Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ffestiniog & Welsh
Highland Railways
( 01766-516024;
www.festrail.co.uk
)
Run by the oldest independent railway company in the
world (established 1832), these two wonderful narrow-gauge lines depart from Harbour
Station (near the Cob) in pungent puffs of smoke.
The
Ffestiniog Railway
(adult/child return £21/19)
is a fantastic, twisting and precipitous narrow-
gauge railway that was built between 1832 and 1836 to haul slate down to Porthmadog
from the mines at Blaenau Ffestiniog. Horse-drawn wagons were replaced in the 1860s by
steam locomotives and the line became a passenger service. Saved after years of neglect,
it is one of Wales' most spectacular and beautiful narrow-gauge journeys. Because it links
the Cambrian Coast and Conwy Valley main lines, it also serves as a serious public trans-
port link. Nearly all services are steam-hauled. The 13.5-mile, 75-minute journey heads
through fern-fringed valleys and tree-lined passes before entering the soot-saturated dark-
ness of the Moelwyn Tunnel. It then hugs the fringe of Tan-y-Grisiau Reservoir and pro-
gresses into a landscape of mist-shrouded mountains and slate-grey cottages.
Its sibling, the
Welsh Highland Railway
(adult/child return £34/31)
, is an amalgamation of several
late-19th-century slate railways that runs through equally lovely Snowdonian landscapes
for the full 25 miles between Porthmadog and Caernarfon. Walkers can hop off at either
Rhyd Ddu (return £23) station or the Snowdon Ranger request stop to follow paths up
Snowdon.
HERITAGE RAILWAY
Welsh Highland
Heritage Railway
OFFLINE MAP
HERITAGE RAILWAY
( 01766-513402;
www.whr.co.uk
; High St; adult/child £7.50/3.75; Easter-Oct)
Unlike the similarly
named heritage railways at the other end of town (why must it be so confusing!), this
volunteer-run railway doesn't provide any useful transport link. Steam or diesel trains
chug less than a mile up the track before heading back via the rail heritage centre and en-
gine sheds at Gelert's Farm. You can swap to a miniature railway here for a short ride
through the woods, before boarding the main train again. Tickets are valid all day.
Purple Moose
OFFLINE MAP
BREWERY TOUR
GOOGLE MAP
(
www.purplemoose.co.uk
;
Madoc St; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri)
One of approximately 30 microbreweries
across Wales, Purple Moose has grown from humble beginnings to an award-winning
