Llangollen Railway is encouraging visitors to Llangollen Food Festival to travel by train, with five services in each direction on both days of the festival on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October.
Well over 10,000 people are expected to travel to the festival, which will have more than 100 stalls, 22 local music acts performing in Riverside Park and Centenary Square, and cooking demonstrations at Blas Culinary School.
With parking at a premium in the town centre, the railway is asking people to leave the car outside Llangollen and join services at Corwen, Glyndyfrdwy, Carrog or Berwyn, travelling through the Dee Valley to Llangollen Station.
Services will alternate between steam and heritage diesel, with GWR Heavy Freight locomotive 3802 “The Carthorse” and Class 47 diesel “The Dutchess” in use. Trains from Llangollen to Corwen depart at 10am, 11.05am, 12.20pm, 1.45pm and 3.15pm, and trains from Corwen to Llangollen depart at 11.05am, 12.20pm, 1.45pm, 3.15pm and 4.20pm.
Alex Elborne from Llangollen Railway said: “With well over 10,000 people expected, Llangollen is going to be incredibly busy and parking will inevitably be at a premium.”
He added: “That’s where the Railway can really help. Rather than worrying about driving into the town centre and finding somewhere to park, people can join us at Corwen, Glyndyfrdwy, Carrog or Berwyn and make the train journey part of their Food Festival day.”
From 9am on Saturday, Llangollen Station will host food producers including returning stallholders Bourne’s Cheese, Pen Y Llan Pork, Sunrise Patisserie and Lucelas Chocolate Rum, and newcomers Greek on a Grill, Joules Gourmet, The Korean Corndog Station and Tuktuk Llangollen.
For the two days, the station’s historic Waiting Room will become a Real Ale Bar serving beers from three Welsh breweries – Purple Moose from Porthmadog, Hafod from Mold and Magic Dragon from Wrexham – with Blas Wines also taking part. The Railway Café will be open on both days.
Food Festival Afternoon Tea on the Dee services depart at 12.20pm on Saturday 10 October and at 12.20pm and 3.15pm on Sunday 11 October, with passengers given a reserved table in a heritage carriage for a return journey from Llangollen to Corwen.
On Sunday, The Glyndŵr Steam Roast takes passengers on the 12.20pm steam service to Corwen for a traditional Sunday roast at the community-run Owain Glyndŵr Hotel, returning on the 4.20pm steam service and arriving back in Llangollen at around 5pm.
Jordan Edge, Catering Manager at Llangollen Railway, said: “Afternoon Tea on the Dee is a particularly lovely experience. You have your own reserved table, a traditional Afternoon Tea and the wonderful scenery of the Dee Valley passing your window. Tickets are already getting low, so I’d encourage people to book soon if they want to join us.”
On Saturday evening, an Ales from Wales special hauled by 3802 “The Carthorse” will leave Llangollen at 5pm and return at 10pm, with tickets priced at £20 per person. It will feature real ales from the three Welsh breweries, three wines handpicked by Pip Gale from Blas Wines, and live music from Wrexham band The Sidekicks. The railway is inviting festival traders as well as visitors to join the service.
James Veal, Events Coordinator at Llangollen Railway, said: “We wanted Ales from Wales to be the ultimate Saturday night out during Food Festival weekend, and we’ve deliberately kept the ticket price down to just £20 so as many people as possible can come and enjoy it.”
Elsewhere in the town, the team from Xplore Science! in Wrexham will run workshops in the Llangollen Silver Band Room, with experiments exploring DNA, diffusion and kitchen chemistry.
