Places of Interest
Aberystwyth
Is a university town which has been pulling in the tourists since the railway came here in 1864. Original Victorian hotels line the promenade overlooking the panoramic North Beach. Walking along the promenade is a pleasurable stroll and is about one and half miles from North Beach to South Beach.
North Beach starts by Constitution Hill, and a short walk along the promenade brings you to The Royal Pier which dates from 1864. This stocky pier which is now only 300ft long used to extend out into the sea a good 900ft.
In recent years the promenade has been refurbished and now boasts comfortable areas to sit and enjoy the breathtaking scenery. As you meander along the promenade you will see the Bandstand, a children’s paddling pool over looking the beach, and plenty of old buildings and sites of interest along the way. These include the Old College building, the imposing St. Michael’s church and Aberystwyth’s Norman castle ruins just beyond the pier. North and South Beach are mostly dark sand and shingle, and both are award winning beaches.
Aberystwyth Tourist Information Centre,
Terrace Road,
Aberystwyth,
Ceredigion, SY23 2AG.
Tel: 01970 612125.
The National Library of Wales
Is an architectural treasure which sitshigh on the hilltop overlooking Aberystwyth. It boasts archives of ancient and modern Welsh books, including the oldest Welsh text: The Black Book of Carmarthen which dates from the 12th century. There is also a visitor centre on-site with various exhibitions throughout the year and an excellent cafeteria! If your interest lies in any subject related to Welsh history, heritage, ancestry, folklore or culture then this is, without doubt, the place for you.
The National Library of Wales,
Aberystwyth,
Ceredigion,
Wales, SY23 3BU.
Tel: 44 (0)1970 632 800.
Aberystwyth Victorian Cliff Railway at Constitution Hill
Rises up to 430 feet, jutting upwards at the end of North Beach. You can either walk up to the top (not too taxing at all, with well marked trails all the way) or you can take the historic Cliff Railway. Whichever way you go up, the views are memorable, spanning as they do across to the Cardigan Bay coast up to Aberdovey and beyond!
The cliff railway up Constitution Hill is the longest electric cliff railway in Britain, and has attracted visitors here since 1896. When the Victorian Cliff Railway opened in 1896, it operated on a sophisticated water balance system, but went electric in 1921. The carriages still shunt up to the top of Constitution Hill at 4 miles per hour.
Once at the top glorious views await, there’s a cafe up there too. Note the ornate Cliff Railway House at the base of the cliff railway.
Cliff Railway House,
Cliff Terrace,
Aberystwyth,
Ceredigion, SY232DN.
Tel: 01970 617642.
The Cliff Railway is open 7 days a week from mid-March until early November, from 10am to 5pm.
Vale of Rheidol Railway, Narrow Gauge Scenic Railway
s one of the most popular railway routes in Wales, taking you through 12 miles of the Rheidol Valley up to Devil's Bridge. This route dates back to 1902, and originally served the lead mines in the Rheidol Valley. Today it's a Mecca for tourists. Views of the wooded Rheidol Valley along the way are idyllic.
Once at Devil's Bridge you can walk down Jacob's Ladder and view the wonderful water Falls, or get a fantastic view of the three bridges built on top of each other as you venture down to Devil's Punchbowl.
The terminus for the Rheidol Railway is adjacent to Aberystwyth's main railway station. The steam trains depart mostly in peak season from April to October.
Vale of Rheidol Railway,
Park Avenue,
Aberystwyth,
Is a university town which has been pulling in the tourists since the railway came here in 1864. Original Victorian hotels line the promenade overlooking the panoramic North Beach. Walking along the promenade is a pleasurable stroll and is about one and half miles from North Beach to South Beach.
North Beach starts by Constitution Hill, and a short walk along the promenade brings you to The Royal Pier which dates from 1864. This stocky pier which is now only 300ft long used to extend out into the sea a good 900ft.
In recent years the promenade has been refurbished and now boasts comfortable areas to sit and enjoy the breathtaking scenery. As you meander along the promenade you will see the Bandstand, a children’s paddling pool over looking the beach, and plenty of old buildings and sites of interest along the way. These include the Old College building, the imposing St. Michael’s church and Aberystwyth’s Norman castle ruins just beyond the pier. North and South Beach are mostly dark sand and shingle, and both are award winning beaches.
Aberystwyth Tourist Information Centre,
Terrace Road,
Aberystwyth,
Ceredigion, SY23 2AG.
Tel: 01970 612125.
The National Library of Wales
Is an architectural treasure which sitshigh on the hilltop overlooking Aberystwyth. It boasts archives of ancient and modern Welsh books, including the oldest Welsh text: The Black Book of Carmarthen which dates from the 12th century. There is also a visitor centre on-site with various exhibitions throughout the year and an excellent cafeteria! If your interest lies in any subject related to Welsh history, heritage, ancestry, folklore or culture then this is, without doubt, the place for you.
The National Library of Wales,
Aberystwyth,
Ceredigion,
Wales, SY23 3BU.
Tel: 44 (0)1970 632 800.
Aberystwyth Victorian Cliff Railway at Constitution Hill
Rises up to 430 feet, jutting upwards at the end of North Beach. You can either walk up to the top (not too taxing at all, with well marked trails all the way) or you can take the historic Cliff Railway. Whichever way you go up, the views are memorable, spanning as they do across to the Cardigan Bay coast up to Aberdovey and beyond!
The cliff railway up Constitution Hill is the longest electric cliff railway in Britain, and has attracted visitors here since 1896. When the Victorian Cliff Railway opened in 1896, it operated on a sophisticated water balance system, but went electric in 1921. The carriages still shunt up to the top of Constitution Hill at 4 miles per hour.
Once at the top glorious views await, there’s a cafe up there too. Note the ornate Cliff Railway House at the base of the cliff railway.
Cliff Railway House,
Cliff Terrace,
Aberystwyth,
Ceredigion, SY232DN.
Tel: 01970 617642.
The Cliff Railway is open 7 days a week from mid-March until early November, from 10am to 5pm.
Vale of Rheidol Railway, Narrow Gauge Scenic Railway
s one of the most popular railway routes in Wales, taking you through 12 miles of the Rheidol Valley up to Devil's Bridge. This route dates back to 1902, and originally served the lead mines in the Rheidol Valley. Today it's a Mecca for tourists. Views of the wooded Rheidol Valley along the way are idyllic.
Once at Devil's Bridge you can walk down Jacob's Ladder and view the wonderful water Falls, or get a fantastic view of the three bridges built on top of each other as you venture down to Devil's Punchbowl.
The terminus for the Rheidol Railway is adjacent to Aberystwyth's main railway station. The steam trains depart mostly in peak season from April to October.
Vale of Rheidol Railway,
Park Avenue,
Aberystwyth,
Cors Fochno (Borth Bog) is one of the largest and best preserved peat bogs in the lowlands of Britain, and is a site of International importance for nature conservation.For centuries, up until the 2nd World War, peat was cut from the fringes of the bog to use as source of fuel.
Folklore: There was once a prince who lived far south of the Borth area who decided that it was time to take stock of his kingdom. With all his entourage and plenty of food supplies which included live pigs, he travelled to the large Marshland boundary of his domain. The locals in Borth had never seen pigs before and decided to mark the event by calling the Fen “Cors Fochno”(Fenland of pigs)