Hidden Wales: an exclusive holiday for Byway members

Have you heard of the River Aeron? It rises in the hills west of Tregaron in mid-Wales and performs a neat pirouette through rich dairy country and runs down to reach the sea at Aberaeron. That Welsh place name says it all: the mouth of the Aeron. Aberaeron is a gem, a handsome wee town with a rare architectural unity. And it’s the spot we’ve chosen for this month’s Byway members’ holiday.

The Cardigan Bay coast has its charms at any season, but we feel that it’s at its very best as summer slips gently into autumn. So our members’ holiday is available on selected dates in late September and early October.

The Ceredigion coast is one of Britain’s unsung coastlines. Image © Helen Hotson, dreamstime.com.

Hidden Wales: our member holiday

The journey to Aberaeron

Travel west from London via Brunel’s famous rail route up the Thames Valley and through the chalk downlands of North Wessex. Continuing west the railway dives into the Severn Tunnel to reach Wales. We can of course also arrange departures from other cities such as Bristol or Birmingham. Upon arrival in Carmarthen, you’ll enjoy a 90-minute ride to Aberaeron on one of Wales’ most scenic bus routes: our journey cuts through the green hills north of Carmarthen to reach the Teifi Valley. Passing through the small university town of Lampeter, the route skirts rich Ceredigion pastureland to reach the coast at Aberaeron.

Regency style on the Welsh coast

Aberaeron is the product of early 19th- century Welsh entrepreneurship. It was one of a number of new ports speculatively developed around the Welsh coast. But while Milford and Pembroke went through cycles of boom and bust, Aberaeron steered a steady course, growing slowly but organically. It offers a feast of Late Georgian architecture: cottages with well-proportioned windows, and some handsome civic buildings. A fad for colour in the 1960s may not be wholly true to the Georgian original, but it certainly adds a touch of cheer to the townscape.

The harbour at Aberaeron. Image © Gavin Haskell, dreamstime.com.

In a small port in a deeply rural region, the harbour master was on a par with the local clergy as a pillar of the Aberaeron community. And he had a handsome house on the quayside, serving as both private accommodation and the port office. Today, that boldly painted amethyst-coloured building is the well-appointed Harbourmaster Hotel, where local couple Menna and Glyn Heulyn have created a beautiful boutique retreat, which will host our members for two or three nights in Aberaeron. The Harbourmaster is one of Wales’ best-rated boutique hotels, particularly well regarded for its seafood. The harbour-facing hotel restaurant serves Cardigan Bay shellfish, locally reared lamb and other local specialities; let us know if you’d like us to make a table reservation for you.

Around Aberaeron

Aberaeron, a friendly community with more than its fair share of cafés, is a perfect place for an aimless wander, and for boat trips and walking. The Welsh coastal footpath runs through the town. And there’s ample scope for bus trips to the Pembrokeshire coast. But why not also make time for the coastal walk to Newquay along one of the most beautiful stretches of the Welsh coast path? This is a moderately easy six-mile walk, though the very last stretch beyond Traethgwyn Beach does require a low tide – there’s an alternative option which cuts inland. It’s a twenty-minute ride from Newquay back to Aberaeron on the T5 bus.

3. The coastal town of Aberaeron. Image © Andrea Calzona, dreamstime.com.

The Teifi Valley

If you have time to linger longer in the region, we’ll take you inland to Tregaron, a relaxed market town which serves a widely scattered and largely Welsh-speaking farming community. Tregaron offers easy access to the wild Cambrian Mountains and there is easy walking in the Teifi Valley. If you’re feeling energetic, take to the hills. Don’t miss nearby Strata Florida Abbey. In Tregaron, you’ll stay at Y Talbot, a traditional Welsh 16th-century inn on the square overlooking the market square (ask about the story of the local elephant when you get there).

The Cambrian Mountains, forming the largest wilderness in Wales, lie east of Tregaron. Image © Sharpshot / dreamstime.com.

Whether you opt for just a short getaway in Aberaeron or a longer stay that also includes Tregaron, we’ll provide guidance on local bus routes plus hints and tips on what to do, where to eat and even what to read (including while you’re away, via WhatsApp). A copy of Jan Morris’ Wales: Epic Views of a Small Country is a good place to start.

The journey home

Our return route is via Aberystwyth, and takes in the hill country of mid-Wales along the way. It’s a scenic run up the coast to Aberystwyth where you switch to a local train that skirts the beautiful Dyfi Estuary to reach the market town of Machynlleth. Here, the railway takes to hills to reach the historic city of Shrewsbury for your onward journey.

We can arrange an alternative return route from Aberaeron via the much-fêted Heart of Wales rail route, if you like, incorporating an extra night in the Marches en route. This extraordinary rural line is served by a limited railcar train, stopping at a medley of halts and hamlets along the way. Let us know if you’d like to incorporate it.