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We get a lot of e-mails from riders in London or visiting from overseas wanting to check out some new dirt but have no car.. since it's possible with some effort to get a train to North Wales, here we will try to give you the best info we have on getting from railhead to trailhead.....
There are 4 Private Rail operators with rolling stock that ventures into North and Mid Wales. The London Station to get to North Wales is Euston. The number in brackets alongside each listed station is the average time in hours and minutes from Euston to the station. The mileage in the discriptive text is the distance from the station to the nearest trailhead. The mapquest link should give you the shortest route you will need to follow to get to the trail head
The Trail Centres and nearby Rail Stations
Coed y Brenin
Barmouth (5)
Arriva Wales
follow A496 to Dolgellau then A470 to Ganllwyd 11.8 miles (Mapquest)
Morfa Mawddach
Central Trains
Slightly longer than above but follows excellent ride along disused railtrack to Dolgellau
Blaenau Ffestiniog (4)
Northern Rail
Currently the end of the Conwy Valley line. A470 all the way to Ganllwyd 15 miles (Mapquest)
A little known feature of Blaenau Ffestiniog station is the line continued to Trawsfynydd when the Nuclear power station was still running as far as I know the track bed is still there if any one dares riding it they will have a short downhill from the 'Traws' to Coed y brenin. However an alternative strategy for the lazy is to ride downhill to Minffordd station at Penrhyndeudraeth and pick up the coast train south to Barmouth or on to Machynlleth or Aberystwyth. Online timetables will tell you 14 hours from Betws to Minffordd, yet it is less than 30 minutes to Ffestiniog, a query for Ffestiniog to Minffordd will give a direct link taking 1 hour for the 9 miles. This link uses the Ffestiniog Steam Railway which runs March to November and carries bikes for £2.50 and may be the life saver for the rail2trail riders exploring North Wales
Virgin Trains
Minffordd
Station to make the link between the West Wales Coastal line and the Vale of Conwy Line- Blaenau Ffestiniog 9 miles (Mapquest)
Gwydyr, Penmachno
Betws y Coed (3.30)
Straight into the heart of it, fall off the train and into your hotel or hostel bed. Penmachno is 5 miles south on the A470
Dolwyddelan (3.40)
Next valley to Penmachno, nice pub.
Llandudno Junction (2.55)
Station connecting Main North Wales line with Conwy Valley line. Some trains run direct to/from London Euston. Betws 16 miles along A470 on flat Conwy Valley (Mapquest)
Machynlleth & Dyfi
Machynlleth (4)
Another station almost at trailhead. Can be reached from England or by coming down the Welsh Coast Line from Barmouth
Syfydrin
Aberystwyth (4.50)
A sweet uphill ride on the A44 to the start near Ponterwyd 10 miles (Mapquest)
Coed Llandegla
Gwersyllt (3.50)
Short uphill ride to the forest, about 7 miles (Mapquest). Typically times from Euston are varied here as well as Buckley as there are many connections. It may be best to run the query as via Shotton or Shrewsbury to get the best time
ridetheclwyds.com
Buckley (3.20)
Set on the Bidston (Liverpool) to Wrexham branch line .. not rapid and accessed either via Wrexham or Shotton station 4.5 miles (Mapquest)
Flint (2.30)
Alternative on main North Wales line 8 miles (Mapquest)
Bike Bus
There are a number of routes around North Wales where buses are equipped with racks for one or two bikes. We have contacted the County Councils asking to identify which buse routes pass close to these centres with rack equiped buses and other details and will publish them when they arrive