Ffestiniog Railway
The world's oldest narrow-gauge railway, running steam trains for 13½ miles from Porthmadog harbour to the slate town of Blaenau Ffestiniog.
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Over het museum
The Ffestiniog Railway was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and is described by its operators as the world's oldest narrow-gauge railway. It was built to bring slate from the quarries around Blaenau Ffestiniog down to the harbour at Porthmadog, and its trains climb more than 700 feet from sea level into the mountains, taking in a full spiral at Dduallt and a tunnel before reaching the slate-quarrying town that once 'roofed the world'.
The railway has changed a great deal since its early days. Much of what visitors see today exists because of the pioneers who strove to preserve the line and the volunteers who help to keep it running. Its distinctive Double Fairlie steam locomotives were built in the railway's own historic workshops at Boston Lodge, from Merddin Emrys of 1879 to David Lloyd George of 1992 and the new James Spooner of 2023. The modern carriages, including Pullman observation cars, are also built there.
The Ffestiniog Railway and its infrastructure are now an integral part of the UNESCO Slate Landscape of North Wales World Heritage Site. It is run together with the Welsh Highland Railway, the 25-mile line from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, by the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways. Visitors can ride in standard or first-class carriages, break their journey at stations, and join behind-the-scenes tours of the works at Boston Lodge.
Hoogtepunten
- Steam journeys across the Cob embankment and up the Vale of Ffestiniog
- Double Fairlie locomotives built at the historic Boston Lodge works
- Boston Lodge guided works tours
- Part of the Slate Landscape of North Wales World Heritage Site
- Spooner's Café and Bar at Harbour Station
Vaste collectie
- Mountain Spirit – The full-length Ffestiniog Railway journey from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog behind a Double Fairlie locomotive, with a layover of about 50 minutes in Blaenau.
- Boston Lodge Tours – A two-hour guided tour of the railway's working engineering site, with views into the workshops where locomotives and carriages are built and maintained.
- Beheerder
- Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
| Kinderen & jongeren | £ 5gratis t/m 2 jaar · Children aged 3 to 15 need a ticket, with a standard return ticket costing £5 per child; infants under 3 travel free. Passengers aged 16 or over pay the adult fare. |
|---|---|
| Mensen met een beperking | –Disabled passengers and their carers receive a 10 per cent discount; call the booking office for details. |
| Groepen | –Group bookings are available; groups of more than six are asked to call the booking office. |
| Dog ticket | £ 5Dogs are not allowed in first or gold class carriages or the carpeted compartments of heritage carriages, except assistance dogs. |
Adult prices depend on the service and class chosen and are shown when booking online; prices vary with the experience, and gold or first-class options are offered on several trains. Tickets can be bought on the day, subject to demand, but pre-booking is recommended. Single-journey tickets are available on the day for standard class.
Toegankelijkheid
- Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
- Lift: geen informatie
- Aangepast toilet
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
- Hulphonden welkom
- Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
- Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
- Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
- Audiodescriptie: geen informatie
Customers with access needs are asked to book by telephone (01766 516024) so that suitable seating and ramps are ready. Wheelchair spaces on most services must be pre-booked, wheelchairs up to 250 kg combined weight, 1200 mm long and 700 mm wide fit, and there is no turning space in the carriages. Wheelchair access is not available at request stops, and mobility scooters cannot be used to board but small folded scooters may be carried. There is no accessible toilet on the trains. Harbour Station in Porthmadog has a ramped entrance, level access to the booking hall, shop and café, an accessible toilet with baby changing, and a small Blue Badge car park with a drop-off point. Free standard wheelchairs for boarding are kept at Porthmadog, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Beddgelert and Caernarfon. Assistance animals are welcome in all carriages and station buildings. Staff can help blind or partially sighted customers with menus, and the Boston Lodge works tour is not accessible to wheelchair users.
Kinderen & gezin
Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen
| Toegang kinderen | gratis t/m 2 jaar |
|---|
- Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
- Verschoonruimte
Children's tickets cost £5 and infants under 3 travel free. The Woodland Wanderer service is described as ideal for families and for visitors with dogs, with about an hour's break at Tan-y-Bwlch for a nature trail walk and tea room refreshments. Seasonal events such as Santa trains are held. The accessible toilet at Harbour Station has nappy changing facilities.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met de auto
Gratis parkeren
Parking at Harbour Station is reserved for Blue Badge holders. Other passengers can use a free fenced area at the top end of the Llyn Bach car park (LL49 9DF), open from 07:30 to 20:00 on a first come, first served basis, a short signposted walk from the station; a pay-and-display car park is next to it.
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
Harbour Station is next to the A487 at the southern end of the town. The railway's other termini, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Caernarfon, have no railway car parks and visitors use nearby pay-and-display car parks.
Route plannenService & horeca
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museumwinkel
Spooner's Café and Bar at Harbour Station is open daily (café from 09:00 to 16:00, main menu from 12:00 to 21:00, bar from 12:00). There are also shops and takeaway refreshments at Porthmadog, Tan-y-Bwlch and Blaenau Ffestiniog stations, a tea room at Tan-y-Bwlch, and refreshment service in first-class carriages.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.
Je bezoek plannen
| Rondleidingen | ja · duur ca. 2 uur |
|---|---|
| Goed om te weten | Boston Lodge Tours are two-hour guided tours of the railway's works, starting from Harbour Station with a short train ride across the Cob; they are suitable only for children aged 10 and over with an adult, dogs are not allowed, and visitors must be able to stand and walk unaided for two hours. Return tickets are valid only on the booked service, and passengers cannot return on a later train unless they book separate single tickets. Hop-on, hop-off travel to intermediate stations is possible on most services, subject to availability. |
