Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth

Warmly known as Aber, Aberystwyth sits on the rugged Ceredigion coastline, halfway between the cathedral city of St Davids in Pembrokeshire, and the surfer’s paradise Aberdaron, meaning it’s ideally placed to act as your base camp for the 180 mile Coastal Way. Why not make use of our cycle carrying facilities to start out on the Coastal route?

It’s an area full of attractions and hidden gems, such as the must-see mile long Victorian seafront promenade, featuring the oldest pier still standing in Wales and offering one of the best views of the market town. Well worth a visit is the Aberystwyth Arts Centre, and its neighbour, the National Library of Wales. This boasts (if boasts is the right word) the smallest book in the entire world, and both regularly host performances and art exhibitions covering a wide collection of topics.

Another site that’s well worth visiting is Aberystwyth’s Castle. Originally built from timber, this was later replaced with stone fortifications, this 12th century castle has survived sieges, fires and multiple changes of power, but now stands proud and protected, overlooking the town. 

For those seeking a retail fix, Aberystwyth has all the high street stores you’d expect, but also a wide variety of artisan boutiques, ideal for gifts and beautiful one-off pieces. Independent stores, selling everything from chunky handmade knits to delicious Welsh cheeses, are around every corner, accompanied by the rich aroma from warm, friendly coffee houses. Why not pop in and rest for a while before continuing your exploration of Aber?

Catching the train allows you to relax while we do the hard work, and by downloading our app, you can buy tickets on the move and stay up-to-date with the latest travel news via our live Twitter reports.