Ystwyth Trail

The Carmarthen to Aberystwyth railway was opened by the Manchester and Milford Railway (M&MR) in 1867, with the aim of providing a route from the industrial hub of Manchester, to the port of Milford Haven. However, the company faced repeated financial issues and was eventually sold to GWR in 1911, which was in turn nationalised in 1948 under British Railways. By the 1960s, low levels of traffic and the resulting commercial losses led to the 1963 Beeching Report recommending the line's closure. In spite of the social implications on the region, the line was closed to both freight and passenger traffic by 1965. In the 2000s, sections of the trackbed were purchased by Ceredigion Country…

]] While much of the current trail follows the former rail line, several sections were not purchased to create the trail due to extensive lobbying by local councillors, due to objections from existing landowners and farmers. Diversions of the trail have now been carried out on existing roads, to link these missing sections, affecting the overall safety of the trail due to their narrowness, bends and high traffic speed limits. Due to these objections and lobbying, it is unlikely that the trail will be developed or completed any further. The first half of the route largely follows the Ystwyth river, with the route being tarmacked from Aberystwyth to Llanfarian. After a section using a…