The Brecon Mountain Railway
A narrow Gauge line That runs beside the Taff Fechan Reservoir in Wales.
The Station building at Pant is built into the side of the hill at the starting point of this railway. It is built mainly on the track bed of the old Brecon & Merthyr Railway. After this ... Read review
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Railway' which opened as a heritage railway in June 1980. Its new narrow gauge track having been laid over part of the original track bed of the second company w...
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Advantages: Fresh air, Steam Train, Nature Disadvantages: Hard Seats
The Brecon Mountain Railway
A narrow Gauge line That runs beside the Taff Fechan Reservoir in Wales.
The Station building at Pant is built into the side of the hill at the starting point of this railway. It is built mainly on the track bed of the old Brecon & Merthyr Railway. After this was closed, like so many others in the 60's the land was sold to local farmers.
When in 1972 an engineer was looking ... ...decided upon this area. He was unable to obtain the site of the original Pant Station so a new one with workshops was built slightly further down the hill.
The station opens at 09.30am and the first train is at 11.00am
The season is from end March to End of October. On some days in peak season the final daily train is at 05.00pm rather than at 04.00pm
Some days from April to June and again in October no trains are run.Timetable ... more
The Brecon Mountain Railway
A narrow Gauge line That runs beside the Taff Fechan Reservoir in Wales.
The Station building at Pant is built into the side of the hill at the starting point of this railway. It is built mainly on the track bed of the old Brecon & Merthyr Railway. After this was closed, like so many others in the 60's the land was sold to local farmers.
When in 1972 an engineer was looking for a site to run renovated narrow gauge engines he decided upon this area. He was unable to obtain the site of the original Pant Station so a new one with workshops was built slightly further down the hill.
The station opens at 09.30am and the first train is at 11.00am The season is from end March to End of October. On some days in peak season the final daily train is at 05.00pm rather than at 04.00pm Some days from April to June and again in October no trains are run.Timetable on web site should be checked to avoid disappointment.
On entering the building, to your Left is a fully licensed cafe where food and drink can be obtained. To your right are the toilet facilities. These are very clean and well maintained. Train booking and access to the trains are immediately to the front.
Access to the higher level platform is by means of an inclined ramp.about half way up there is access into the workshop. It is not permitted to walk freely about this area but viewing is possible.Here they repair the engines and rebuild them.
At the upper level are another cafe and souvenirs and the main platform.
The line from Pant falls away to the side of the Taff Fechan reservoir and along the side until it reaches Dol-y-Gaer. Here the train stops but there is no station for passengers to get off. The engine runs around its train and returns to Pontsticill. Here there is a stop where the engine may take on water. There are refreshment facilities made from the grounded bodies of old railway agons. There are further toilet facilities which again are clean and in good order.
There is a picnic area and an area for small children with some play toys. Large wooden tables and benches are provided. Litter bins for plastic cups and other rubbish are provided also. The whole area is clean and well maintained.
After a half hour stop, the train returns to Pant, pulling hard up the quite steep gradient. The whole journey taking some 65 mins.
The stop at Pontsticill is on the site of the old station, All that remains of that is the Old Signal Box, which offers accommodation, but more about that can be found on the Web Site.
The old station was situated alongside the Reservoir, and on fine days views of Pen-y-Fan may be obtained.
It is possible to break your journey at Pontsticill and return on a later train. In fine weather there are very nice walks alongside the reservoir to be had. The views over the Beacons and back towards Merthyr down the Taff valley are very good.
There are lots of birds around, though seeing them in the bushes may be difficult. No problem with the jackdaws that will be looking for and dropped food they can find.
You may hear the cry of a Buzzard and sight one circling high above.On the quarry cliffs at Morlais you may be very lucky and spot a peregrine falcon. I have heard persistent rumours that a red kite has been seen and is nesting in the area but I have never seen it.
Getting There. The site is signposted and is easily accessed from the A465 Heads of the valleys road or from the A470.There is a large free car park that can accommodate coaches.
There is a local bus service from Merthyr. You want a bus that goes to Pant Cemetery. The station is only a short walk from the bus stop.
Rail travel from Cardiff on the Valleys line is an hourly service. The bus station being just a few minutes walk from the train station. There has been some recent rebuilding in Merthyr but the natives are friendly and will direct you.
