Great Little Trains of Wales

ITINERARY

Monday - Morning departure from Dorset with breaks as appropriate to arrive Abergele late afternoon - after settling in enjoy dinner in the restaurant.

Tuesday - Across the North Wales coast road to the medieval walled town of Caernarfon. Here we board a steam train on the Welsh Highland Railway. The train snakes and climbs through the breathtaking scenery of Snowdonia to the summit of the line near Rhyd Ddu. It then descends towards the coast to terminate in Porthmadog - over 2 hours of stunning scenery. The coach meets us on arrival and drives you back to Caernarfon with time to admire the old town, the mighty 13th century castle and the newly rejuvenated marina area with its views over the Menai Strait.

Wednesday - Tour narrow mountain roads via Llanrwst and Capel Curig to Llanberis, the start point for the Snowdon Mountain Railway which runs to the very summit of Mount Snowdon. The ride is not included but does provide a great photo opportunity against a magnificent background. After time for sightseeing we continue to Betws-y-Coed, the town has a magical Alpine feel being surrounded by the dense Gwydyr forest and is popular with visitors.

Thursday - Drive up the beautiful Conway Valley and through the heart of Snowdonia National Park via Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog. Listen carefully and you are likely to hear the native Welsh language spoken here. Spend some time exploring this harbour town steeped in maritime history.
This afternoon join a steam train on the Ffestiniog Railway through wonderful scenery - a magical and historic journey that twists, turns and labours against the unforgiving gradient, to finally arrive at Ffestiniog over an hour later.

Friday - Homewards bound with the lingering smell of Welsh coal smoke in your nose, stopping as appropriate for breaks, to return to Dorset that afternoon.

B=Breakfast, D=Dinner