Heart of Wales Line Trail Guide

The Heart of Wales Line Trail describes a wonderful walk which weaves its way between stations on one of Britain's most scenic railways. The line from Shrewsbury to Swansea is 195 km (121 miles) long, passing through some of the least populated parts of Wales in a little over four hours. By contrast, the trail is over 227 km (141 miles) in length and might well take a walker 10 days to complete. It is eminently suitable for people looking for a long distance challenge and also for those who wish to walk the trail in sections, using the train to access day or weekend walking. Above all else it is spot on for those seeking to discover at first hand the beauty and tranquillity of the Welsh Marches and Mid Wales. The trail starts off gently enough, but soon rises to remote uplands, dips into wooded valleys, and eventually passes alongside the captivating salt marshes of the Loughor Valley. The last leg takes you to the Millennium Coastal Park and final destination Llanelli, a town rightly proud of its industrial heritage. The appeal, of course, is not just the walking but also the train journey. It is one of the slowest trains in Wales, but do not let this put you off for this is not your everyday sort of train. This is a very rural line which defied closure during the Beeching era of the early 1960s. It ran through so many marginal seats that the line was given a reprieve; no one wanted to be responsible for pinning up that final closure notice. For those without a car it is a lifeline. For many it is simply irreplaceable. We are fortunate too, for it also happens to offer access to great walking between stations through pockets of landscape which are very different. We think this is a marriage made in heaven.