The Ystwyth Trail is a multi-use rail trail linking Aberystwyth,

Llanfarian Llanfarian is a village, electoral ward and community in the district county of Ceredigion, Mid-Wales, south of the administrative centre Aberystwyth. Llanfarian village lies above the banks of the river Ystwyth in the Ystwyth Valley. The commu ...

Ystrad Meurig Ystrad Meurig (or Ystradmeurig) is a village and community in Ceredigion, Wales. It lies on the B4340 road northwest of the town of Tregaron, on the edge of the Cambrian Mountains. History and amenities Ystrad Meurig was the site of a Grammar ...

and

Tregaron Tregaron ( "town of St Caron") is an ancient market town in Ceredigion, Wales, astride the River Brenig, a tributary of the River Teifi. Tregaron is northeast of Lampeter. According to the 2011 Census, the population of the ward of Tregaron wa ...

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cer ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

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Cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...

and

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

are permitted along the entire length while

horseriding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

is permitted on several sections only. The £1.7m Ystwyth Trail was partially completed in September 2008 and runs along part of the former redundant track bed of the Old

Manchester and Milford Railway The Manchester and Milford Railway was a Welsh railway company, intended to connect Manchester and the industrial areas of Northwest England with a deep-water port on Milford Haven, giving an alternative to the Port of Liverpool. Despite the ti ...

, a Great Western Railway branch line. It remains incomplete, as several sections of the former railway line were not purchased to create the trail due to extensive lobbying by local councillors of

Ceredigion County Council Ceredigion County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Ceredigion) is the governing body for the county of Ceredigion, since 1996 one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The council's main offices are in Aberaeron. History The current council was created ...

against the trail, as existing landowners and farmers objected to the construction of the trail. Diversions of the trail have now been carried out onto narrow sections of existing public roads to link these missing sections, but this has created a non continuous trail with intermediate road sections on narrow roads which have considerable safety issues due to their narrowness, many bends and no traffic speed limits. Due to these objections and lobbying, it is unlikely that this trail will be developed or completed any further. The Ystwyth Trail links with other routes via

Lampeter Lampeter (; cy, Llanbedr Pont Steffan (formal); ''Llambed'' ( colloquial)) is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion ...

and Devil's Bridge creating a link with both the Lôn Cambria and Lôn Teifi long distance cycling routes (

Sustrans Sustrans is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network. Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United K ...

national network The National Network (or National Truck Network) is a network of approved state highways and interstates for commercial truck drivers in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States ...

routes 81 and 82).

External links

Trail leafletAbout Stage 2

References

Transport in Aberystwyth Cycleways in Wales Transport in Ceredigion Rail trails in Wales Footpaths in Ceredigion {{cycling-stub