Photo: Jeremy Segrott from Cardiff, Wales, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsAlong the England–Wales border through Abergavenny, Hereford, Leominster and Ludlow, with the Black Mountains and Shropshire hills for company.
The Marches Line follows the border country from Newport north through Pontypool and Abergavenny, where the Sugar Loaf and Skirrid rise on either side, then over the low summit at Llanvihangel and down past the Black Mountains to Hereford.
North of Hereford it passes Leominster and enters Shropshire at Ludlow, the finest small town on the route with its castle and market. Craven Arms is the junction for the Heart of Wales Line; Church Stretton sits between the Long Mynd and Caer Caradoc, and the line arrives at Shrewsbury, whose station and Severn loop make it a good base for the Cambrian and Chester routes.
TfW Class 197 units and Mark 4 loco-hauled trains work the route. Abergavenny, Ludlow and Church Stretton are the stops.
The Blorenge, Sugar Loaf, Black Mountains, Ludlow Castle, Stokesay Castle and the Long Mynd are all on the left heading north.
Sides are given facing the direction of travel. Miles are approximate from the start of the journey.
Both: it starts in Wales, runs through Herefordshire and Shropshire, and is operated by Transport for Wales.
Yes; the pass covers the whole TfW network including the English sections of the Marches Line.
The Cambrian Line to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli, the Heart of Wales Line and services to Chester, Crewe and Birmingham.
Scenic lineAcross mid Wales by Talerddig summit to the Dovey estuary, then along Cardigan Bay over Barmouth Bridge to Harlech and the Llŷn Peninsula.
Scenic lineA slow, single-track wander through the empty hills of mid Wales, with the Sugar Loaf summit, Cynghordy Viaduct and 30 mostly request-stop stations.
Scenic lineFrom the seaside at Llandudno up the Conwy estuary and the wooded Lledr valley into the slate mountains at Blaenau Ffestiniog.