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The Welsh Marches: a line in the top rank for scenery. It may not have the shock and awe of the Scottish Highlands, or the briny window-full of Dawlish, but there is an understated beauty on the North & West. It’s a line I travelled recently in Mk 3 comfort on the Welsh Government train, ‘Y Gerallt Gymro / Gerald of Wales’, the boon for Assembly Members commuting between Cardiff Bay and their North Wales constituencies.
From the muddy banks of the Usk at Newport, the drama begins with the eastern edge of the Brecon Beacons and the trip into the border country. Here’s Hereford, historically home of cider – and King George V. Then there’s Ludlow, halfway along the Welsh – English border and a pivotal point in relations between the two countries for centuries – with a castle where Catherine of Aragon spent her fateful wedding night with Prince Arthur. Whether the marriage was or was not consummated there turned out to be a key question when Henry VIII sought annulment of his later marriage to Catherine.
There’s more historical interest alongside the line at Stokesay Castle, before the Heart of Wales line trails in from the west at nearby Craven Arms, in the heart of the Shropshire Hills Area …
