Vale of Rheidol Railway,
Park Avenue,
Aberystwyth,
Cardiganshire,
SY23 1PG
Telephone 01970 625819
Fax 01970 623769

Web:http://www.rheidolrailway.co.uk
Email:: vor@rheidolrailway.co.uk
Map Link: Here

Introduction...
The Vale of Rheidol Railway is one of the Great Little Trains of Wales, and was the last steam railway owned by British Rail until it was privatised in 1989.
Opened in 1902, it was originally built to serve the lead mines in the Rheidol Valley. Passengers and timber also formed the mainstay of traffic on the 1ft 11¾ in gauge route which passes through some of the most rugged terrain of any railway in the United Kingdom. Despite the narrow gauge of the rails, the locomotives and carriages - built at the Great Western Railway's Swindon Works - are as wide as their standard gauge equivalents.

The line today...
The VoR Railway runs for 11¾ miles from Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge. The terminus is adjacent to the national network station at Aberystwyth, and on the hour-long journey passengers have spectacular views of the wooded Rheidol Valley - views unseen for decades until the VoRR began its renovation programme ten years ago. This programme continues today, and will see more views opened up for VoRR passengers, and improved facilities at both terminal stations.
At Devil's bridge, there are walks to Mynach Falls, Devil's Punchbowl and Jacob's Ladder.

All trains normally wait 1 hour at Devils Bridge before returning, and although you can catch a later train if you need more time for sightseeing, make sure you do not miss the last train of the day. If in doubt, confirm last times with the guard.

Your GLTW Discount Card also entitles you to discounts at the following accommodation providers.Please Note: You must disclose that you are a GLTW card holder at the time of booking and show your card on arrival.

Whilst you are in the area, why not visit some of the other nearby places of interest:

• Among the holdings of The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, there are several hundred archives, some of them created by prominent individuals, others created by institutions, societies and national bodies. They relate to a wide variety of subjects relating to Wales and the Celtic countries – history, literature, religion and politics in particular – and range in date from the Middle Ages to the present day. At the same venue is The National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales - home to a comprehensive and unequalled collection of films, television programmes, videos, sound recordings and music relating to Wales and the Welsh.

• Also in Aberystwyth, the Ceredigion Museum is housed in a restored Edwardian Theatre. It has been described as 'one of the most beautiful museum interiors in Britain'. The museum displays objects of all ages from the county of Ceredigion (Cardiganshire). Most of the displays are of the Victorian period and later, including infomation on local lead mining and the seafaring tradition of the area. . The museum has a lively programme of temporary exhibitions in the Coliseum auditorium and the gallery.

 

• The first camera obscura was built in Aberystwyth in 1880 in the grounds of the castle, at the opposite end of the promenade, and was later re-located to Constitution Hill to give a better viewpoint. By the 1920's it had gone - a casualty of the public's changing demand for entertainment. This popular re-creation was completed in 1985. The massive 14 inch lens makes it the worlds largest camera obscura and visitors can view the moving colour pictures that fascinated our forefathers. Visitors benefit from a level of precision and clarity that the Victorians could barely have dreamed of, and the delightful camera obscura of the present day was almost entirely designed and manufactured in Wales. It provides a fascinating learning experience for the entire family, whether you wish to understand more about optical technology or simply spy on friends on the beach!
  

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