North of England North & West Wales and South Wales

(Chester via Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool and Crewe)

( Holyhead, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Porthmadog, Aberystwyth)

(Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury then mid Wales line down to Swansea and Cardiff then back to Worthing)

2 Nights in Chester (Travelodge)

1 Night in Aberystwyth  (B & B)

1 Night in Shrewsbury   (B & B)

Travellers: Bill, Bob, Dave J, Dave W, Ernie, Malcolm, Mike, Peter, Rick

       We had a spot of lunch in Sheffield before resuming our journey to Chester, where we checked in to a Travelodge. On the way from the station we passed an Indian restaurant. The owner rushed up to us to tell of the excellence of his newly opened establishment. We enjoyed a good evening meal in a pub near the river with Bill’s daughter and her partner.

The next morning we set off for Holyhead – a pleasant journey to a rather run-down ferry port. The Woolworth store had just closed which did not help. So we were soon on our way back – some went to Conway Castle and others returned directly to Chester. Mike and I walked the city walls and had a good look at the racecourse for future reference. That evening the group made the fateful decision to try the Indian. The experience did not match the owner’s hype as service was slow and the plates were cold. Dave W quickly remedied this by demanding warm ones, but the rice was cold too when it eventually turned up.

The next morning we set off to find a place for breakfast before catching the train to Wales. Some of us decided on Wetherspoons. When the lady opened the door for business, she took one look at our motley crew and said that they would not be serving alcohol for another hour!

   After our trip on the Ffestiniog railway, we made our way to Aberystwyth. The B&B was fine and we had fish and chips that evening. We then visited the amusements on the pier, although Dave W found he could only last a few minutes in that environment.

The following day we went on the Vale of Rheidol steam railway up to Devil’s Bridge (featured in the ‘Hinterland’ TV series), before travelling to Shrewsbury. We had a good Italian dinner near a narrow passage called ‘Grope Lane’. Our B&B accommodation was not the greatest but we survived.

The next morning we travelled on the Heart of Wales down to Llanelli, which was a lovely journey on a two car train. From there we completed our journey back to Worthing via Swansea. Cardiff and Cosham.

        A great time was had by all – not bad for £103.60 with a senior railcard!

        Rick