2004 Welsh Rover

		DAY ONE: Saturday 27th March
		The journey should start at around 8am from Cosham station, north of Portsmouth, from where I shall travel initially to Basingstoke to pick up a Virgin Trains service to take me forward to Birmingham New Street. It's here that I shall board a Central Trains connection to my destination, the Shropshire town of Shrewsbury, close to the Welsh border, from where three railway lines push North, West and South into the Principality. My base for seven nights shall be the Shrewsbury Hotel - a reliable J D Wetherspoon pub. There should be plenty of time to explore this historic town throughout the afternoon, and I shall need to find a suitable pub this evening in order to watch England take on France in the last of the Six Nations rugby matches.
		DAY TWO: Sunday 28th March
		This morning shall see me head north to Chester, where I shall board a connecting service to take me along the North Wales line to Llandudno Junction. Here I shall change for a connection to Blaenau Ffestiniog. Sadly, serious flooding in February has caused structural damage to the Conwy Valley Line, which means closure until at least May. I shall therefore be confined to a replacement bus service instead of the delights of this scenic line. At Blaenau Ffestiniog I shall pick up the famous Ffestiniog Railway to take me through the mountains to its terminus at Porthmadog. The return journey shall probably be via Machynlleth.
The historic border town of Shrewsbury stands on the River Severn in Shropshire and contains many notable buildings including the Abbey, founded shortly after the Norman conquest.


		DAY THREE: Monday 29th March
		On day three it is intended to head west via Machynlleth onto the scenic Cambrian Coast line to Pwllheli before heading back down the line to Povey Junction for a connecting service to Aberystwyth. Various stop-offs along the way shall be had where the scenery is at its best (and if weather permits).
The Ffestiniog railway travels through almost 14 miles of spectacular mountainous scenery between Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog in Gwynedd. The narrow-guage steam engines haul their carriagess to an elevation of over 700ft.		DAY FOUR: Tuesday 30th March
		Today shall be my last in North Wales as I head back up to Chester, for a connecting service to take me along the North Wales coast via Llandudno Junction and on to Anglesey and the terminus of Holyhead. One highlight of this route shall be the traverse of the Britannia Bridge, across the Menai Strait.
		DAY FIVE: Wednesday 31st March
		This morning shall see a pre-dawn start in order to catch the early service down the picturesque Heart of Wales line from Shrewsbury to the South of the country. The day will include a stop-off in Swansea, Llanelli or Carmarthen.
The Britannia Bridge crosses the Menai Strait, linking mainland Wales to the Isle of Anglesey. The bridge was originally of tubular construction, but a major fire in 1970 saw it rebuilt with steel supporting arches and twin decks for both road and rail transport.		DAY SIX: Thursday 1st April
		Another 5.42am departure is needed today for the repeat trip down the Heart of Wales line, to travel into South West Wales and to the three termini of Fishguard, Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven.

		DAY SEVEN: Friday 2nd April
		My last full day of roving should hopefully see me complete the entire Welsh rail network, as I travel South via Hereford, through Newport to Cardiff, from where the Valley Lines radiate north to five seperate towns south of the Brecon Beacons National Park. It is hoped to include brief trips to Penarth and Barry in order to complete the full tour.
The town of Conwy on the north Wales coast is home to one of the Country's most impressive castles, built by Edward I to suppress the Welsh people.		DAY EIGHT: Saturday 3rd March
		This morning shall see me depart Shrewsbury mid-morning for the return journey to Portsmouth, after what shall hopefully have been another successful railtour.



The picturesque fishing port and holiday resort of Tenby lies on the Pembrokeshire Coast in south Wales.		Barmouth Viaduct carries the railway across the mouth of the Afon Mawddach as it empties into Barmouth Bay.


The City of Chester, close to the Welsh border and situated on the River Dee, has a very historic centre and is contained within the most complete city walls in the UK.

		The map above details the rail routes across Wales and the Marches. My base for the week, Shrewsbury, is underlined in red and has been chosen because of its central location, offering plenty of options for travelling to both the north and south of the Principality.

