Wales without a car - hints, tips

[Artaxerxes]

We’re thinking of a trip to Wales for some hiking for a weekend.

How feasible is it? From a quick look Brecon and Snowdonia have the best rural services

 

[editor]

We’re thinking of a trip to Wales for some hiking for a weekend.

How feasible is it? From a quick look only Brecon and Snowdonia have the best rural services

There's plenty of decent hikes that are directly accessible by rail, especially coastal ones:

From rail to trail | Transport for Wales

Transport for Wales | Buy Cheap Train Tickets and Check Train Times

tfw.wales

The Heart of Wales line is a cracker too:

All aboard a new walking trail across Wales

The 122-mile Heart of Wales Line Trail traces a much-loved railway through magnificent countryside, taking in a forgotten wonder of the industrial age

www.theguardian.com

Heart of Wales Line

Heart of Wales Line

www.discovercarmarthenshire.com

And if you go to North Wales, there's a fantastic choice of steam hauled narrow gauge railways

Best Walks from the Welsh Highland Railway |Walks in Snowdonia National Park | Mud and Routes

The Welsh Highland Railway wends its way through the heart of Snowdonia from Caernarfon to Waunfawr, Rhyd Ddu, Beddgelert, Nanmor and on to Porthmadog.

www.mudandroutes.com

 

[ddraig]

you can get a bus from Cardiff to the beacons

 

[kebabking]

Yup - trains and buses go to Abergavenny. From there it's the Black Mountains.

Buses go through the Brecon Beacons (to Brecon) from Cardiff and Merthyr.

Trains go from Shrewsbury down the Heart of Wales line (as Editor noted up thread) endless fantastic walking country. go west of Builth Wells....

There might be - you'll need to check - a bus from Rhayader that goes round the Elan Valley. Train to Rhayader, I think there's a bus from Hereford, and I imagine coaches from Cardiff...

Coaches go through Snowdonia - the National Park website will have details of the little shuttle buses as well. I've done trips from Capel Curig...

Obvious questions: where are you coming from, and what kind of walking adventures are you looking for?

 

[RainbowTown]

If you're in/near Swansea you can get a direct bus from there to the Mumbles which is a lovely coastal walk. We spent a weekend there last year and it was really nice.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Yup - trains and buses go to Abergavenny. From there it's the Black Mountains.

Buses go through the Brecon Beacons (to Brecon) from Cardiff and Merthyr.

Trains go from Shrewsbury down the Heart of Wales line (as Editor noted up thread) endless fantastic walking country. go west of Builth Wells....

There might be - you'll need to check - a bus from Rhayader that goes round the Elan Valley. Train to Rhayader, I think there's a bus from Hereford, and I imagine coaches from Cardiff...

Coaches go through Snowdonia - the National Park website will have details of the little shuttle buses as well. I've done trips from Capel Curig...

Obvious questions: where are you coming from, and what kind of walking adventures are you looking for?

General hiking at the moment, the wife sent me a link to a eco campsite near Fishguard but looks a bit of a mare if doable on transport


We’d be heading out from that there London.

 

[Supine]

There’s a train to fishguard

 

[kebabking]

If coming from that London for the weekend I'd be very tempted to get the train to Cardiff (possibly Newport?) and get the bus up to Brecon. Either get out somewhere on the A470 and wild camp or stay at YHA Brecon Beacons just north of Pen-y-Fan, or get into Brecon and stay over in B&B or whatever...

Time constraints more than anything, but the quality of the walking isn't to be sniffed at - a walk from Storey Arms to Abergavenny (train/bus to Newport, and back on the London train) would be a fabulous weekend.

 

[planetgeli]

There’s a train to fishguard

It's a bloody long way to Fishguard. Do the beacons or snowdonia if you don't mind travelling a bit further.

 

[Supine]

It's a bloody long way to Fishguard. Do the beacons or snowdonia if you don't mind travelling a bit further.

Very true. Tbh a lot of wales is a pain without a car. I’d be tempted by the gower from swansea or sugar loaf from abergavenny if i was doing a quick trip from London.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

If coming from that London for the weekend I'd be very tempted to get the train to Cardiff (possibly Newport?) and get the bus up to Brecon. Either get out somewhere on the A470 and wild camp or stay at YHA Brecon Beacons just north of Pen-y-Fan, or get into Brecon and stay over in B&B or whatever...

Time constraints more than anything, but the quality of the walking isn't to be sniffed at - a walk from Storey Arms to Abergavenny (train/bus to Newport, and back on the London train) would be a fabulous weekend.

This is an excellent idea.

I think just the Sugar Loaf from Abergavenny is probably a bit lightweight. More of a day trip walk. Plus the mountains do become more spectacular and rugged as you go further into the Beacons.

 

[planetgeli]

Other questions that spring to mind are when? And do you want total wilderness or do you need shops, or even a walkable pub.

Some of the best places in Wales are unfortunately not accessible by public transport. But if you could get close enough to me I could drop you in the middle of nowhere (by car) if that's what you wanted.

 

[A380]

If coming from that London for the weekend I'd be very tempted to get the train to Cardiff (possibly Newport?) and get the bus up to Brecon. Either get out somewhere on the A470 and wild camp or stay at YHA Brecon Beacons just north of Pen-y-Fan, or get into Brecon and stay over in B&B or whatever...

Time constraints more than anything, but the quality of the walking isn't to be sniffed at - a walk from Storey Arms to Abergavenny (train/bus to Newport, and back on the London train) would be a fabulous weekend.

But spending the weekend with a rectangular piece of black cardboard over your eyes can be a pain....

 

[Artaxerxes]

Other questions that spring to mind are when? And do you want total wilderness or do you need shops, or even a walkable pub.

Some of the best places in Wales are unfortunately not accessible by public transport. But if you could get close enough to me I could drop you in the middle of nowhere (by car) if that's what you wanted.

Nah that's probably bit much for us. I've driven around Wales when much much younger so I know there's a lot of nothing and some lovely scenery just trying to work out what's doable.

Some decent ideas so far so cheers

 

[mojo pixy]

Train to Machynlleth from Birmingham or Shrewsbury, then a bus to Dolgellau for a lovely walk on Cader Idris, or another train from Mach up the coast towards Porthmadog (beautiful train ride!) from where there are buses through Snowdonia to Beddgelert or Caenarfon / Llanberis. (Or, the Blaenau-Ffestiniog runs a long way uphill but unsure if it runs in winter.)

I lived for quite a while in Aberystwyth and had no car, I managed to get all over the mountains on a bike or on buses, it can be done with a bit of planning. The train from Machynlleth to Porthmadog is always worth doing, plus makes it easy to get a bike up to Snowdonia.

 

[Plumdaff]

Another vote for the Brecons via Cardiff or Abergavenny and a bus, there's also the Brecon Mountain Railway from Merthyr if you fancy a steam train. If you did venture as far as Pembrokeshire there are coastal buses that make doing stretches of the coastal path a bit easier but they run winter and (much better) summer services.

 

[Sir Belchalot]

General hiking at the moment, the wife sent me a link to a eco campsite near Fishguard but looks a bit of a mare if doable on transport


We’d be heading out from that there London.

The Pembrokeshire coast path is great, can be a struggle in places though, you can do it on Google Streetview if you want to get a feel for it. I once hitched a lift from St Davids to Finsbury Park after a 5 minute wait! St Davids is a good base for a weekend as there are plenty of options for circular walks. Gwaum Valley walk is nice if you want to stick to Fishquard.