Prices. That is the difficult point. I have lost my pricelist. I do know that special rates can be had for parties and school visits. From my admittedly poor memory I believe that the cost for an adult was in excess of £10.00 but check for yourself first. No advance booking required unless for parties.
Now for the downside.
The coaches are built to allow as much observation as possible. The bogies used are rather hard riding. The seats are wooden and would not be very comfortable for very long journeys. Bring your own cushion.
The Future. There have long been plans to extend the line further up to Torpantau.I understand that the track laying is well advanced and was waiting for inspection to some rebuilt bridges. Work had to be put on hold during the last Foot and Mouth outbreak and this has had an effect on revenue.
The longer run would require other Locos and I believe that a Garret has been acquired. It may already have been rebuilt. I have not seen it and it may be in storage.
The company that runs this railway also runs The Vale of Rheidol railway in Aberystwyth. Locos from that railway can be maintained at the Pant workshops.
This makes for a pleasant day out in fine weather, when you can break your journey and take a walk by the waterside.
Advantages: None Disadvantages: POOR VALUE & SAFETY CONCERNS.
I travelled with my family to this railway by car from the West Midlands in 2007,we found the fares and food prices in the cafe to be exorbitant and the cost for a day out here came to almost £200. POOR VALUE INDEED.
We also found out that the company were in severe financial difficulties and were forced to make their highly skilled maintenance staff redundant to keep the railway afloat, apparently their highly skilled maintenance machinist who ... ...to go.The staff that remained there to keep the railway running seemed to be extremely anxious about the safety aspect of the railway from a maintenance point of view.When we were last there several years earlier, the loco actually came off the track,though no one was in any danger of being hurt,but it does make you wonder what the scenario would now be if there is a lack of maintenance at the railway.
i certainly could not recommend a day out at ...
I.A.C 23.11.2008
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Advantages: Beautiful, friendly people, 3 pubs, water sports on the lake. Disadvantages: Difficult to get out without a car, foot and mouth last summer.
reccomend Llangorse as a great place to stay. You get the best of both worlds-a stunning rural location, and lots to do.
In the surrounding areas(if you have a car) there are The National Showcase Caves, which are well worth a visit, and the BreconMountainrailway which is also good. You can also visit Hay on Wye (the village of books), which is an excellent day out if you like books! Public Transport is not very good from Llangorse; there is one bus a day (the post bus) to Brecon. It is great to have a bicycle when staying in Llangorse as I did. It is easy enough to cycle into Brecon, or to Hay on Wye if you are feeling adventerous! Brecon is a nice town with a fairly good selection of shops and lots of pubs. There are nice pubs alongside the river. It is also host to the Brecon Jazz Festival every August. Be warned though ...
Advantages: Gorgeous place, quiet, clean and friendly. Disadvantages: The walk to the toilet!
and we only stayed four nights.
Pencelli itself is a small village, which is very picturesque. There are major towns nearby, Abergavenny, Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil.
The park is open almost all year round, they only shut for three weeks and that is in December!
There is a lot to do in the surrounding area, as if the Brecon Beacons wasn't enough of a draw itself! Military Museum, Brecknock Museum, Theatre Brycheiniog, Tretower Court & Castle, BreconMountainRailway, Brecon Beacons National Park Visitor Centre and Canal Barge trips.
I highly recommend this campsite to anyone. It is clean, reasonably priced, friendly, has good facilities and is situated in a fantastic place. What more could you possibly want!
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Advantages: Beautiful landscape, plenty to do. Disadvantages: Difficult to get around without a car, rain!
of Europe. I have been infored that there is a small club located opposite the George Hotel in Geroge Square. A reliable source has told me it is not exactly delightful. So save your partying and dance moves for Cardiff if I was you. Stick to drinking and nice meals whilst staying in Brecon.
What attractions are there in the area?
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* There is a canal, you can take an afternoon trip on a barge (costing £4/£2 children) which leaves from the canal basin outside the theatre. Yes, Brecon even has a theatre!
* The Breconmountainrailway, which suspiciously is actually located in Mythrr Tydfil, not Brecon is worth a visit. It's a cute little train which leaves from a traditional old fashioned station. There are some great views, the train goes to a point and then ...
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