Railways of Wales
Mountains, castles, canals and mountain railways
Call:
EnquireRailways of Wales
6 Days from£535
per person
You are viewing the 2018 itinerary
Itineraries and pricing may vary by departure year
Explore the rugged mountains and winding waterways of North Wales. Enjoy picturesque journeys aboard historic steam trains and admire delightful towns and ancient history on this Welsh adventure.
Today you arrive in the town of Llandudno, where you meet your Tour Manager at your hotel for the next five nights, the family run Kensington Hotel. This classically-styled Victorian Hotel enjoys a superb position on Llandudno's central promenade and enjoys fantastic views of Llandudno Bay.
A township since the thirteenth century, Llandudno, like many British coastal resorts, rose to prominence in the Victorian era. By 1848 Llandudno had become an established fishing and copper-mining town with a population of around a thousand when it was proposed that the town might achieve further prosperity as a holiday resort. Significant development followed, including the construction of a new pier, seafront promenade, a pavilion, plus new hotels and guest houses.
Modern Llandudno retains its Victorian splendour and natural beauty but also offers a host of entertainments for visitors including both a tramway and a cable car to the summit of Great Orme as well as museums, public gardens and traditional seaside amusements.
You have some time at leisure to explore the surrounding area before you enjoy a welcome dinner at the hotel this evening.
Today, enjoy an excursion on the steam-hauled* Ffestiniog Railway, a narrow-gauge heritage railway in the Snowdonia National Park. The Ffestiniog Railway was originally founded in 1832 as a means of transporting slate, and miners, from the quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog, and claims to be the oldest independent railway company in the world.
You travel through the scenery of Snowdonia National Park to Porthmadog. From here it's on to Portmeirion, famous for its lovely location.
Visitors arriving in Portmeirion for the first time could be forgiven for thinking that they had arrived in a typically colourful Italian- Mediterranean village. In fact, that was the intention of Portmeirion's designer; the renowned Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. You may wish to visit the central piazza or Battery Square, and its quaint souvenir shops.
*Steam-hauled if possible.
Please Note: For departures 18LLS02a, 18LLS05a
18LLS11 and 18LLS20 Days 2 and
5 swapped around.
Board the Llangollen Railway* travelling through some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK. The Llangollen Railway was formed in 1975 by a group of railway enthusiasts who wanted to open and run a heritage railway on the disused line.
You travel along the banks of the River Dee to Corwen. After some free time for lunch, enjoy a horse-drawn boat trip along the Llangollen canal.
*Steam-hauled if possible.
Please Note: For departures 18LLS23a and 18LLS24a Days 3 and 5 swapped around.
Your day is free, perhaps to explore Llandudno or take the Great Orme cable-hauled tramway for breathtaking views of Snowdonia and Anglesey.
Llandudno's historic highlights can be easily explored on foot and a dedicated Town Trail provides a recommended route which begins at the town's library and takes in notable features including several of Llandudno's churches, the promenade, the railway station, the pier and two of the town's public gardens.
A full-day excursion by coach takes you through some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in Britain to Caernarfon for a guided tour of Caenarfon Castle. Continue with a journey on the Welsh Highland Railway*, a narrow-gauge line running along the foothills of the Snowdonia Mountain range, to Beddgelert where there is time to explore this pretty village before returning to Llandudno.
Located where the rivers Glaslyn and Colwyn meet within the Snowdonia National Park in north Wales, the picturesque stone village of Beddgelert is surrounded by beautiful wooded valleys, rolling hills and mountain lakes. Snowdon itself, Wales' highest mountain, is fewer than five miles north of the village.
*Steam-hauled if possible.
After breakfast, you are free to depart at your leisure. Alternatively, why not explore more of this wonderful area before heading home? You could take a final walk around the beautiful town of Llandudno. Traversing the crescent-shaped bay between Great Orme and its smaller twin Little Orme, Llandudno's wide promenade is backed by grand, white-washed Victorian hotels and is a delightful spot to sit back on one of the many benches provided and watch the world go by.
On many of our UK & Ireland tours, you may check in at the first hotel on your itinerary anytime after 14:00; your Tour Manager will be available between 16:00 and 18:00. However, if you are arriving later, you can meet your Tour Manager before dinner from 19:00.
Not Included
of travellers would recommend this tour
Tour Rating
based on 49 verified reviews
The holiday was as described in the brochure. All the tours were to excellent standards.
very nice and well organized week looking forward to the next one.
Very very enjoyable holiday
The holiday was well planned, the hotel was very good and nicely situated on the sea front. The train journeys were delightful and everything seemed to run very smoothly, including the enjoyable coach rides. The Welsh weather, not noted for long periods of sunshine, did us proud and helped in highlighting the glorious scenery.
The trips on the trains were excellent as was the tour manager and coach driver who knew the area like the back of his hand. The only disappoitment was the canal trip. I and others were under the impression it was over the aquaduct but all it was, was a horse drawn trip up the canal in the opposite direction to the aquaduct. The hotel was moderate considering it was only 3*s.
Good value hotel & rail trips
Because I think it was a good trip but not excellent. The hotel was not what I expected in relation to the cost of the holiday. Your single supplement is the highest ever - more than any other reputable tour operator that I have travelled with which includes Saga.
The whole experience wasn't quite what we expected, normally you are rushed from one thing to another, not in this case time to look and enjoy the whole experience.
I may remind you that I completed a hard copy of a survey and left it at reception to pass on to the tour manager.
Excellent local Coach Driving Guide made the whole trip a resounding success. Your representative was very helpful and ensured everyone on the trip had individual attention afforded to them should they so wish. Bring on the next one it was great to leave the car at home and let someone else take the strain.
Mountains, castles, canals and mountain railways
Call:
Enquire
2019's definitive guide to European, Worldwide and Cruise rail tours and holidays by rail.
Order Brochure
