Y Consti: the cliff railway, the camera obscura and the way down

Constitution Hill is Y Consti to anyone who lives here, and the cliff railway up it, Rheilffordd y Graig, has been running since 1 August 1896. The operator says the track is 778 feet long. You will find other websites that call it the longest, and the sources disagree on the basis, so we stick to the 778 feet and leave the ranking out.

Who runs it

Constitution Hill Ltd, a registered charity whose trustees are all volunteers from the town. It opened as a water-balance line, with a tank in each car filled at the top station, and was electrified in 1921. It has been a Grade II listed structure since November 1987. The profits go back into restoring the hill: a ramp at the lower station, a lift at the top, and a summit cafe built in 2005. Every ticket helps pay for it, which is worth knowing before you grumble about the fare.

The ride

No booking. Walk up to the ticket office at the north end of the prom and get on. The carriages go up at about four miles an hour, according to the operator, through a deep cutting at the midpoint where 12,000 tons of rock were taken out. Trains run 10:00 to 17:00, seven days a week from April to October and often until 18:00 in high season. From November to mid-March there is a limited timetable and the operator asks you to ring 01970 617642. Fares as the operator lists them: adult single £8.00, adult return £9.00, child (4 to 15) £8.00 return, family return £22.00 to £29.00. Dogs are welcome on the trains if well managed.

At the top

The camera obscura is the point of it. The first Aberystwyth one was built in 1880 in the castle grounds, then moved up here and disappeared by the 1920s; the present one dates from 1985 and has a 14-inch lens. It opens daily 11:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:45, and closes from November to March. It costs £1 for adults, and children go in free with an adult. The Y Consti cafe next door opens daily 10:00 to 17:00, with breakfast until 13:00 and last orders for meals at 16:15. Beyond that there is a games room with pool, air hockey and ten-pin bowling, miniature golf and frisbee golf.

Going back down

Ride down, or take the footpath. The operator's own things-to-do page suggests a third way: the coastal path down to Clarach, with views over Cardigan Bay that it says stretch beyond Aberdyfi. That is the trail on this site, with waypoints from the castle to Clarach Bay. It is not a short walk, and this guide has not timed it, so allow the better part of an afternoon and a way back.

Staying at the bottom

The charity also lets a two-bedroom apartment above the ticket office, on seven-night bookings, with free unlimited passes on the railway. There are 12 steps to the front door. Guests get sea views from the kitchen and the railway outside the bedroom window.

Getting to the lower station

The lower station is at the north end of the prom, roughly a quarter of an hour's walk along Marine Terrace from the pier. The operator's accessibility page says a small car park to the left of the station is for patrons with adapted vehicles, first come first served, and that North Road pay and display, about 300 metres away, is the public alternative.

See the full entry for prices and the accessibility notes, and the Clarach walk if you want to go on.