TOUR DIARY
Saturday 27th March
It's 2.45pm and I've arrived at my destination, The Shrewsbury Hotel in the Shropshire town of the same name. A journey of around four and a half hours took me via Reading, Oxford, Coventry and Birmingham and through the industrial landscape of the Black Country until the surroundings became more rural as we entered Shropshire and passed the famous hill of The Wrekin - its solitary bulk dominating the surrounding countryside. The train pulled into Shrewsbury shortly after 1pm, so I had to wait until 2pm before I could check in at the hotel. This wasn't a problem, as the premises is also a Wetherspoon pub, so I was able to grab a pint in the bar until the magic hour arrived. My room is not to the same scale as its counterpart that I used in Chesterfield last summer, though it's well-appointed with a good view onto the Medieval-named street of Mardol and the wonderful Elizabethan facade of The Kings Head (which you can see in the photo gallery page). As I type this, I'm watching the Wales v Italy Six Nations rugby match before it's time to head out and explore this picturesque town. Shrewsbury is situated within a horseshoe bend in the River Severn, which therefore almost completely surrounds the town. The castle is home to an artillery museum and is overlooked by the folly of Laura's Tower, which provides commanding views across the town to the east and south. The town is scattered with Elizabethan half-timbered buildings and is built on a Medieval street plan. The Quarry forms a large, crescent-shaped open space along the banks of the river and is lined with daffodils along its paths. At the time of my visit a hot air balloon was being launched from here, making an interesting site and a focal point for the walkers in the park. This evening I set off to find a pub to watch the England v France Six Nations match. Unfortunately, my first choice, The Coach & Horses was so small that it was bursting at the seams with about twenty people in the bar! So it was off to find another venue, which turned out to be a typical, large sports pub, Lloyds in the Town, where I couldn't even get a decent pint! I watched the first half of the match there, before returning to the hotel to see the conclusion. England lost, by the way. Searching through on-line rail timetables tonight I discovered, to my inconvenience, that all lines out of Shrewsbury tomorrow are affected by engineering works, meaning buses replace virtually all services. I'm therefore being forced to completely rethink my plans for the day, which will see me stranded in town until almost midday. By this time I'll be able to use just one of the five lines out of town, down to Cardiff. So I'll be heading south instead of spending the day in Snowdonia. It's a shame, because I'll now be unable to accomplish my aim of covering the whole Welsh network.
Today's Rail Mileage:	200 MILES

Sunday 28th March
Well, as mentioned last night, today's plans for a trip to the Ffestiniog Railway and Snowdonia National Park were scuppered due to extensive engineering works on the railways, so this morning started with a slow stroll around town and along the banks of the Severn in order to take some more photos and kill time until I could at last catch a train out of town, albeit southbound to Cardiff. The route took me down through rural Shropshire and Herefordshire, passing a number of prominent hills on the way, notably The Long Mynd which overlooks the picturesque small town of Church Stretton. Further south, as we crossed the Welsh border, Suger Loaf Mountain looms large over Abergavenny before the line joins the Usk Valley and arrives in the more populous parts of the principality. Here, heavy industry dominates the landscape as the line enters Newport and continues to Cardiff, where I left the train. Now Cardiff is familiar territory for me, so I knew exactly where to go to get a quality pub meal! After lunch it was off along St Mary's Street to photograph the castle and take a wander around Bute Park, where a multitude of daffodils provide an attractive foreground for any pictures. From there I walked along the boardwalk which seperates the River Taff from the huge (but unimaginatively-named) Millennium Stadium. I think the city's citizens should lobby the council to have it's name changed to Cardiff Arms Park, as this is the only name that should ever have been considered. After a brief stop at the impressive new Yard Bar on the site of the former Brains brewery, it was back on the train to head west to Wales' most populous city, Abertawe (that's Swansea to us English speakers!) Despite being surrounded by attractive hills, the city has visually very little of note, being mostly dominated by post war architecture. Only the ruined castle in the city centre gives an indication of the history of the town. A stop was made at Wetherspoon's Potter'sWheel before I killed time waiting for the next service back east to Cardiff. At 1825 the train pulled out of the station for the hour-long journey back to the capital. It was by now a fine, sunny evening, with the hills looking particularly inviting as we sped past. A later train from Cardiff took me back via the route I used this afternoon, to my base at Shrewsbury, where I arrived on time at 2214 after a pretty good first day out.
Today's Rail Mileage:	374 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	574 Miles

