A493 | |
---|---|
Route information | |
Length | 32 mi (51 km) |
Major junctions | |
North end | Dolgellau |
A470 A487 | |
South end | Machynlleth |
Location | |
Country | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | Wales |
Road network | |
The A493 is a road located on the west coast of mid Wales and connects Dolgellau to Machynlleth via the coast, avoiding Corris and Cross Foxes.
The road passes through Pennal, Aberdyfi, Tywyn, Bryncrug, Llanfendigaid, Rhoslefain, Llangelynin, Llwyngwril, Friog, Fairbourne, Arthog and Penmaenpool. The road is approximately 32 miles long. Because of the location of the road which is next to the coast for the majority of the journey, road surveying is essential to prevent landslips into the sea. Retaining walls are often used and stone walls are used instead of safety rails to help conservation efforts in Snowdonia National Park.
Transport for Wales Rail runs trains from Machynlleth to Barmouth which run adjacent to the road for much of the route; the trains join and leave the road at Barmouth Bridge and Dovey Junction.
Barmouth is a seaside town and community in the county of Gwynedd, north-west Wales; it lies on the estuary of the Afon Mawddach and Cardigan Bay. Located in the historic county of Merionethshire, the Welsh form of the name is derived from aber (estuary) and the river's name, Mawddach. The English form of the name is a corruption of the earlier Welsh form Abermawdd. The community includes the villages of Llanaber, Cutiau and Caerdeon.
The Cambrian Line, sometimes split into the Cambrian Main Line and Cambrian Coast Line for its branches, is a railway line that runs from Shrewsbury, England, westwards to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli in Wales. Passenger train services are operated by Transport for Wales Rail between the western terminals of Pwllheli, in Gwynedd, and Aberystwyth, in Ceredigion, and the eastern terminal at Shrewsbury, Shropshire, as part of the Wales & Borders franchise. The railway line is widely regarded as scenic, as it passes through the Cambrian Mountains in central Wales, and along the coast of Cardigan Bay in Snowdonia National Park.
A trestle bridge is a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by closely spaced frames. A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, historically a tripod used to support a stool or a pair of isosceles triangles joined at their apices by a plank or beam such as the support structure for a trestle table. Each supporting frame is a bent. A trestle differs from a viaduct in that viaducts have towers that support much longer spans and typically have a higher elevation.
Barmouth Bridge, or Barmouth Viaduct is a Grade II* listed single-track wooden railway viaduct across the estuary of the River Mawddach near Barmouth, Wales. It is 900 yards (820 m) long and carries the Cambrian Line. It is the longest timber viaduct in Wales and one of the oldest in regular use in Britain.
Porthmadog railway station serves the town of Porthmadog on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Pwllheli, Harlech, Barmouth, Machynlleth, Shrewsbury and Birmingham.
Criccieth railway station serves the seaside town of Criccieth on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales.
Penychain railway station, commonly known by its former name, Butlins Penychain railway station, is located by an over bridge at Pen-ychain on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. This railway station is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Pwllheli, Porthmadog, Harlech, Barmouth, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. For many years the station served the large Butlins Holiday Camp at Penychain.
Llanbedr railway station serves the village of Llanbedr in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Porthmadog, Pwllheli, Barmouth, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. The station is a request stop and close to the popular camping resort of Shell Island.
Llanaber railway station serves the village of Llanaber near Barmouth in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Harlech, Porthmadog, Pwllheli, Barmouth, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. Most trains call only on request.
Barmouth railway station serves the seaside town of Barmouth in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Harlech, Porthmadog, Pwllheli, Tywyn, Aberdovey, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. Between Morfa Mawddach and Barmouth the railway crosses the Afon Mawddach on the Barmouth Bridge.
Morfa Mawddach railway station is an unstaffed station located on the outskirts of the village of Arthog in Gwynedd, Wales, on the Cambrian Coast line between Machynlleth and Pwllheli. Built by the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway in 1865, it was formerly the junction station for the Ruabon to Barmouth Line. Since the closure of the Ruabon to Barmouth line in 1965, it remains open, as a minor station on the Cambrian Line.
Fairbourne railway station serves the village of Fairbourne in Gwynedd, Wales. It is an unstaffed station on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Barmouth, Harlech, Porthmadog, Pwllheli, Tywyn, Aberdovey, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury.
Tywyn railway station serves the town of Tywyn in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Line, with passenger services to Barmouth, Harlech, Porthmadog, Pwllheli, Aberdovey, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury.
Arthog is a village, post town and community in the Meirionnydd area in Gwynedd, north Wales including the villages of Fairbourne and Friog. It is located on the A493, approximately 8 miles (13 km) west of Dolgellau, and had a population of 1,010 in 2001, increasing slightly to 1,031 at the 2011 census.
The Ruabon–Barmouth line was a standard-gauge line owned by the Great Western Railway across the north of Wales which connected Ruabon, in the east, with Barmouth on the west coast.
The Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was a standard gauge railway company, running a line along the west coast of Wales.
Penmaenpool railway station at Penmaenpool in Gwynedd, North Wales, was formerly a station on the Dolgelly [sic] branch of the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway, part of the Ruabon to Barmouth Line. It closed to passengers on Monday 18 January 1965.
The Mawddach Trail is a cycle path route, part of Lôn Las Cymru, which runs for some 8 miles (13 km) from Dolgellau (52.7446°N 3.8866°W) to Morfa Mawddach railway station (52.7076°N 4.0315°W), by Barmouth bridge on the Cambrian coast. It is maintained by the Snowdonia National Park and is popular with walkers and cyclists alike. It passes some estuarine areas that are important for water birds, and the RSPB Information Centre at Penmaenpool makes use of the old signal box as an observation centre overlooking the estuary.
Penmaenpool is a hamlet on the south side of the estuary of the River Mawddach in Wales, near Dolgellau. A Grade II listed toll bridge provides access across the estuary for light vehicles.
The A496 is a major coastal and mountainous road in southern Snowdonia.