Gateway locations:  Cardiff, Bangor.  

Cardiff 

The vibrant capital of Wales, Cardiff is on the Great Western South Wales main line from London Paddington.  For a map click here.  It is also on Arriva Trains Wales routes from Manchester via Crewe, and Holyhead (for ferries from Dublin) via Bangor and Chester, as well as from Milford Haven and Fishguard in West Wales (for ferries from Rosslare, Ireland).  Cardiff is also on Central Trains’ direct route from Nottingham, Derby and Birmingham.  It is also has limited direct trains from the Virgin Cross network, with longer distance journeys from Birmingham and North East England.  Importantly, cheap ‘Virgin Value’ advance tickets are available to Cardiff from most locations on or near this network.  For a map click here.  If price is an issue, megabus and National Express funfares are available from London Victoria.  Visit www.megabus.com and www.nationalexpress.com.

Bangor 

The first city en-route from Dublin, Bangor is on the North Wales main line.  There are direct Arriva Trains Wales services from Holyhead (ferries from Dublin), Chester, Cardiff, Manchester and Crewe.  There are also direct Virgin Trains from London Euston.  For a map click here.     

National Park:  Snowdonia

Northern Snowdonia 

The northern part of Snowdonia is best accessed from Bangor or from Betws-y-Coed in the Conwy Valley, in turn accessible from Llandudno Junction.  Bangor and Llandudno Junction are both on the North Wales main line.  There are direct Arriva Trains Wales services from Holyhead, Chester, Cardiff, Manchester and Crewe.  There are also direct Virgin Trains from London Euston.  For a map click here.  

There are both buses and trains from Llandudno Junction along the Conwy Valley to the car-free travel hub at Betws-y-Coed.  Trains continue through to Blaenau Ffestiniog, from where steam trains on the narrow-gauge Ffestiniog Railway head down to the sea on the Cambrian coast at Portmadog.  Buses (19) go via the walled town of Conwy, and some via Rowen village.            

This area is great for buses.  The excellent Snowdon Sherpa bus network covers Northern Snowdonia all year round.  There are even more journeys between Easter and the end of September.  From Betws-y-Coed buses (S2/S6/S97) go to Swallow Falls and Capel Curig.  Buses continue to Pen-y-Pass (S2/S97), the start of two main walking routes up Snowdon.  Buses also continue to Llanberis (S2), to Bryn Gwynant, Beddgelert and Portmadog (S97), and to Llyn Ogwen (Idwal Cottage) and through to Bethesda (S6).   

From Bangor you can travel by bus to Llanberis (9A/88/85), at the base of Snowdon, and from there on to Pen-y-Pass (S1).  Some of these buses go via the historic city of Caernarfon, along with many others (5/X32).  From Caernarfon, buses go to Beddgelert via Snowdon Ranger and Rhyd Ddu (S4).  The narrow-gauge steam Welsh Highland Railway also links Caernarfon with Snowdon Ranger and Rhyd Ddu and will from 2009 link though to Portmadog.  Alternatively from Bangor there are buses to Bethesda (6/7/66/77) with links to Lyn Ogwen (Idwal Cottage) and on to Capel Curig, Swallow Falls and Betws-y-Coed.

From the Birmingham and the Midlands, travel via the spectacular Cambrian Coast rail route to Northern Snowdonia is realistic, accessing the area from Porthmadog.  Arriva Trains Wales services run direct from Birmingham New Street to Machnylleth from where there are good connections to Porthmadog (and on to Pwllheli) around the coast. 

Buses run from Portmadog to Betws-y-Coed via Beddgelert, Bryn Gwynant, Pen-y-Pass, Capel Curig and Swallow Falls (S97).  During Easter, May half term and Summer school holiday periods there are extra, open-top double decker buses from Porthmadog to Beddgelert and the Welsh Highland railway at Rhyd Ddu.  Buses also run from Portmadog to Bangor via Caernarfon (1/X32).

