Walks from the Great Little Trains of Wales

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Quiet Welsh valleys in the sunshine, sheep grazing on the valley floor and the slopes above, and the idyllic silence broken only by the whistle of a steam engine and the rattle of old coaches coming down the line. These are sights and sounds which have always been a fundamental part of our holidays in Wales. But there is so much more to the Welsh countryside than the preserved steam trains that run through it. The Welsh landscape is one which has been used for different purposes for many centuries. Although today we see mostly grazing land, slate, copper, manganese and even gold mining all have left their mark on the countryside. And the preserved railways are usually where they are precisely because of the industrial heritage of the landscape. Valleys which are quiet and rural today were bustling centres of Victorian industry 150 years ago. We have written these walks to help walkers of all abilities, fitness levels and ages to explore the Welsh countryside further. We also wanted to help families to introduce their children to the delights of exploring the hills and valleys. Our own children have, sometimes reluctantly, joined us on these walks and almost invariably enjoyed them in the end! The walks vary in difficulty from the Llyn Stwlan and Snowdon walks which can, in inclement weather, provide a stiff test for an average walker, to those like the Montgomery Canal which are more of a relaxed stroll. But all are within the compass of a reasonably fit and willing walker. Knowing that sometimes the promise of a walk in the hills and valleys is not sufficiently attractive to everyone we have designed these walks to start and end at a railway station on one of the preserved steam railways in North and Mid Wales so they can be combined with a ride on one of the railways. We have not, in a small book of 20 walks, tried to cover all the Great Little Trains of Wales. So this book includes walks from the Ffestiniog, Welsh Highland, Welsh Highland Heritage, Bala Lake, Fairbourne, Talyllyn, Vale of Rheidol and Welshpool & Llanfair railways. My own favourite walks are from the Talyllyn, but this is certainly influenced by my childhood riding the Talyllyn railway and exploring the Fathew and Dysinni valleys! Show more