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Visit to mid Wales in 2023 (by Shane Conway)
Page last updated on 21st September 2023
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June 2023 saw a trip to Wales by ferry and car, which was to co-incide with the Cambridge Oxford owners club annual rally in the area. The original plan to bring my Austin Cambridge over for the event had to be changed at the last minute, as its restoration was still unfinished. In its place the newly acquired Opel Agila was substituted, and an early start was made on Saturday June 24th to board the 07:30 fast sailing from Dublin to Holyhead. Despite its 1200cc engine, two adults, and a good load of luggage on board, the car made good progress on both sides of the Irish sea. Our arrival in Holyhead was at 09:45, and even allowing for the bottleneck that is the Britannia Bridge, we got to Dinas Mawddwy at noon (a distance of around 80 miles) and met some of the CO-OC entrants for the week's event. Following a lunch break, it was time to head to our accomodation, with most of the group staying in the Twywn area.
Each day's outing with the club cars was to one of the many narrow gauge railways in Wales, including the rally on June 25th at the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway's Llanfair Caerienion Station, where 38 cars were on display. June 26th saw a short drive to the Tallylyn railway in Twywn, which was the first preserved line anywhere in the world, in 1951. As each day's route was optional, we did our own day out on June 27th, visiting a heritage seaside line that has a 12.25 inch gauge track...
June 28th saw around 20 cars heading to the Corris Railway between Dolgeallau and Machynlleth, only to find it was closed for that day. Close by was a centre for alternative living, with some high quality craft shops, so that was our next stop, before heading into Machynlleth where it was supposed to be market day. Maybe it was due to the bad weather, but there seemed to be very few stalls anywhere in the town, at least not that I could see anyway. After that, back to Twywn to dry out and rest for the evening....
June 29th saw the convoy heading back to Dinas Mawddwy for a drive to Lake Vyrnwy. The ten mile route from Dinas took us over a narrow mountain road, with some severe gradients and hairpin bends, but all the cars made it safely I am pleased to say. This was followed by a visit to yet another narrow gauge line (Bala Lake railway), unusual in that it uses some of the trackbed of a closed standard gauge line which ran between Barmouth Junction and Ruabon until 1965. A further section of that route is used by the Llangollen Railway, which is the only Welsh full size heritage line.
Our final visit was to the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland railway at Tanybwlch station, on June 30th. A feature of this line is the use of Fairlie centre-cab bogie locomotives, which enable them to negeotiate the tight curves on the route, and with a longer boiler having extra power to haul longer trains. Having bid farewell to our club colleagues on July 1st, there was one more surprise sighting on Anglesey as we headed to the ferryport, this being a 1966 former Crosville Bristol Lodekka heading in the opposite direction, and looking very well presented.
Seen at Dinas Mawddwy craft centre is this selection of BMC cars from the 1960s. This site was formerly the local railway station, which closed in 1952.
A line up of Morris, MG, Riley and Wolseley badged club cars seen at the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway's Llanfair Caerienion station on June 25th.
The train on which we travelled on the day of the rally, from Caerienion to Welshpool and back. The carriage nearest the camera, number 418, was imported from the Hungarian State railway, and its wooden slatted seats can be seen in this photo.
Another line-up of Farinas at Tywyn narrow gauge station yard. The first train of the day for Nant Gwernol can be seen in the background.
A two car class 158 train is seen at Twywn station on a southbound journey on the scenic Cambrian Coast line.
Steve Turner's 1965 MG Magnette seen driving through the centre of Twywn.
A small car, and even smaller train!! The Fairbourne railway train passing my Opel Agila on its way to Barmouth Estuary.
Another two car class 158 on the Cambrian coast line, this time northbound towards Pwllheli.
More Farinas, seen at Dolgoch Falls carpark and getting ready for the day's adventure.
The end point of the Bala lake railway. Note the platform layout which goes back to standard gauge days, and the line used to continue on from here through the site of the house in the distance.
Lloyds Coaches now provide much of the bus services in this region. Number B14 is seen at Fairbourne on the 28 to Twywn station.
One of the Fairlie locomotives seen arriving at Tanybwlch station on the Welsh Highland railway with a lengthy train.
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