Aberystwyth.

Despite it being cold and windy we walked into the village to catch the bus into Aberystwyth. With the Welsh not accepting English bus passes todays return journey cost us £10.40. With the bus trip taking one hour and ten minutes we saw plenty more Welsh scenery along the way.

King Edward VII  I presume?

The ruins of Aberystwyth Castle

Aberystwyth Castle on a chilly May morning.

First job in town was to find a chemist for our prescriptions which didn’t take long. After that we were free to explore what the town had to offer. Walking down to the sea front we found the old castle ruins which became ruins back in 1343. The castle was built by English tradesmen with supplies from Bristol and Dublin. Between 1404 and 1408 Owain Glyndwr claimed independence from the British ruling Wales from Aberystwyth. This was short lived as Henry, Prince of Wales regained control. In the 17th century the Welsh accepted the English Monarchy but opposed Parliament. Aberystwyth was heavily defended against the Roundheads in the Civil War. I think history might be starting to repeat itself in a civilised manner this time.

Aberystwyth on a blustery May morning. New Zealand rules.

No sign of ruins here in Aberystwyth Castle.

Walking around the seafront jogged our memories to the fact we had made a fleeting visit here once before but were unable to find a B & B so moved on. The situation doesn’t appear to have changed much as most of the sea front Guest Houses are now owned by the University as Halls of Residence for students.

The Old College, Aberystwyth University.

The South tower of the Old College, Aberystwyth University.

Aberystwyth holiday sea front on a chilly May morning.

Rheilffordd Y Graig Cliff Railway

After having a picnic lunch down on the sea front in one of the shelters out of the wind we headed back to the railway station. We arrived just in time to see the Vale of Rheidol steam train getting shunted ready for the 2pm train up to Devil’s Bridge. We took some photo’s but as we have travelled on this train before opted out of any travel today.

Vale of Rheidol no 8, a 2-6-2 built 1923, restored by the Brecon Mountain Railway 1996.

The 2pm Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge.

Talking to the engine driver we found that a new building to the rear of the engine shed is a new workshop which is due for completion this summer and the first job once all the equipment is installed is to rebuild engine no 7, an identical engine to the one photographed today. Apparently all the parts are ready but they don’t have the space in the existing engine shed.  Another comment he made was that due to the rising cost of fuel, (the loco’s have been diesel fired for the last 30 years), they are seriously thinking about returning to coal fired as there is plenty of coal around here on land the railway owns.