Monday 29th March
This morning it was back to normal on the railways, so I was able to commence my journey at a more reasonable hour. My train left Shrewsbury at 0935, for the journey west along the Cambrian Main Line to Aberystwyth. The scenery changed from undulating farmland to increasingly impressive landscapes, as the hills became mountains and the line eventually reached the coast, where the River Dovey empties into the Irish Sea. By now there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was a perfect Spring day. From Dovey Junction the line heads south to its destination. I didn't stay at Aberystwyth, instead opting to stay aboard the train and double back down the same stretch of line to the picturesque town of Machynlleth, situated in the Dovey Valley and surrounded on all sides by the Cambrian Hills. Here I had a brief 40 minute break until my next train was due, so it was time for a quick drink in the Good Beer Guide listed Skinners Arms, a very nice, historic inn, which was very homely and has a huge inglenook fireplace. The next train out of Machynlleth took me forward on a two hour trip along the wonderful Cambrian Coast Line, with the Irish sea to the West and the mountains to the north and east. My new camera proved invaluable here, as I was able to capture some excellent landscapes through the windows of the train, without any blur or exposure problems. The Cambrian Coast Line terminates at Pwllheli, but my intentions were not to stay here, as there would have been very little to do. Instead, I headed back in the opposite direction and left the train at Harlech - home to the famous Castle, perched high above the coast on a rocky outcrop. A zigzag road with a severe gradient takes you to the castle entrance. However, much to my annoyance I found that the castle was (despite it now being British Summer Time) only open until 4pm - which was about ten minutes after I had arrived! I therefore was relegated to photographing solely from outside. The Castle Hotel provided a good spot from where to view the ruins and look out over the mountains of Snowdonia National Park, whilst enjoying a pint outside in the wonderfully warm Spring weather. At 1728 my return train arrived at Harlech Station to take me back to Machynlleth, where I had around one and a half hours to kill. This wasn't a problem, as it meant I could head back to The Skinners Arms for a very nice Sirlion Steak, washed down with a decent pint of ale. At 2022 the last train of the day took me back to Shrewsbury, after what had been a really good day out.
Today's Rail Mileage:	279 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	853 Miles

Tuesday 30th March
Day Four and another fine, warm and sunny day greated me as I left Shrewsbury on the 0923 train to Chester, one of the most attractive cities in the UK. I had 45 minutes before by connection arrived, so I headed into the city centre for a spot of photography. It ws a shame I didn't have longer here, but at least I got the photos I wanted. The place was full of Japanese tourists, marvelling at all the half-timbered buildings and the pink sandstone cathedral. On leaving Chester, it was off along the North Wales Coast line for the 85 mile journey to the port of Holyhead, situated on Holy Island, on the north west extremity of Anglesey. The line hugs the shore all the way to Bangor, with the mountains of Snowdonia evident through the haze to the south. The route crosses the Menai Strait on Stevenson's famous Britannia Bridge, then passes the tiny station of Llanfairpwll, famous for having it's name comically extended many years ago as a joke at the expense of the English, who always struggle with Welsh pronunciations! Anglesey itself is a rather flat landscape, with the large airfield of RAF Valley sited shortly before Holyhead. My intentions were to stay in Holyhead for a brief time, but I immediately rethought my plans as my train entered the station. Situated on an adjacent platform was a Virgin Trains service, hauled by a Class 47 locomotive, which was attracting the attention of a large number of people. It soon became apparent that this was the final day of locomotive-hauled passenger trains from Holyhead, after decades of operation. Not wanting to miss out on an historic trip, I caught the service out of Holyhead immediately and left the train at Bangor, where there were plenty of enthusiasts gathered to see the train off. Bangor was quite a pleasant little city, with a small cathedral at its centre. I dropped in at The Black Bull Inn as it was by now lunch time, and I stayed in Bangor for the early part of the afternoon. On leaving Bangor I headed back down the line to Llandudno Junction. I actually wanted to leave the train at Conwy, but was informed by the conductor that, contrary to the timetable information, the train didn't stop there! Luckily Llandudno Junction is only a mile further on, so it was a quick walk back across the bridge to Conwy itself. As many readers will know, Conwy is dominated by its magnificent castle, the walls of which once enclosed the whole town. I took a stroll around the perimeter, but didn't go inside, as it was still fresh in my memory from a visit a few years previous. I caught a train out of Conwy, for the journey back towards Chester, though I decided to stay aboard until the service terminated at Crewe. This enabled me to travel over the line via Nantwich, back to Shrewsbury (a line I'd not previously used). It was nice to get back to base at the early hour of 1730, which gives me plenty of time for a much needed rest and an early night, as it will be a very early start tomorrow...
Today's Rail Mileage:	266 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	1119 Miles

