Sea Breeze and Steel Rails: 2025 Journeys on the Cambrian Line

In the last ten months I’ve travelled the length and breadth of the Cambrian Line, meeting volunteers, community groups and passionate people. The summer showed the Cambrian coast at its best, but I love it in every season. This year has been a joy, full of colour, creativity and the kind of local energy that makes Mid Wales so special.

Last week I caught up with George and Jo, Transport for Wales (TfW) station adopters and curators of Borth Station Museum. They were the first group I met when I started this role, so it was lovely to reconnect. We reminisced about some adventures, including the day Rob Shelley came to film a piece for ITV Wales, my first time on TV and a very patient introduction to the cameras.

George and Jo, supported by a brilliant team of volunteers, have kept the museum welcoming and very busy from people waiting for trains to visitors who have come to visit Borth and the museum. Highlights for me included the model train from Hinterland and stories from the filming, plus displays of local artists’ work, one of which, by Neil Evans, even featured on a Christmas card they kindly gave me.

Through George and Jo I met Helen from the Borth Community Hub and Sadie, who runs the Borth Arts Festival. Their work shows how the railway connects to wider community life, arts, heritage and local events that draw people to the coast and bring communities together.

One constant across every visit is the versatility and dedication of volunteers. Many wear multiple hats: knitters who yarn-bomb stations, crafters who build miniature trains, gardeners who plant floral displays, and groups working across generations on Railway 200 projects for village halls. I’ve met town and community clerks who centre their communities around food, beer and scarecrow festivals, and groups who travel an hour because the railway matters to them.

I visited Porthmadog Incredible Edible and attended the Bygones weekend at the Ffestiniog Railway, the same weekend Storm Amy paid a windy visit, and explored the Welsh Heritage Railway in Porthmadog.

I discovered what a footplate ride feels like on the Talyllyn Railway and went out with Kelly TfW and Alison Network Rail to deliver Rail Safety at the local primary school in Tywyn.

I’ve been guided by TfW station adopters, a fabulous, committed crowd who make stations warm, interesting and welcoming.

And many many more…

The Cambrian Line is full of hidden and unusual gems. I’m excited for more journeys, more projects and more stories to share in the year ahead. If you’re involved in a community project along the Cambrian Line or have a story to tell, I’d love to hear from you, there’s always room for another tale on the rails.