Tywyn & the Talyllyn Railway

Four miles up the coast from Aberdyfi, the small town of Tywyn keeps a remarkable claim to fame: the Talyllyn Railway, the first preserved railway in the world. A day spent riding its little narrow-gauge train into the hills is the classic Cambrian-coast outing — equal parts steam, scenery and nostalgia — and one we send guests on more than any other when the weather turns or the children need a treat.

The world's first preserved railway

The Talyllyn opened in 1865 to carry slate down from the quarries above Abergynolwyn. When the slate trade died, the line should have died with it — but in 1951 a group of enthusiasts stepped in and took it over, becoming the first railway in the world to be saved and run by volunteers. It has run every season since. If the small green engines and their carriages feel oddly familiar, there is a reason: the Reverend W. Awdry, creator of a certain blue tank engine, was a volunteer here, and the Talyllyn was the inspiration for his fictional Skarloey Railway.

Riding the line

The train climbs from Tywyn Wharf station up the wooded valley of the Afon Fathew towards Abergynolwyn and the foot of the old quarry incline at Nant Gwernol. The great stop along the way is Dolgoch, where a short walk from the platform brings you to the Dolgoch Falls, a series of waterfalls in a steep wooded ravine that are worth the trip on their own. You can hop off, walk, and catch a later train back — the civilised way to do it.

The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum

At Tywyn Wharf, alongside the station, the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum tells the wider story of Britain’s little railways, with locomotives and relics gathered from lines all over the country. It is small, well done and free to enter, and it makes the perfect bookend to a ride on the train. Children tend to last longer here than anyone expects.

The rest of Tywyn

The town is more than its railway. Tywyn has a long, open beach that carries on the great sweep of sand running up from Aberdyfi, good for a blustery walk and quieter than the village beaches in high summer. In the parish church of St Cadfan stands the Cadfan Stone, a carved pillar bearing what is reckoned to be the oldest surviving example of written Welsh, well over a thousand years old — a quiet, astonishing thing to stand in front of.

Getting there

Tywyn is an easy four miles north on the A493, or a few minutes on the Cambrian Coast Line — the main-line station is a short walk from the Talyllyn’s Wharf station, so you can do the whole day car-free. It is one of the best outings in our day-trips guide, and the rest of what the area offers is in our things-to-do guide.