If you are visiting Aberystwyth this year you should make time to visit some of the local attractions. There are far too many places to visit in Aberystwyth to list here but The Vale of Rheidol Railway, Aberystwyth Castle, The Electric cliff railway, Clarach Bay, Y Consti Restaurant & The Camera Obscura are among the top 6 family attractions that should not be missed.
Vale of Rheidol Railway
This is such a wonderful experience that our family have been twice on this spectacular steam engine ride through the Welsh countryside. This beautiful steam railway line was built in 1902 to transport lead from the Rheidol Valley mines to Aberystwyth harbour. This little steam engine railway line takes the most wonderful scenic route through the Rheidol Valley during an 11 ¾ mile journey.
At the end of the journey is Devil's Bridge which is another spectacular attraction in its own right. The train stops for one hour allowing you to view Devils Bridge before taking you back to Aberystwyth. Devils Bridge consists of three bridges on top of each other over the Rheidol River. Legend has it that the lower Bridge was built by the devil to allow a woman to collect a lost cow. In return for building the bridge the Devil made a condition that he would collect the soul of the next living creature to cross the bridge. Consequently, the Devil fully expected to collect the soul of this woman in return for her cow. However, the woman outwitted the devil by sending a dog across the bridge before her.
You can also visit the Mynach Falls where the Mynach River drops 300 feet to meet the Rheidol River producing a spectacular waterfall. There is a small café for refreshments and a gift shop. Trains leave from the terminus next to the mainline railway station in Aberystwyth. Rheidol Valley Railway was British rails last steam railway line before being sold in 1989. It is now operated & maintained by the Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Railway Trust which is a registered charity.
Aberystwyth Castle
Aberystwyth Castle was once ranked among one of the greatest castles in Wales and no trip to Aberystwyth would be complete without a visit to this iconic building. Aberystwyth, Flint, Rhuddlan and Builth castles were all built by King Edward 1 during the 13th century in order to control and rule over the Welsh. However Aberystwyth Castle is now a collection of ruins but it is still a very imposing group of buildings which are well worth a visit.
The remains consist of the inner and middle walls but the outer wall is now gone. Its current state of ruin is, in part, because it was blown up in 1649 and then its stone was used as material for other buildings. However there is still plenty to see and plenty of history left to explore. Inside the castle walls is the Bardic Circle consisting of 13 stones erected during the 1916 Eisteddfod. Each stone represents one of the pre-1974 counties of Wales. A very beautiful and imposing war memorial was erected in 1919 and the panoramic views of Aberystwyth Bay from the memorial are breathtaking.
It is a great family outing as the parents can look around the castle while the children can be kept occupied with the children's playground, picnic areas, putting green and crazy golf course. You can then take a walk along the beautiful Victorian promenade from the Castle. At the end of the promenade is Constitutional Hill where you will find the famous Electric Cliff Railway tucked into the mountain.
Electric cliff railway
A trip up the electric railway to the top of Constitutional Hill should be at the top of your list of things to do when visiting Aberystwyth. It is the longest electrical cliff railway in the UK and has been running since 1896. The railway was designed by the liberal peer George Croydon Marks and was originally operated through a water balance system which was changed to electric in 1921.
The electric Railway takes the quaint wooden railway carriages to the top of Constitutional Hill at 4 mph. This may seem slow, but you would not want to go any quicker or you would not be able to appreciate the breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding sea and countryside. Children and adults alike enjoy the slow climb up to Constitutional Hill.
As you approach the top of Constitutional Hill, if the weather is clear, you can see 26 mountain peaks across the length of Wales. When you get to the top of Constitutional Hill it has one of the most spectacular natural viewpoints I have ever seen. Miles and miles of beautiful natural unspoiled coastline and natural cliff top footpaths. You can look back down and see Aberystwyth Castle in all its glory pointing out to sea and on the other side you can look down into the beautiful Clarach Bay beach.
