They’re Still Riding the Rails in Wondrous Wales

This town has two claims to fame. It is the slate capital of the world and the embarkation point of the Ffestiniog Narrow-Gauge Railway, one of several trains from the 1800s that thread their way across the landscape of northern Wales.

The trains are reason enough to journey here.

Years and years ago, when the late Welsh bard Dylan Thomas was so high and, as he claimed, “so much nicer,” he wrote fondly of his childhood, of Christmas and summer outings by charabanc. His literary legacy holds scant reference to travel by train, but surely his boyish curiosity must have led him to journey on one of the great little trains of Wales, and he would have begun here in Blenau Ffestiniog.

At the foot of a towering mountain of slate, Blenau Ffestiniog in sunlight holds a certain charm; it reminds one of a mining village in “How Green Was My Valley.” On a gray day it is the color of the man-made mountain that overshadows it. Other than being the terminus for the narrow-gauge railway, its sole attraction is the mine that belched forth the mountain that broods over the town.

Once a mystery to all but the quarrymen, a level section of the mine complex’s underground workings was opened to visitors in 1972. The miners’ tramway enables you to tour the circa-1846 network of tunnels and caverns where early Victorian mining conditions have been re-created with period equipment.

Literal Tunnel Vision

The deep mine allows visitors to walk 100 feet below the surface through chambers unmatched anywhere else in the world. As you walk through the huge caverns, the saga of the men who mined these enormous chambers unfolds. But with a ticket on the Ffestiniog Railway in your pocket, there is little reason to tarry more, so all aboard.

The railway lies in the heart of Snowdonia National Park, and its route encompasses scenery from mountains and rivers, farmlands and woodlands, to views of the estuaries and the sea.

Sometimes the vintage train clings tenaciously to the hillside like a mountain goat, at others it tunnels under it. Much of the area it traverses is so remote that there are no paved roads, so the train stops occasionally at isolated cottages whose inhabitants depend entirely on the railway.

The one-hour, 13 1/2-mile journey is one through time in a train whose steam locomotive has been serving the line for more than 100 years. The engines dates from the 1800s, but often the coaches are modern. The Merddin Emrys engine, however, leads three coaches dating from 1879.

Membership Offered

If you want to do more than just ride on the railway, the Ffestiniog Railway Society invites railway buffs to join them. Membership allows three free journeys a year and a magazine published quarterly. For information, write to John Manisty, 4 Kingsgate St., Winchester, Hampshire S023 9PD, England.

From Porthmadog you can board another great little train of Wales, the Welsh Highland Railway (Rheilffordd Ucheldir Cymru). This line was opened in 1980 and operates between Porthmadog and Pen-Y-Mount, only 3/4 mile.

Several other narrow-gauge lines are worth the journey. The Talyllyn Railway travels 7 miles from the quiet resort of Tywyn on Cardigan Bay in the heart of the country near the village of Abergynolwyn.

The Snowdon Mountain Railway will take you to the 3,560-foot summit of Mt. Snowdon, highest peak in England and Wales. Opened in 1896, the railway climbs more than 3,000 feet in less than five miles. Normal mountain practice prevails here and the locomotive always runs chimney first up the mountain, pushing the coach in front.

Up to Devils Bridge

A significant historical role is played by the Vale of Rheidol Railway, the last operational link with British Rail and the Age of Steam. Starting from British Rail’s mail line at Aberystwyth Station, the rails cling to the hillside on the climb to Devils Bridge, following curves that become so sharp you can see the engine ahead of you snorting its way into the station.

The views are superb, a mixture of broad river valley, precipitous and thickly wooded mountainside and the glorious open moorland of Plynlimon.

Connecting the mid-Wales market towns is the Welshpool and Llanfair light railway, which runs between Welshpool and Llanfair Caereinion. The line has an international collection of steam engines from West Africa and the West Indies, and passengers ride in vintage coaches from Austria or comfortable modern ones from Africa.

One of the great scenic wonders of northern Wales is the area around Llanberis Pass, and what better way to see the area than by the Llanberis Lake Railway. The 40-minute ride from Llanberis Padarn Park to Penllyn to Ceillydan takes you along the shores of Lake Padarn. Pack a picnic lunch and break your journey at Ceillydan, then catch the return train to Llanberis.

Mastering the Double L

You’re not likely to find the most convenient of accommodations in these small hamlets served by the narrow-gauge railways, so chances are you’ll come to them from one of the main touring centers on the north coast, one of the most attractive being a place with the nearly unpronounceable name of Llandudno. The nearest we came to mastering the pronunciation was “clandudno.” It’s that double L that throws a spanner into the works.

Llandudno is one of the most popular resorts on the north coast, on a narrow peninsula projecting into the Irish Sea and terminating on the bold headland known as the Great Orme.

A seaside resort in the nostalgic, fin de siecle tradition, its Victorian hotels open on a wide esplanade that cuts a gentle swath around Conwy Bay like the blade of a scimitar. One imagines elegant Victorian ladies sashaying along this pleasant easy walk, parasols unfurled against the noonday sun. If you have time, a commodity that can be plentiful in these parts, amble along the shore until it climbs a gentle mountain called the Little Orme.

Hotels are numerous here but fully booked in summer, when the Welsh come out of hibernation to bask in the noonday sun. If you arrive in September your chances are better. The best hostelries fringe the promenade, and the Hotel Esplanade is one of the most welcoming in this resort that time has forgotten. Rates off-season were $54 double, including breakfast and dinner, and we booked a few nights ahead at one of the British Tourist offices in Cornwall.

The cuisine here isn’t nouvelle or anything else from a gourmet’s vocabulary, but it’s hearty fare and the steaks come rare when you order them that way.

Hospitality Plus

And so, as a matter of fact, does the hospitality. If they call Ireland the Land of the Welcome, surely Wales must run a close second. The rare hospitality found in Llandudno, and most particularly at the Hotel Esplanade, is due in part to its manager, John McDonald.

McDonald steered us on to the great little trains of Wales when an organized tour fell through. He mapped out an unforgettable day beginning with the modern train journey to Blenau Ffestiniog where we connected with one of narrow-gauge railways to Porthmadog.

From there we boarded a bus that rolled slowly along quiet narrow back roads of great scenic splendor, through Snowdonia National Park and up to Caernarvon Castle where Prince Charles was installed as Prince of Wales in 1969.

You’ll want to spend a good part of the day there wandering around the 13th-Century castle, one of Europe’s great medieval fortresses. There is a haunting beauty about the castle.

Afterward you can do your Christmas shopping at the Welsh Craft Center opposite the castle gates. Woolens, linens and pottery predominate, and the good ladies of the shop will send the booty home duty-free. We bought in September and had the shipment well in time for Christmas distribution.

Exemplary Castle

On your return to Llandudno, stop at Conwy Castle, whose cluster of lofty towers, battlements and old town walls set against Snowdonia’s purple peaks evokes an authentic medieval atmosphere. Built between 1283 and 1289, it is one of the finest in this land that boasts more castles per square mile than anyplace in Europe.

Detailed train timetables can be obtained by writing to The Great Little Trains, Pant Station, Merthyr Tydfil, Mid Glam, CF482UP, Wales. Enclose a self-addressed envelope with international reply coupon.

For example, the round-trip adult fare on the Llanberis Lake Railway was 1.70, children 90 pence (a pound is about $1.45). A Narrow-Gauge Wanderer ticket for eight days of unlimited travel on several railways costs 113, children 6.50. A single round-trip fare on the Ffestiniog Railway from Ffestiniog to Porthmadog was 5.60; one can get a first-class ticket for a supplementary fee.