Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
town and ending at Frankton Junction in Shropshire, where it joined the Llangollen Canal.
After sections of its banks burst in 1936 it lay abandoned until a group of volunteers and
the British Waterways Board began repairing it in 1969.
Beside the canal wharf is the Powysland Museum, marked outside by a big blue hand-
bag (an Andy Hancock sculpture to commemorate the Queen's Jubilee) and pillars painted
by local schoolchildren and topped by carved birds. Inside, the museum tells the story of
the county, with great details - such as the Roman recipe for stuffed dormouse.
Welshpool & Llanfair
Light Railway
( 01938-810441;
www.wllr.org.uk
; Raven Sq; adult/child £12.80/3.50; Apr-Oct, check times online)
This
sturdy narrow-gauge railway was completed in 1902 to help people bring their sheep and
cattle to market. It runs up steep inclines and through the pretty Banwy Valley. The line
was closed in 1956 but was reopened seven years later by enthusiastic volunteers.
Trains make the 8-mile journey from Raven Square Station to Llanfair Caereinion in 50
minutes and according to a complex timetable. There are also courses on offer to learn
how to drive your very own steam engine.
HERITAGE RAILWAY
Festivals & Events
Country & Western
Music Festival
(
www.countrywestern.org.uk
;
weekend ticket £25)
On the third Sunday in July, the county show-
ground near Powis Castle becomes the unlikely venue for a weekend hoedown with spit
roasts and line dancing; proceeds benefit disabled children through the Heulwen Trust.
MUSIC
Sleeping & Eating
B&B
££
Long Mountain
( 01938-553456;
www.longmountainbandb.co.uk
; Hope; s/d £50/75; )
A purpose-built B&B 2 miles
from town, Long Mountain is a modern extension to a 400-year-old timber frame house.
The three guest rooms have top-quality fittings with solid oak furniture, king-sized beds
with Egyptian cotton bed linen and marble bathrooms, yet somehow lack a little soul. The