Clarach Bay
Clarach beach has been awarded the Marine Conservation's highest award for water quality and is a popular site for fishing. It also has the coveted Green Coast Award for rural beaches. This award is designed to recognize those beaches with European Blue Flag water quality whose management reflects their rural, unspoilt nature. The criteria are intended to ensure that such beaches can receive recognition without the need for inappropriate development which would spoil their natural beauty and risk damage to wildlife. Clarach Bay Beach is a natural unspoiled shingle beach. It is a wonderful explorer's beach for children filled with rock pools, caves to explore and mountain walks.
You can take the mountain cliff path from the beach and walk for miles across the footpath to the small seaside village of Borth. Along the way there are some of the most beautiful panoramic views of the coastline and it is extremely peaceful walk. There are no nearby houses or roads so there is no traffic noise, just the sound of the sheep, the birds and the sea. You can also take the mountain footpath in the other direction and walk up to the top of Constitutional Hill.
Y Consti Restaurant
In April 2005 the famous Y Consti restaurant opened right at the top of constitutional Hill. Y Consti restaurant is a replica of the original summerhouse tea rooms Café and the building was funded by a European objective 1 grant. The restaurant has breathtaking panoramic views of the sea and cliff tops.
Camera Obscura
The Camera Obscura is situated next to the Y Consti restaurant and is the recreation of a popular Victorian attraction. It was opened in 1985 and is now becoming quite a prominent tourist attraction. Camera Obscura is the Latin term for veiled chamber. It is an optical device that was used by the Victorians for making detailed drawings or as in this case for entertainment. It is one of the Victorian phenomenon's that led up to the invention of the camera. Light passes through a lens in the roof of the camera obscura which is then projected onto a large white surface within the room. The outside scene is perfectly reproduced in colour upside down. In the Victorian era images from camera obscuras were also projected onto paper, which when traced produced highly accurate drawings.
Aberystwyth's Camera Obscura is the largest in the world and it is possible to see clearly 1000 square miles of sea and coastline through its massive 14 inch lens. Our children took great delight in spying on people in Aberystwyth and being able to see what they were doing as clearly as if they were standing next to them. If you are lucky you might be able to look out to sea and spot a few dolphins.
There were also many other activities for children on Constitutional Hill including ball games, Frisbee, and a beautiful gift shop. If you are feeling energetic you can take a walk along the beautiful coastal path down into Clarach Bay. If you don't feel able to climb back up to Constitutional Hill you can take the bus back into Aberystwyth.
After visiting Y Consti Restaurant and the Camera Obscure you can take the Electric Cliff Railway back down into Aberystwyth town. You never have to wait very long for a train as they leave every few minutes seven days week in the peak season. Even during the winter season the Electric Railway is open five days a week from Wednesday to Sunday.
These are just a few of many of the attractions for tourists in Aberystwyth. However, staying in a hotel or bed & breakfast can be a little expensive so my advice would be to stay in one of the many caravan sites on the outskirts of the town. There are two caravan parks right next to Clarach Bay and both are just a few minutes walk from the beach. Glan Y Mor Caravan Park is an excellent site but if you don't fancy staying in a caravan you can also rent Chalets at Clarach Bay holiday Village for a very reasonable rate. Both caravan parks are very well maintained, cheaper and, I think, much better than staying in a hotel as you have direct access to the award winning Clarach Bay Beach from your caravan or chalet.
You can walk along the scenic cliff path up to constitutional Hill from Clarach Bay Beach and visit the Y Consti restaurant and the Camera Obscura and then go down into Aberystwyth via the Electric Cliff Railway enjoying the beautiful scenery as you descend down into Aberystwyth Town. There is so much to do and see in Aberystwyth one visit is never enough.
Do you have a favourite tourist attraction in Aberystwyth? If so please leave your comments for others to see.
Author Jackie Wiles. To see more places to visit in Aberystwyth or book a Chalet on Clarach Bay Holiday Village please visit Clarach Bay Holiday Village Aberystwyth to book a caravan holiday on Glan Y Mor Caravan Park please visit Glan Y Mor Caravan Park.
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