THE CAMBRIAN LINE

Its cobbled streets and cool shops huddled above a hook of the River Severn, Shrewsbury is delightful in its own right. A train journey west continues the theme. First is a taste of rural Shropshire, including the county’s green hills. Long Mountain’s circular hill fort announces the Welsh border, soon after which you cross the Severn twice more. Beyond Caersws, villages shrink, valleys lengthen and Snowdonia appears. Having trailed the Dyfi River to Dovey Junction – a long platform out in the boondocks – you can then continue along its snaking estuary south to Aberystwyth via RSPB Ynys-Hir’s mudflats, or head north along Cardigan Bay on to the Llyn Peninsula.

Sit on: The right is better for the Dyfi Estuary.

Stay S overnight: Shrewsbury’s Lion + Pheasant is an indulgent base (from £150

B&B, lionandpheasant.co.uk).