Mountain trains!

This has been a good tour for trains.
Leaving  Barmouth over the long railway bridge, I was on part cycle track, part main road, following the hills round the coast to Towyn. I searched in vain for a suitable café until, just as I was nearly leaving town, I encountered the Talyllyn railway terminus, with steam train about to depart.  They always make a good photo, and there was a nice cafe too.

Just a few miles further bought me to Aberdovey, facing south onto the massive estuary of the river Dyfi/Dovey. A nice looking, long and thin village between river and steep hills behind.

Aberdovey

Polling station

   For some reason they forgot to build a bridge across the Dyfi, which means a long ten miles up to the bridge at Machynlleth.  I have been practising how to pronounce Machynlleth for a few days, and it still doesn't trip off the tongue.  Had lunch there, in a cafe that didn't seem especially welcoming to an Englishman in a Scotland cycling jersey.

Machynlleth

On the way back down the other side, I met two other cyclists, local mums who had taken the day off between dropping off & picking up their children at school.  Nice chat about the area and our various cycling exploits.  When we reached the sea again, at Borth, I stopped for cake & they stopped for ice creams.  I noticed a fearsome road going up the hill, and they delighted in telling me it was 25% all the way up. They were heading up the valley, back home.

Borth

Fearsome hill overcome, and it's gentler sibling just afterwards, I was plummeting into Aberystwyth, past the university and the National Library of Wales.  At the bottom, guess what? A cliff railway, back up the hill I'd just come over.  I don't think they took bikes though.

Aberystwyth.  Massive.  Two, or maybe three promenades, depending how you count them.  Lovely place.  There was too much choice (and a bit of a complicated one-way system) for a tired and hungry cyclist.  Even though it was still early, I decided to stay overnight.  There are three hostels: one on the seafront and very expensive, one connected with the university, and I think unavailable to me.  And the third is two miles out of town, on a flat road.  Only the hostel is being decorated, so the owner offered me a special B&B rate in her adjacent guest house.  I should have carried on and camped really, but I was emotionally committed by then.

'Two proms' Aberystwyth. Main prom.

'New' prom