Talyllyn Railway

Since I cut our hike up the mountain short, we found ourselves with a few hours to kill and it turned out our timing was impeccable to catch the last train on the Talyllyn Railway, a rail line that started in 1865 and still runs using the original engine and passenger carts. We took a short bus ride from the base of the mountain to the next station on the train's route. We provided much amusement to the master of the small rural train station when we informed him that we just got off the bus (a mostly unused system by the locals) to catch a train that would take 3 times longer than the bus! This train is purely a tourist attraction so we were a bit confused why it was so humorous as we weren't using it as the most efficient means of transportation. Any at any rate, he happily sold us a ticket and off we were on a ride at a speed that many people could have ran along side! But it gave us an opportunity to see a bit more of the gorgeous Dyfi Valley countryside. Oh, and if you stay for the stop at Abergynolwyn, then you get a complementary glass of Sherry and minced pie. It ended in Twynn by the sea and we had a quick glimpse of the sea before catching the last bus back to where we were staying. Let me tell you...that see was the most violent sea I have seen (though that is not saying much)!