Photo: Richard Szwejkowski, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsAlong the Dee estuary and the North Wales shore past Conwy Castle, through Stephenson's tubular bridge and across Anglesey to the Irish ferry at Holyhead.
The Chester and Holyhead Railway of 1848 was built for the Irish Mail and still carries Dublin ferry traffic. From Chester it follows the Dee estuary past Flint and Prestatyn, then hugs the coast through Rhyl, Abergele and Colwyn Bay to Llandudno Junction, where the Conwy Valley Line branches off.
The train then crosses the Conwy estuary on Stephenson's 1848 tubular bridge, threading the town walls beside Conwy Castle, and runs beneath the Penmaenmawr headlands on a shelf above the sea to Bangor. Robert Stephenson's Britannia Bridge carries it over the Menai Strait to Anglesey, and the line crosses the island past Llanfairpwll (of the long name) to the harbour at Holyhead.
TfW Class 197 units and Mark 4 loco-hauled sets share the line with Avanti's Class 805 bi-modes from Euston.
The Dee estuary, Flint Castle, the sea at Colwyn Bay and Penmaenmawr, and Puffin Island are on the right heading west.
Sides are given facing the direction of travel. Miles are approximate from the start of the journey.
Yes, Avanti West Coast runs through trains from Euston to Bangor and Holyhead in about 3 h 40 min.
Holyhead station is inside the port; Irish Ferries and Stena sailings to Dublin are timed loosely around trains, and SailRail through tickets are sold.
The North Wales Rover: two zones for a local stretch, £45 for all zones including Chester to Holyhead and the Conwy Valley.
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.