Rural Development Minister Mike German donned a railwayman's cap and tunic on Saturday (October 26) as he climbed into the cab of the Talyllyn Railway steam train and guided the locomotive on a journey back through time.
Mr German made tracks for the railway, built in the 1860s to carry slate from the Bryn Eglwys quarry to Tywyn, to see how a partnership venture between the Forestry Commission, Coed Cadw (the Woodland Trust) and the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society is helping to boost the area's tourism potential.
The thousands of visitors who flock to Talyllyn each year to take the ride between Tywyn and Abergynolwyn today can get an insight into a bygone age by strolling along waymarked Forestry Commission walks that link up with the route taken by the steam train.
The new information panels unveiled by the Minister at Nant Gwernol Station and the new interpretative panels along the routes, which range from an easy one mile walk to a strenuous three-mile hike, help to give people a unique understanding of an industry which, at its peak in 1877, produced just under 8,000 tons of slate from the Bryn Eglwys quarry and provided work for around 300 men.
A new leaflet shows how the four trails add to the "Talyllyn experience" and provides details of the fascinating landmarks to be seen along the way. The leaflet also grades the routes, which all start from the Nant Gwernol station, from easy to strenuous and gives an idea of how long the walks should take.
All the routes provide an opportunity to see some of the remains of the old quarry and tramway, as well as to enjoy the beautiful woodlands along the way.
Both the Forestry Commission - which acquired much of the surrounding land when the railway was handed over to the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society in 1951 - and the Woodland Trust, which bought Coed Nant Gwernol in 1997, have carefully nurtured the woodlands to provide a relaxing landscape for visitors and local people to enjoy.
After taking a walk along one of the trails, Mr German said,
"Tourism is a vitally important industry for Wales and this sort of collaborative undertaking clearly demonstrates what can be achieved when we work together to make the most of the unparallelled beauty of Wales.
"The Talyllyn railway has long been a popular destination for tourists, and the work carried out here by the Forestry Commission and the Woodland Trust has enhanced this visitor experience immeasurably and gives people even more reason to put north Wales on their itinerary.
"These waymarked trails take people back to a time when this area was bustling with the slate industry, and in so doing they provide a welcome boost to tourism, one of today's most important industries which brings significant sums of money into the rural economy."
The minister also unveiled a sturdy bench made of Welsh oak inscribed to commemorate the partnership between the Forestry Commission, Coed Cadw the Talyllyn Railway Presevation Society and the community of Abergynolwyn.
NOTES TO EDITORS
- The Forestry Commission in Wales is the Welsh Assembly Government's department for forestry and manages the nation’s woodlands on behalf of the Assembly.
- Coed Cadw (The Woodland Trust) is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 250,000 members and supporters. The Trust has four key aims: a) No further loss of ancient woodland; b) Restoring and improving the biodiversity of woods; c) Increasing new native woodland; d) Increasing people’s awareness and enjoyment of woodland. Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,100 sites in its care covering approximately 19,000 hectares (47,000 acres). These include 129 sites in Wales, with a total area of 1,580 hectares (3,900 acres). It offers free public access to nearly all of its sites. Further news can be accessed via www.woodland-trust.org.uk.
- The Talyllyn was the first railway in the world to be run by volunteers, being saved from closure in 1951 by the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society, the first volunteer run train ran on 14th of May 1951. Today, there are some 350 volunteers who spend their holidays and weekends helping to run the line which carries around 50,000 visitors a year up and down the Fathew Valley. The Talyllyn Railway is 7.25 miles long and runs inland from Tywyn on the shores of Cardigan Bay to Nant Gwernol in a natural wooded ravine. For more details on the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society contact David Mitchell, Managing Director or Traffic Manager David Leach on 01654 710472. Further information available on the website at www.talyllyn.co.uk.
- For more details on the waymarked walks linking with the Talyllyn railway, contact David Farmery on 01341 421132, e-mail david.farmery@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
- For more information on the Woodland Trust, contact Rory Francis (Publicity and Public Affairs Officer for Wales) on 01766 832563, e-mail roryfrancis@woodland-trust.org.uk
- Media enquiries to Forestry Commission Information Officers for Wales, Clive Davies or Marian Gray, on 01970 625866, mobile 07788 190922.
- More information about the woodlands of Wales can also be found on the Forestry Commission’s website – www.forestry.gov.uk