HOW 5th train per day makes day trips easier

[sh24]

Moderator note: Split from

HOW Line 5th Train to be restored?

Seen this article online explaining that an argument has been reached to reinstate a 5th service along the Heart of Wales line. https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/24950898.deal-struck-restore-services-heart-wales-line/ Funding has been secured to restore the fifth train service on the Heart of...

www.railforums.co.uk

I want to tick off all the HoW stations, but with the 4 train timetables it's quite a few days effort and some unpleasant early starts and long waits. Selfishly, the 5th train would be great.

 

[The exile]

I want to tick off all of the HoW stations, but with the 4 train timetables it's quite a few days effort and some unpleasant early starts and long waits. Selfishly, the 5th train would be great.

Although, depending where "home" is and how you intend to get to the Central Wales, it repays doing it in small doses and seeing more away from the railway. I have, however, been caught out in some places by the complete non-existence of rights of way clearly marked as such on OS maps. Cynghordy to Sugar Loaf along the A483 was not particularly pleasant.

 

[Class 170101]

I want to tick off all of the HoW stations, but with the 4 train timetables it's quite a few days effort and some unpleasant early starts and long waits. Selfishly, the 5th train would be great.

Take some advice from Geoff Marshall

- first of four videos - it took him four days with some assistance it seems.

 

[sh24]

Although, depending where "home" is and how you intend to get to the Central Wales, it repays doing it in small doses and seeing more away from the railway. I have, however, been caught out in some places by the complete non-existence of rights of way clearly marked as such on OS maps. Cynghordy to Sugar Loaf along the A483 was not particularly pleasant.

Take some advice from Geoff Marshall

- first of four videos - it took him four days with some assistance it seems.

Sage advice - thanks! I'll try and pick it off piecemeal and also leverage the Builth Wells/Royal Welsh special to do a bit more and cover the Hendy curve.

Sorry, drifting OT now.

 

[Ianigsy]

I’d imagine that quite a pleasant week could be had with a combination of trains, walking and a few castles and things.

 

[Jan Mayen]

I’d imagine that quite a pleasant week could be had with a combination of trains, walking and a few castles and things.

I imagine that the best tickets to buy would be singles/day returns as required. Or is there a Rover suited to doing this?

 

[_toommm_]

I imagine that the best tickets to buy would be singles/day returns as required. Or is there a Rover suited to doing this?

There's the one and two day rangers, although I imagine singles would be better value if you plan them well and use break of journey:

GB RAIL ROVER GUIDE - Heart of Wales Circular Day & Two-Day Ranger

How to find rail rover and ranger tickets on the national rail network. Rover and ranger tickets are cheap tickets for rail travel

www.railrover.org

 

[nwales58]

... caught out in some places by the complete non-existence of rights of way clearly marked as such on OS maps.

completely normal in lowland britain, unfortunately.

Cynghordy to Sugar Loaf along the A483 was not particularly pleasant.

I think Sugar Loaf is the only such problem, it is a bit over a mile along the main road from the nearest public right of way. From there you are on the Heart of Wales Line Trail in either direction rather than going the whole way on the A483.

On the map there is bridleway paralleling the A483 for about a mile past Sugar Loaf itself (which is access land if you want to go up) or was that the one that did not exist? Other than that the forestry tracks paralleling the A483 are not rights of way nor access land.

In case anyone else tries it, another option is the forestry across the road which is access land including the track leading to the road (you must enter and leave access land at a gate or stile but you are entitled to use that gate, without damage, no matter what signs tell you). On the map it looks like a nice climb on the forestry track up to 500m then navigating within access land along the ridge to drop onto a bridleway a couple of miles north of Cynghordy.

 

[Kite159]

I imagine that the best tickets to buy would be singles/day returns as required. Or is there a Rover suited to doing this?

Before the recent(ish) price hike the "Explore South Wales 4 in 8" would have been useful, no time restrictions for the HoW line itself plus it included some buses.

If anybody wants to tick the stations off, then probably staying in Llanelli is probably better, walking between some of the stations which are close(ish) by foot within the time allowed for the train to head to Shrewsbury/Swansea before returning. With using buses at some of the stations at the southern end of the line. Although I did it back in 2018 time before the timetable was changed

 

[DelW]

On the map there is bridleway paralleling the A483 for about a mile past Sugar Loaf itself (which is access land if you want to go up) or was that the one that did not exist? Other than that the forestry tracks paralleling the A483 are not rights of way nor access land.

A decade or so ago (before the days of the Trail) I tried to walk up the bridleway shown by OS as passing Sugar Loaf summit on the south east side. Nothing was visible on the ground, though I did manage to more or less follow its route at the cost of soaking wet feet.
The footpath which approaches that from the southwest, running up to the parking area south of the summit, was also invisible in the woodland, and the footbridge east of Cynghordy Hall had fallen into the river.
However, I think that the HoW Trail has improved matters since then, as local volunteers are involved in signing and maintaining it.
At the end of that walk I caught a train from Sugar Loaf Halt, which for over a decade was the only time I saw one stop there. I've seen it once more since!

 

[Belperpete]

If there is nothing visible on the ground, that is a good indicator that nobody is using it. Unfortunately that can then become a vicious circle - as a footpath becomes harder to follow, people stop using it.

 

[The exile]

If there is nothing visible on the ground, that is a good indicator that nobody is using it.

Or / and that the landowner is determined to ensure that no one uses it.

 

[Belperpete]

Or / and that the landowner is determined to ensure that no one uses it.

One case I know of is where a footpath crosses a golf course. There is a stile across the boundary fence, but absolutely no sign whatsoever of any path beyond over the greens. However, as far as I am aware, while there is a requirement on landowners not to obstruct public footpaths, they are under no obligation to either sign them or make them obvious.

Some landowners choose to do so, to help the public keep to the footpath, and so not go wandering all over the place. But are unlikely to do so if no-one is using the path.

 

[The exile]

Some landowners choose to do so, to help the public keep to the footpath, and so not go wandering all over the place. But are unlikely to do so if no-one is using the path.

The weirdest one I ever met was in Essex. A footpath ran right through someone’s (large) garden - you were definitely walking across a lawn and skirting flower beds, though on a larger scale than in suburbia. The way to get in was well-signposted on both sides (and the gates excellently maintained) but the layout of the garden made it impossible to see where the way out was once you were in. Cue much embarrassed searching behind shed, compost heap etc, desperately hoping the owners were out!

 

[Belperpete]

One house that I once owned, there was an official right of way through the house! The builders had provided an alternative route, and taken out a perpetual insurance policy against anyone insisting on using the legal route.