I haven't ignored your comment, but having been away, I haven't had access to the site.
Yes, I agree, the route that you suggest might have been an alternative …. had it not been badly affected by the weather as well! An alternative would have seen me going up through the Central Wales Line, but it would have taken me something like 16 hours, with a break somewhere (I can't remember where!) of around nine hours overnight … so I passed on that!
As I said, I did go somewhere (Oxford, as it happens) but Aberystwyth is still on the list for another day.