Rallies, Railways, Food and Festivals – Wales Has a Big Weekend Ahead
IF you were looking for an excuse to get out and about in Wales this weekend, you may be spoilt for choice.
From historic rally cars roaring into mid Wales and steam trains turning the clock back in Gwynedd to food festivals, storytelling, live entertainment and autumn events across the country, the first weekend of October is shaping up to be one of the busiest of the season.
Here are some of the highlights.
Historic Rally Festival – Builth Wells
The Royal Welsh Showground provides the setting for a celebration of rallying’s golden eras on Saturday and Sunday.
The Historic Rally Festival brings together classic rally machinery spanning several generations, including Group 1, Group 2, Group 4, Group A, Group B, Group N and early World Rally Championship cars.
And there is extra significance this year: organisers have announced that the sixth edition will also be the final Historic Rally Festival in its present form.
The emphasis is on spectacle rather than outright competition. This is a demonstration event, with cars driven at pace around specially created stages rather than racing against the clock.
For anyone with memories of the days when Escorts, Quattros, Imprezas and other famous rally machines seemed to possess personalities of their own, Builth Wells could provide a serious dose of nostalgia.
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Victorian Weekend – Ffestiniog Railway
North Wales, meanwhile, will be stepping considerably further back in time.
The Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways Victorian Weekend runs from Friday to Sunday, celebrating the remarkable heritage of one of Wales’ most famous railways.
Vintage passenger trains, goods workings, gravity slate trains and period costumes will help recreate different chapters in the railway’s history.
Visitors can also expect steam-powered machinery, miniature railways, classic vehicles, archive displays and Victorian-themed attractions.
The setting is particularly appropriate. The Ffestiniog Railway was originally built in 1836 to carry slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea — making this as much a celebration of Welsh industrial history as railway nostalgia.
On Sunday, one of Wales’ oldest brass bands, the Royal Oakeley Silver Band, is scheduled to perform at Tan y Bwlch Station.
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Food takes centre stage in Neath
There should be plenty of tempting aromas around Neath town centre on Friday and Saturday as the Neath Food and Drink Festival returns.
Around 60 exhibitors are expected, with Welsh producers, artisan food, street food and entertainment spreading through the town centre and the historic indoor market.
It is one of several food events taking place around Wales this weekend and another opportunity to showcase the increasingly strong reputation of Welsh produce.
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Newport serves up another food festival
Saturday also sees the return of the Newport Food Festival.
Newport city centre becomes the focus for Welsh produce, artisan food and culinary talent, bringing together traders and visitors for one of the city’s established autumn events.
If one food festival isn’t enough, Wales is certainly providing options this weekend.
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Brecon brings local producers together
We have already taken a closer look elsewhere on Ewegottalove at events taking place in Brecon and Aberystwyth this weekend, but Brecon Beacons Food Festival certainly deserves its place in this round-up.
Taking place at Brecon Market Hall on Saturday, it brings together more than 60 exhibitors alongside talks, demonstrations and produce from in and around the Bannau Brycheiniog area.
It is exactly the sort of event that demonstrates just how closely Wales’ food scene is tied to place, landscape and local producers.
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Monmouth has a story to tell
For something completely different, Gather Round: Monmouth Festival of Stories runs from Friday to Sunday.
Storytelling, myths, local history and performance will take over theatres, historic buildings, gardens, pubs and other locations around Monmouth.
Among the programme is acclaimed storyteller and mythologist Dr Martin Shaw, while family storytelling, crafts and free activities add to the weekend.
It feels particularly well suited to an autumn weekend: a historic Welsh border town filled with old stories and new ones.
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And there is plenty more besides
That is by no means everything happening across Wales.
There are sporting fixtures, theatre performances, live music and community events taking place throughout the country, while Cardiff itself is preparing for a particularly extraordinary weekend involving rugby, ice hockey and one of Britain’s biggest road races.
We will be taking a separate look at that.
For now, whether your idea of a good weekend involves the scream of an old rally car, the whistle of a steam locomotive, discovering a new Welsh food producer or settling down to hear a good story, Wales has plenty to offer.
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DID EWE KNOW?
The Ffestiniog Railway’s famous gravity trains are a reminder of an ingenious piece of Victorian engineering: loaded slate wagons once travelled downhill towards Porthmadog largely under the force of gravity, while horses used on the uphill journey travelled back down in special wagons.