A circular tour of North Wales by rail

 using the 'Ffestiniog Round Robin' ticket

by Dave Sallery

  Mondays to Fridays - runs daily from 26th March until 2nd November 2012

Saturdays - runs from 24th March until 3rd November 2012

The route of the Cambrian Rail Cruise is shown in black.

The information given on this website has been checked with National Rail and Arriva Trains Wales - 19th March 2012.

There exists in North Wales and the Borders one of the most scenic circular rail journeys to be found anywhere in Europe.  The tour can be completed in a day and the price charged for the Ffestiniog Round Robin ticket used is very good value for money.   The timetable and fare information included for the tour is as up to date as I can obtain, but please check for any alterations with the train operating companies before setting out

 As much of the route is on single track railways, timekeeping can sometimes be a problem.  In such situations it is best to contact the train conductor.

  The timetable and fares information is given in good faith by myself using information freely available on the train company's websites and I cannot accept any responsibility for missed connections, delays, errors or omissions or any inconveniences which may arise.

The train companies involved in the operation of this circular tour are:  Arriva Trains Wales and the Ffestiniog Railway.   There is an illustrated route description pointing out some of the many highlights of the journey.

The times given on this site are for the anti-clockwise direction - Chester/Llandudno Jct/Blaenau Ffestiniog/Porthmadog/Machynllech/Shrewsbury/Chester

Connections are also given from several major stations not on the circular route - Llandudno, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Crewe.  Due to long connection times, it is not realistic to include Sunday timings.

Should you make the trip, I would be grateful for any opinions  you may have on your experiences, with your permission these will be added to my comments page.