Llandrindod is in the centre of Wales, far from the major cities. However, it is reachable by train or bus from the major UK airports, including Birmingham, Manchester and London. It might take you a while, but whichever way you come, it’s a beautiful journey! We’ll provide details of the available routes in a future update.

There are four main cities to start the last journey to Llandrindod from, if you are flying into the UK: Cardiff (south), Swansea (south), Hereford (east) and Shrewsbury (northeast).

Cardiff: the capital of Wales, on the south coast. Home of Cardiff Castle, the National Museum (Amgueddfa Cymru), the Docks, and much else besides. There is a regular (mostly hourly) bus, the Traws-Cymru service T4, that goes directly from near the National Museum to Llandrindod. The journey takes around 3 hours, and passes through the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park. The geology gets gradually older, starting in the Mesozoic (Jurassic dinosaurs are known from near Cardiff), then passing through the Carboniferous of the South Wales Valleys, and up over the Brecon Beacons: a Devonian sandstone massif that includes a rich early land plant flora. The Beacons drop abruptly via a northern scarp face into Silurian rocks, and the bus then passes through the old market towns of Brecon and Builth Wells, spending some time following the beautiful River Wye (Afon Gwy) around Boughrood and Erwood.

Swansea: the second-largest Welsh city, located near the beautiful Gower Peninsula on the south coast, and the start of the Heart of Wales Railway: one of the most scenic journeys in the UK. From here the train meanders gradually north and east, past coastal estuary scenery, and the rolling hills of Carmarthenshire. The route goes through various towns (like Llandovery, below… apparently there are early Silurian rocks around there!) and many tiny and remote locations, including Sugar Loaf, which was renowned as the least-visited station in the UK… until that fact became better known! It takes around three-and-a-half hours, but is a relaxed and beautiful journey.

Hereford: the ancient border city of Hereford (in the county of Herefordshire) was once politically important, but now a quiet backwater, famous for its remarkable 11th-Century cathedral It is easily accessible by train from London or Birmingham, and the railway station is the start of the bus route 461/462. This bus takes two hours (you’ll probably have to change at Kington, on the border of Wales), but is perhaps the most interesting of all the routes listed. It passes through historic villages like Weobley (below), which have changed little for 500 years, and then over the Radnor Forest range, with beautiful views opening out over the Builth Inlier and surrounding landscape.

Shrewsbury: Darwin’s birthplace, and the capital of Shropshire, is a historic market town near the border of Wales, easily reached from Manchester or Birmingham. It is also the northern end of the Heart of Wales Line, which runs south past the hills of Caer Caradoc (remember the Caradocian?) and the Long Mynd (and the Longmyndian?), before heading over the border. After that, there are no more towns until Llandindod… just a few villages and hamlets, such as Knucklas and its famous viaduct. The journey takes around one-and-a-half hours, and gives a good impression of the peace and tranquility of the rural Welsh landscape.