Connections at Blaenau Ffestiniog

[DerekC]

I am trying to plan a birthday trip in October via the Conwy Valley, Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways. I am thinking to base myself in Caernarfon.

An anticlockwise tour works OK leaving by WHR train at 10:00 and arriving back at Caernarfon (courtesy of the 5C bus from Bangor) at 17:24. However when I tried the plan clockwise, thinking it might be nice to get the bus out of the way first, it can't be done. The first Conwy Valley train I can catch (there being a 3-hour gap in the service) arrives at Blaenau Ffestiniog at 11:36, just in time to see the tail lamp of the Ffestiniog train which left at 11:35! The next FR train misses the last WHR train at Porthmadog. I find this a quite unbelievable piece of timetabling. Has anyone any experience of trying this? Does the FR train really leave just as the ATW train is pulling in? If so what on earth was the point of building a joint station?

 

[edwin_m]

I did this last summer anticlockwise from Llandudno. Can't remember the exact times but we set out about 1030 and left plenty of time for the bus, thus had about an hour to spare in Caernarfon. The WHR train was probably about 1330 and had a 20min connection at Porthmadog - it was a few minutes late arriving but still enough time to make a rather necessary call at the Gents! Then another 30min or so at Blaenau and back to Llandudno about 1830. I looked at clockwise options too but they had some uncomfortably tight connections.

I had a look at bus times as well, as the Ffestiniog train was the last of the day. I think I could have got a later bus from Porthmadog or Blaenau and got back to Llandudno sooner.

 

[30907]

The connections used to work quite well so i don't know what's changed. However, I don't see the point in doing the Festiniog downhill....

Now I've had time to look at the FR timetable, the Blaenau connection is not an issue in high season, and in low season there ought to be scope for flexibility. Would it be worth contacting FR to ask?

 

[Greenback]

I'd just be glad that you can do the circle at all. The WHR has a very limited timetable. Even in peak season I believe there ar eonly 3 trains per day, and only two of those allow for a return trip.

In October there are only 2 WHR trains, so it must be difficult to link together conenction with limited services on the Conwy Valley Line, linked to by use of the Festiniog wiht only 4 trains a day I think..

I think it's worth bearing in mind that relatively few people will be arriving by train, and fewer still will be looking to do the circular trip.

 

[edwin_m]

They do a special ticket for the combined WHR and Ffestiniog journey, so I imagine a fair few people must do that part.

 

[Greenback]

Just because a ticket is available doesn't mean that there are significant numbers buying it.

My point, though, is mainly that there will be fewer people travellign anyway in OCtober, hence the reduced services on bith the FR and the WHR. Add that to the infrequent service on the Conwy Valley route, and all the other timetabling requirements eg passing points, turn aroudn times etc, and I don't find it that surprising that doing a loop one way is impossible.

 

[Waldgrun]

Anyone read, Bill Brysons "Note from a Small Island", it would seem nothing changes!