Powys
Places of Interest
Llanfair Light Railway
The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway is a narrow gauge steam line in Powys, mid Wales. Visitors can ride heritage carriages through green hills and valleys on some of the country's steepest climbs. The line acts as a living museum, featuring restored locomotives and coaches from across Europe and Africa alongside its own original fleet.
The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway is a lovely narrow gauge steam line that winds for about eight and a half miles through the green hills of Powys in mid Wales, connecting Welshpool to the village of Llanfair Caereinion. It first opened in 1903 to link farming communities with the market town, operating under the Great Western Railway and later British Railways until it closed in 1956. However, a preservation society sprang up almost immediately and reopened part of the line in 1963, making it one of the first railway revivals in Britain.
Steam and diesel engines pull heritage carriages up some of the steepest climbs in the country, providing stunning views across the valleys and hills of Montgomeryshire. What makes the line unique is its international feel; it uses restored locomotives and coaches from across Europe and Africa alongside its own original fleet, acting as a living museum of narrow gauge rail. With shops, refreshments, and special events, it's a great day out.