Wednesday 31st March
The alarm went off at the ridiculous time of 4.45am, as I had to be at the station for the 5.42 train! This service took me down to Craven Arms, which marks the start of the picturesque Heart of Wales line. This rural single-track line stops at every station as it winds its way through some beautiful scenery en route to Llanelli, a journey of almost four hours. This is one of those lines where time appears to have stood still. I overhead the conductor telling a local passenger that he and the driver recently stopped the train to chase after a piglet that had wandered onto the line! Could you imagine that happening on the East Coast Main Line?!! Dawn was around 6.30am and it soon became apparent that it was going to be rather misty for a large part of the journey, which meant photo opportunities were sadly limited. The service made an extended stop at Llandrindod Wells, which gave me time to walk along the road to buy some breakfast from the Spar shop, before returning to the train. The most impressive part of the route is as the line passes Sungar Loaf Summit, where mountains surround the line as it begins its decent along the valley. I left the train at the West Glamorgan town of Llanelli, mainly to get some exercise and to take a quick walk around town. I made a point of hunting out Llanelli House, an 18th Century listed building, recently featured on the BBC's Restoration series. It's sad to see it in such a poor state of repair, so I hope the money becomes available to fully restore the property. On departure from Llanelli, I headed west to Carmarthen, where I changed trains for the service to Pembroke Dock. This line passed a number of places I'd not seen for almost thirty years - Tenby, Manobier and the commanding Pembroke Castle, which I'd forgotten even existed! I didn't want to risk stopping off at any of these places, as the next train would have meant a wait of three hours, resulting in a late arrival back this evening, so I instead opted to head back to carmarthen, where trains are more plentiful. Carmarthen was quite a pleasant town, with a small ruined castle at its centre. I found a decent pub to have a mid-afternoon meal in, then sought out a couple of Good Beer Guide bars to check out before catching a train east to Swansea. Here I could pick up a connection to Cardiff Central, where I encountered the first rain of my trip so far - not bad at all! I was soon on my last train of the day, the 1744 to Shrewsbury, which got me back to two at 1948 after a very long and tiring day! At this point of the trip, I've decided that I'm not going to try covering any more 'new' lines, as they will all involve too much travel. Instead, I plan to stay relatively local tomorrow, to explore a little bit of this lovely county of Shropshire.
Today's Rail Mileage:	398 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	1517 Miles