For your journeys around the area after arrival the Snowdon Sherpa Day ticket is available.  For a diagramatic map of the network click here.  A Red Rover ticket offers fantastic value for bus travel for 1 day throughout Snowdonia, and on virtually all buses west of Llandudno and north of Machynlleth, also on the through routes from Wrexham, Ruabon and Llangollen (X94), and Aberystwyth (X32). 

Southern Snowdonia  

Travel to the area around Cader Idris, Wales' second highest peak, in the Southern part of Snowdonia National Park through Machnylleth or Dolgellau.  Machynlleth is on the Cambrian main line, with direct journeys from Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury, Aberystwyth and Borth.  In Machynlleth, home to the Centre for Alternative Technology (with great discounts for car-free arrival), there are bus links for Corris, Minffordd and Dolgellau.  There are also good rail connections for the Cambrian Coast including Tywyn, Fairbourne and Barmouth in the region.  Buses (28) roughly follow this rail route to Fairbourne before providing a good link to Kings and Dolgellau.  Buses (30) also link Tywyn with Minfforth via Talyllyn.

Dolgellau is a meeting point for the Traws Cambria network of longer distance buses making it a good car-free base.  There are direct buses from Wrexham, Ruabon and Llangollen (X94), Bangor, Caernarfon and Portmadog (X32), Barmouth (X94), Aberystwyth and Machynlleth (X32).  There is also a link with Kings (28).  A Red Rover ticket offers fantastic value for bus travel for 1 day throughout Snowdonia, and on virtually all buses west of Llandudno and north of Machynlleth, also on the through routes from Wrexham, Ruabon and Llangollen, and Aberystwyth.    

National Park:  Pembrokeshire 

Covering the South Western tip of Wales, this coastal national park is easy to access car-free.  In the south of the region, the historic coastal town of Tenby makes a good car-free base, with rail connections at Swansea from London Paddington, Manchester, Crewe and Cardiff.  There are coastal buses linking Tenby with Saundersfoot and Amroth (351) (one end of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail), and with Manorbier, Pembroke and Pembroke Dock (349) (for ferry links with Rosslare, Ireland).   

The attractive market town of Haverfordwest is the main car-free hub for much of the region.  Arriva Trains Wales run direct journeys from Manchester, Crewe and Cardiff and there are links with the First Great Western South Wales main line from London Paddington at Swansea.  There are buses from Haverfordwest to the coastal village resort of Broad Haven (311), the UK’s smallest city St. David’s (411), Fishguard, Newport (Trefdraeth) and Cardigan (412) in the north of the region. 

From Milford Haven, also with direct rail journeys from Manchester, Crewe and Cardiff and links with the First Great Western South Wales main line from London Paddington at Swansea, there are bus links with the villages of Dale and Marloes, and from there onwards around the coast on the scenic Puffin Shuttle.  This runs daily in the Summer and three days each week in the Winter.  This is one of several Shuttle services that hug the coast, excellent for scenic journeys, for walkers doing sections of the coast path, and for providing extra journeys between the main places on route, especially on Sundays.  The Puffin Shuttle provides the coastal link between Marloes, Broad Haven, Penycwm, and St David’s.  The Seasonal Celtic Coaster loops around the city of St David’s, providing a link with St Justinian, Whitesands Bay and close to YHA St David’s.  Continuing the chain up the coast is the Strumble Shuttle between St David’s and Fishguard, reaching the places on the coast that the main 411 bus cannot reach, such as near Pwll Deri.  Visit www.pembrokeshiregreenways.co.uk.            

Ferries from Rosslare (Ireland) dock at Fishguard Harbour.  Trains arrive at roughly the same time, providing a link with Cardiff.  Local buses also meet the ferry and train giving a link to Fishguard town centre (410), for bus connections with the rest of the region.   These include the Poppit Rocket, continuing the chain of coastal buses to Newport (Trefdraeth), Poppit Sands, one end of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail, and to the historic town of Cardigan.  This bus again runs daily during the Summer, and three days each week between Newport and Cardigan during the Winter.  Other buses link Cardigan with Poppit Sands (407), Monday to Saturday all year round.      

