A Train Journey Through the Cambrian Mountains
Riding the Scenic Railway from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth
If you travel from central England to the west coast of Wales the Cambrian Railway offers superb scenery along the way. This article provides a description of the route.
Mountains on the England-Wales border
Leaving the historic and pleasant town of Shrewsbury it is nine miles to the England-Wales border, and you soon see the first high peaks of the journey on your right while approaching Welshpool, which is four miles into Wales.
The landscape visible from the train then returns to one of rolling hills through Newtown to Caersws, but after leaving the latter station you soon enter the Cambrian Mountains and the land either side of the tracks rises steeply.
The Cambrian Mountains Railway Journey
As the train chugs through unspoilt wilderness you soon realise this is serious mountain territory for the United Kingdom. Plynlimon, the highest peak in the Cambrian Mountains, reaches 752 metres (about 2000 feet).
In winter the sun appears just above the mountains at midday, sending its rays down the sharp incline green forested hills like searchlights of warmth and light to the dark streams below.
Isolated houses and farms dot the landscape, and red kites and buzzards glide on thermals above. It is scenery that has changed very little for centuries.
There have been attempts to make the Cambrian Mountains a national park, as Snowdonia is to the north, and the Brecon Beacons to the south, but they were unsuccessful. The three mountain ranges are practically conjoined.
The Dyfi Estuary Railway Journey
After winding through the high peaks the scenery changes after passing through Machynlleth, but that does not mean the landscape is diminished, as the Dyfi estuary then appears on your right.
The train travels alongside the Cardigan Bay inlet, and the Cambrian Mountains leading to north Wales and Snowdonia can be seen across the water.
The Dyfi National Nature Reserve Railway Journey
Dovey Junction is in the middle of the Dyfi National Nature Reserve, and you can take trains up the Cambrian Coast to Pwlleli from there.
Continuing to Aberystwyth you travel through the Cors Fochno raised peat mire, with the Cambrian Mountains still visible in the rear.
Cors Fochno is one of three components to the Dyfi National Nature Reserve, along with the Ynyslas sand dunes and Dyfi Estuary mudflats.
After passing through the mountains and estuary the train finally arrives in the seaside town of Aberystwyth, where Cardigan Bay awaits.
Further Information
The journey takes about two hours, with the train times below an example:
19:29 Leave Shrewsbury
19:51 Welshpool
20:07 Newtown
20:16 Caersws
20:49 Machynlleth
20:56 Dovey Junction
21:07 Borth
21:26 Arrive Aberystwyth
Tickets can be bought at: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
Waterfalls and Mountains Abound in Cambrians
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