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Have a friend of mine staying with me from American and they want to "do Wales"

Was thinking of doing the follow:

Ludlow to Llanelli via heart of Wales line for the scenery
Late lunch in Lanelli
Lanelli to SWansea - wander round
Lanelli to Cardiff - evening meal etc
Cardiff - ludlow

Neither of us are big shoppers etc - we're more scenery and ambience people........

Excellent. Look out for the Sugar Loaf.

Suggest you stop off in Llandridod or or Llanwrtyd (home of bog snorkling) for an early lunch rather than Lllanelli.

Trains could be full if a fine day as I believe Welsh residents can travel free on this line with their bus passes.

Hi,

Have to say its pretty impressive land scenery, depends what you friend from America would like.

If she is in to Castles why don^t you go Ludlow to Cardiff and then the Valleys passing Castle Coch while travelling up either to Aberdare beautiful valley or Treherbert post industrial scenery plus great mountain views or Merthyr again a nice valley run.

You could also go up to Caerphilly castle on the Rhymney line second largest castle after Windsor and then
Take in the Coast at Barry.

Basset

Of course probaly the best rail trip would have been Ludlow Hereford Brecon Merthyr Newport back to Ludlow.

Or the Heads of the Valley from Abergavenny to Merthyr

You could also try the newly reopened Ebbw Vale line very remote at top end.

LOL - she wants to see Wales no Wales Trains!

But thanks for the suggestion

Out of curiosity - which has better scenery - the line between lanelli and milford haven or the merthy/ebbw lines?

I remember going to Merthy when I was a kid but dont remember much of it

Purely personal choice would be Ludlow to Barmouth or Harlech (lovely scenery, with up to 7 hours breaks of journey to see places) but that is out and back the same line.   As a round trip, I toyed with Blaenau Ffestiniog as the final destination - out via Conwy / Llandudno Jnc. and back via Penryndeaudreath, but that a lot of TOT (Time on Train) and the journey planner doesn't give the 'via Penryn' route.

Thanks - the train is just a means of getting there

Places to stop and take in the ambience is what we're looking for - with lunch etc

Neither of us are into culture/shoppping so we're even thinking of giving cardiff a miss!

Isnt that because there is no trainline between the two!

South wales is the only one that has a loop!

It's the Ffestiniog Railway which I thought would be fun. I think I heard there was some through ticketing available.   Perhaps not - I've just tried Penryn to Blaenau on National Rail and been told to change at Shrewsbury and Llandudno Junction, journey time over eight hours.

Hi,

Try Llandudno Junction to Porthmadog Harbour  PMG gives you through trains from Llandudno via Blaenau Ffestiniog

Basset

THank you Graham - I know North Wales like the back of my hand - spent most of my formative summers in Rhydymwyn..........so I can give her a guided tour -

The timing work well to give us a couple of hours in Llandudno and then a couple of hours in BLaneua -might take her down the slate mines and the Snowdon area is very pleasing on the eye.  Wish there was actually a main station in Snowdon and I could take her up on the train! She's getting a kick abot the idea of a steam train (although I took her to BRidgenorth a couple of years ago so its not like she's never been!)

Wish the return journey wasnt so bloody long mind  - and that she had more than a weekend with me s we could do an overnighter.  Monday we are going to London and Sunday I've got other friends coming so I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.  Will be a good test of my new all super Mac battery (although I will try to get some charge into it over lunch)

We have one hour 15 in Penrhyn and it looks like there is a nice three mile walk starting and ending at the station - stretch the old legs (battery life depending).

Not to bothered about through tickets -

The line between Pembrey and Carmarthen along the beautiful Tywi estuary is one of my favourite rail journeys. Beyond Carmarthen is fields and hills, which is nice enough, but Heart of Wales or the upper Valleys are more interesting.

In detail ... three choices for the change to the Cambian Coast. 

1. Penryn -> Penrtndeaudreath (downhill from the Ffestiniog to the National Rail station) - as I recall, nice little village.

2. Minffoord. One station directly above the other.  Down 1 flight of steps if the legs have given out or it's 'Welsh Weather'

3. Portmadoc Harbour to Portmadoc National Rail - nice little fishing town walk is circa half a mile across the town centre between the stations.

Prolly too much detail.  Have a great day ...

http://www.heart-of-wales.co.uk/

The above website will give you a large amount of information about the heart of Wales line. May I also reccomend a Heart of Wales circular day ranger which enables you travel for ^26.50 per adult enabling you to travel along the Marches line and the Heat of Wales line offering better vale for money and allowing you to have a longer day out, possibly enabling you to stay longer at a town along the HOWL.

I reccomend you do not stop for a late lunch in Llanelli as the area does not have much to offer. I would reccomend either wait until you get to Swansea or have an earlier lunch as has been suggested. For scenery you could visit Llandeilo for lunch allowing you to visit Carreg Cennen castle enabling you to sample the views of the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains. The castle is not too spectacular but the views are. Following the link above will give you a greater insight into what each area along the HOWL has to offer.

If you have any more queries about the line just ask.

Hi All,

If anybody was interested in doing the North Wales circular there is this offer from Arriva Trains

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/pr9ef8ea0d8240bfae38accb393ae920/details.html

Might look at doing this

Basset

Looks good but would probably mean an early start or latish finish as to basically  to do the circle, via Porthmadoc/Minfford you have to do the N Wales coast line from Chester and the Cambrian back via Shrewsbury.

Possibly wait until next year until Welsh Highland opened to Porthmadoc then possibility of a Llandudno Juntion, Bangor (Rail), Cearnarvon (bus unfortunatly!) Pothmadoc (WHR) Bleanau (Ffestiniog) Llandudno junction (Rail) journey.

40 miles of narrow gauge steam!