From the Midlands, you can travel to the Northern part of Pembrokeshire National Park through Aberystwyth and Cardigan.  Aberystwyth is at the end of the Cambrian main line, with direct journeys from Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury, Machnylleth and Borth.  Daily regular Traws Cambria buses (550/X40/X50) follow the spectacular coastal road through Aberaeron, New Quay and Aberporth to Cardigan. 

National Park:  The Brecon Beacons 

Brecon itself is the main car-free travel hub for the area, easy accessible.  From London, travel via Cardiff.  The vibrant capital of Wales, Cardiff is on the First Great Western South Wales main line from London Paddington.  From Cardiff, there is a local bus link (X43) via Merthyr Tydfil (the bus is quicker than the train from Cardiff but does link up at Merthyr Tydfill rail station if you wish to travel by rail) and via Llwyn-y-Celyn. If price is an issue, Megabus and National Express funfares are available from London Victoria.  Visit www.megabus.com and www.nationalexpress.com.  Be aware that in Cardiff the X43 departs from Greyfriars Street, across the city centre, not from the bus station.                

From Manchester, Holyhead, Bangor and Chester, travel via Abergavenny.  Arriva Trains Wales run regular through journeys daily.  It is also possible Monday to Saturday, although probably more expensive, to travel on the same trains to Hereford and then on to Brecon from there (39), passing through Hay-on-Wye.  From the Midlands, Central Trains runs direct local trains from Birmingham New Street to Hereford.  There are direct journeys from Nottingham, Derby and Birmingham to Cardiff.       

From Pembrokeshire and West Wales, travel via Swansea.  Monday to Saturday there is a limited bus link between Swansea and Brecon (63).  Otherwise travel via Cardiff, but be aware of the daily early finish to bus services on the X43.  From elsewhere in Wales, there is a relatively new Traws Cambrian longer distance bus (704) between Newtown, Llandrindod Wells, Builth Wells and Brecon.  Newtown is on the Cambrian main line from Aberystwth, Borth, and Machynlleth, with good rail connections from the Cambrian coast including Pwllheli, Porthmadog and Barmouth.  Llandrindod Wells is on the scenic Heart of Wales Line from Shrewsbury, Llanelli and Swansea.  As is Llandovery, which also has a bus link with Brecon, passing through Sennybridge (G14), completing the spiders web of services enabling car-free travel to the Brecon Beacons National Park.             

On Sunday between mid-May and mid-September the Beacons Bus network operates allowing travel from Cardiff, Newport, Hereford, Carmarthen, Swansea, Bridgend, Porthcawl and Pontypridd. Journeys run during the day from Brecon to the Carmarthenshire Gardens, Llangors Lake, Hay on Wye, Garwnant Forest and on a Roundabout route into the mountains.  From Hay-on-Wye the ‘Offa's Dyke Flyer’ takes you from the cultural centre of Hay on Wye down the picturesque Llanthony Valley and then back through Herefordshire to the east of the mountains.  Use it to reach Capel-y-Ffin or to walk Offa's Dyke Path and be taken back to your start by the bus.  For a map and timetable click here and follow the link.

The Gower Penninsula

Celebrating its 50th year as an ANOB in 2006, The Gower Penninsula is an attractive destination very easily accessible car-free.  Travel through Swansea.  Swansea is on the First Great Western South Wales main line from London Paddington.  For a map click here.  It is also on Arriva Trains Wales routes from Manchester via Crewe and from Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock in West Wales (for ferries from Rosslare, Ireland).  Swansea also has a ferry link with Cork, Ireland.  From Swansea there is a network of high quality 'Gower Explorer' buses.  At first glance the timetable looks poor, but closer reading will reveal that it gives regular connections to all parts of the area.  These connections are guaranteed and there is through ticketing.  Port Eynon and Rhossili are two destinations well served.  Click here for a Gower Explorer timetable and map.