A-Z of Railway Stations: B is for Bridgend

The modern ticket office at Bridgend station

Well this is an easy challenge so far.  Spoilt for choice of where to go for a B.  In the end I decided on Bridgend more because I fancied a trip combined with a bit of geocaching.  It's an easy trip from Cardiff that's for sure as Bridgend is on the main Cardiff to Swansea line and most trains stop there.  Have I  been there before?  Not that I can recall though I must have been through it on the train many times before.

So regular is the service I didn't even bother planning my trip - just turned up at Cardiff Central and caught the next train to Bridgend.  Fortunately for me it turned out to be one of the new Class 800 trains.  My dog gave it the thumbs up and lay down quietly for the journey.

One of the new Class 800 trains at Bridgend station

Once at Bridgend I had a nose around the station, quite a mix of modern and old.  It was then out and virtually straight into the centre of town.  Yes, the River Ogmore does pass through the centre but if I was being honest it is not at its most attractive at this point.

The historic bridge in the centre of Bridgend

My hound isn't at his most comfortable in town centres - mainly sniffing out scraps of food that people have dropped.  So maybe that should be I am not at my most comfortable with my dog in town centres.  He's probably perfectly happy.  We soon escaped the main streets and the rest of the day was spent geocaching to the south west of the town along the banks of the River Ogmore, finding all bar one of the ones we looked for.  Some were a bit tricky but most were OK, some quite inventive in the way they were hidden. 

One of these creatures wasn't real.  

The Phoenix pub in an old chapel.

Another pub - tempting this one but not with the dog. 

For more news on this challenge visit:  A-Z of Railway Stations

A-Z of Railway Stations - A is for Aberdare

Me and my stationary dog - you would have thought he would have been excited enough to look at the camera.  Apparently not. 

Yes, I admit it.  I'm a bit of a list man.  I'm coming to the end of my challenge to have a pint of Guinness in every European Capital City so it is time to think of a new challenge.  That's where this one came from.  The idea to travel a bit more by train.  But to take the effort of having to think about where to go next I thought I would go through the alphabet, hence A is for Aberdare.  There's quite a few stations starting with A in Wales so why did I choose Aberdare.  Weill it's not a town centre I have explored much in the past, only sort of driven through it - not that there is that much of a town centre.  So let's go and see what there is.

Someone asked if I was doing the challenge in Welsh or English.  No need to decide just yet.  They both begin with A

Thought I had better get a shot of the train that I arrived on - after all the days of these old trains are numbered I believe,  Also my wife decided to join me of this first trip.  I am honored.

From the train station it is only a short walk up into the town though not exactly in a straight line. There are some main roads to get across and the route is a bit wonky.

Railings outside Aberdare library - they do say Aberdare but haven't come out too well on the photo.

Ahh.  That's better.  Now that's what I call A is for Aberdare.  

Aberdare Constitutional Club - a great looking building

From Aberdare town centre we walked up to Dare Valley country Park.  It's a pleasant walk of around an hour I guess, though I was dawdling quite a bit or should I say geocaching, which slowed up progress a bit as some of the caches were tricky to find. It was a good route for the dog too.  At the end we were rewarded with finding a tea shop.  Do dogs allowed in the main tea room but they are allowed in the foyer of the building on the opposite side of the courtyard so we went there and sheltered from the cold weather.

Not the train we were going home on luckily.  

There was just time to walk back down to town and meet up with a friend for a drink in a good Aberdare pub before heading home having enjoyed the start of another challenge.  Only 25 letters to go now.

For more news on this challenge visit:  A-Z of Railway Stations