May 2013 Holiday - Days 1 & 2

Our spring holiday started with a 240 mile drive from West Somerset to Gwynedd, north-west Wales. After loading the final bits and pieces in the 'van, we took the easy route up the M5 motorway to Worcester and then across on the A5 before picking up the A495 to Bala and finally crossing over to the A470 via the A4212. Because of roadworks, I had decided not to tow a caravan via the old Severn crossing and the A40/A470, a very scenic (and slightly shorter) route which passes through some rather interesting Welsh towns. I hadn't been on the latter route for some while, the last time to ring Pied Flycatchers and, before that, to visit Ynis-hir when I worked for the RSPB and, earlier still, Aber (Aberystwyth)  when my (deceased) best mate, Pete Aslett, was at Uni there. 

We arrived around 4pm, as predicted, at a lovely and quiet Caravan Club site called Coed-Y-Llwyn. This site was central to what we hoped to do during our stay. We put down and hooked up before going out for a meal. We travelled to Garreg, on the eastern edge of the Afon Glaslyn, and ate a hearty meal at the Brondanw Arms. Click here for more info on the PH and the local area. 

Day 2. And off south to Towyn. On the way, we went via Penmaenpool and the Afon Mawddach. I've always loved this bit of Wales. We called in at the Fairbourne Railway, but, as it was a Monday, the light railway out to the point was closed up. I just took a pic of the motionless carriages in the station and, after a trip to the 'mens' room' drove down the A493, along the cliffs, through Llwyngwrll and Llangelynnin to the lower reaches of the Afon Dysynni, before turning west to Tywyn town. The Gorsaf Wharf station is on the far side of the town centre.

I last visited the Rheilffordd Talyllyn in 1958, having completed my GCE 'O' level exams. This was just a few years after the preservation started, the very first line to be preserved thanks to the inspiration and leadership of Tom Rolt. There was grass on the line then and there was no  large, new station building, gift shop and narrow guage railway museum at Wharf Station, let alone toilets at Abergynolwyn, as there is today. We used to travel one way on the "Towyn Tram" and catch the bus back to our camp site at Minffordd at the foot of the Talyllyn pass, or vice versa.

No.6, aptly named "Rock 'n Roll", at Pendre Station, 1958
(C) Errol Newman

Our 'over 60' "full line" tickets cost £13.00 each, plus £3.00 for each dog. Yes, they go everywhere with us. We boarded at Towyn Wharf and were pulled by No.2, "Dolgoch". She is an 0-4-0 engine originally built in 1866 for this 2ft 3in railway, the year after the line was opened.

In an original, enclosed carriage.
Note: Original gas lamp fitting converted to electric

Run-around at Nant Gwernol

We caught the 12.15 for the 53 (scheduled) minute and 7.3 mile trip to the end of the line. The track terminates in the old slate quarry workings above Abergynolwyn which it was built to serve. From here there also used to be a 'ropeway' down to the village. The engine was run-around and drew us back to the station where we had a half-hour refreshment break before returning to Towyn by 14.40. We had a gander at the museum before heading off.

Abergynolwyn platform & tea room

We drove up the B.4405 through the Afon Fathew valley to rejoin the Afon Dysinni at Abergynolwyn. We took the side road to Pentre on foot and exercised the dogs. This brought back old memories as mid-Wales used to be dry on Sundays. The local farmers used to meet in the hotel but on the Sabbath, they used to congregate in the parsons house, where, behind locked doors, they "celebrated". It has since been turned into a bed-and-breakfast for the Cader Idris tourists. [No photo - some how lost 5 pics in this sequence]

Minffordd and the Dol-y-cae

This is the area that Nigel Blake, a friend from Biggleswade, visits to take his photos of multitudinal, multi-national war planes doing their low-flying thing. The weather stayed fine and we poddled back to the site for a lasagne supper.