Wales, was killed by an English trooper.
Next major stop is Llandrindod Wells, a quintessentially Victorian spa town (they have even gone to the trouble of preserving the old signal-box).  Llandrindod's tall gabled buildings, ornamental parklands, spa and boating lake now boasting what is thought to be the biggest public fountain to be erected in the UK in the last twenty years - the Fabulous Water Beast, combine to preserve an authentic period ambience - especially during the town's Victorian Festival, held each August. If you're a fan of alternative transport then call into Llandrindod's unusual National Cycle Exhibition, which tells the story of the bicycle. |
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A few miles on there's the picturesque Dolau Halt, after which the train climbs to the line's summit  near Llangynllo with its picturesque Community Shop, nearly 1,000ft above sea level.
After crossing the 13-arch Knucklas Viaduct - another notable engineering achievement - the train arrives in Knighton. This is a place with a foot in both camps, for the station is in England while the town it serves lies in Wales. Knighton is the only town located on Offa's Dyke, the 8th-century earthwork built as the first official border between England and Wales. Stop-off here and visit the Offa's Dyke Centre, or walk a stretch of the Dyke Path.
 The line continues on through England's lush green border country through Craven Arms and Church Stretton to journey's end at Shrewsbury. For more information please go to www.heart-of-wales.co.uk.
The Heart of Wales Line also has its own Travel Centre at Llandrindod, where you can get expert advice on fares, and tickets by post. Phone 01597 822053. |
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The Rover Ticket is available for a circular journey in either direction on the route Cardiff Central-Craven Arms-Shrewsbury-Llandrindod Wells-Llanelli-Swansea-Cardiff Central. Starting at any station on the route of validity: Adult fare £20 (Railcard holders £13.20; Child fare £10or £25 on Fridays, plus Saturdays in July and August. For full details of validity and discounts call National Rail Enquiries 08457 48 49 50.
Click here for a free Windowgazer pack giving information about places to visit, what to look out for along the line, and places to stay close by. Or call 0870 9000772.
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Associated Features
Two Fantastic Journeys on Just One Ticket!
My Escape to the Cambrian Coast
Eryri-Rhwng y Graig a'r Tonnau
Snowdon Sherpa'r Wyddfa
The Flexible Travelling Companion
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