Thursday 1st April
Having spent the last four days clocking up extensive mileage across Wales, I decided today to travel at a more leisurely pace, without the need for any tight rail connections. The weather was rather overcast today, with a few showers, but nothing to affect my plans. So I set off on the 0944 service to Ludlow, the ancient capital of the Marches. The town has a lovely medieval centre, with dozens of timber framed buildings, and a large parish church which can be seen for miles around. Ludlow's main attraction is the large 11th Century Norman castle, which dominates the town high above the River Teme. I spent an hour or so wandering around the castle and negotiating the confined spiral staircases, which in places were rather precarious! After leaving the castle I headed down to Ludford Bridge which occupies a picturesque spot on the river, where the water rushes over a large weir and a heron was stood upon a large rock in midstream. I took a few photos here and crossed the bridge to have a pint in The Charlton Arms, an award winning pub, known for its good food, good beer and a good welcome. On leaving Ludlow I headed back to Shrewsbury where I had a meal, then caught a train up the line to Wrexham, just over the border in Wales. I took a look around town but didn't stay long, as there was nothing particularly interesting to be found there! Instaed of heading back to Shrewsbury already, I caught a local service out of Wrexham Central to Shotton, on the boundary of my rail rover area, just to the west of Chester. I had to hang around a while here in order to get a connection to Chester, where I headed into town for something to eat. I headed back to Shrewsbury on the 1835 and spent the rest of the evening at the hotel.
Today's Rail Mileage:	149 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	1666 Miles

Friday 2nd April
Into my last full day of the trip and I decided to take it easy again. To make the most of my rail card I took a mid-morning trip up to Crewe, purely for the ride of course, as this famous railway town has very little to offer the tourist! I milled around at the station for a short time and took a few photos from the platforms (which I know a certain friend of mine will appreciate!) before heading back on a fast service to Shrewsbury. Back in town I set about visiting a few pubs, as up until now I hadn't really checked out the town's ale houses. First stop was the Grade II listed Loggerheads, with its four small rooms which have been preserved unaltered since Victorian times - a real gem. Next stop was the popular Three Fishes. An ancient timber-framed house with a fine selection of ales and a varied menu. It is well-known for being Shrewsbury's only non-smoking pub, which is most welcome, especially when you consider what it would be like if smokers proliferated in its low-ceilinged bar. I enjoyed a nice meal (which was too big to finish!) and had a couple of pints of Oatmeal Stout from the Spinning Dog brewery in Hereford. My last port of call was The Coach & Horses which I went to on Saturday night, only to walk out again as it was so busy. The tiny front bar was thankfully quiet this afternoon and I sat down to enjoy a pint of Phoenix Arizona before heading back to the hotel for a few hours. Early this evening I headed over to the other side of town to check out The Dolphin brewpub on St Michael's Street. It wasn't quite what I'd expected, though the locals were a good laugh and the house brews were worth the trip. I returned to base for something to eat and to watch A Question of Sport on TV before walking around the corner to Vicoria Quay for a visit to another Good Beer Guide pub, The Armoury. This place was fantastic! A huge 19th Century building converted in the '90s as a large open-plan bar, reminiscent of an American brewpub. With eight real ales and over seventy malt whiskies available, this could easily have been a place to get carried away in! The clientele was also pleasantly varied, from middle-aged couples, to a number of attractive young women. The atmosphere was notable for being more civilised than your average urban pub at the weekend. Of the 2000+ pubs I've visited in the UK, I have only ever awarded 5 out of 5 to thirty-odd houses. This is one of them. A fine all-rounder, and certainly one to return to in the future. I returned to the hotel later tonight, thus concluding my week in Wales and The Marches. A great trip. The plan is to head North again in late June to embark on another week of roving, however, this may be postponed in favour of an East Anglia tour. Watch this space!
Today's Rail Mileage:	65 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	1731 Miles

Saturday 3rd April
This morning it was time to pack up my things and check out of the hotel. I left town on the 0927 service to Birmingham New Street, for my connection down to Southampton, and finally back home, where I arrived shortly after 2.30pm Of all the trains I caught in the last eight days, only one service was late (albeit only by about ten minutes), so it just goes to show that our railway network is not half as bad as the media likes to portray it. All in all I have covered almost two thousand rail miles, have visited some lovely places and seen huge areas of outstanding natural beauty, all for the price of a £75 Rail Rover. I very much look forward to another week on the metals in a few months time. But that's another story...
Today's Rail Mileage:	210 miles
Total Rail Mileage:	1941 miles

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