8 reasons why 8 is the magic number on the T8 by Traws Cymru

It delivers top-draw customer service and is a pretty, modest gem of a route that makes its way from the vibrant, historic Chester, alongside the whirring, winding River Dee and undulating scenery to Corwen, nestled in delightful Denbighshire. It’s a journey with twists and turns, the quaintest of villages and balmy scenery.

The T8 bus makes its merry way on this route and is part of the expansive Traws Cymru network of routes, connecting all parts of Wales and unlocking great scenic adventures and fascinating destinations. As Valentine’s Day approaches, here’s 8 fab reasons why we love the T8, quirky though they may seem and indeed we could think of many more, but that can wait for another day as we’ve a follow-up trip planned in the coming week to report back our latest encounter on this compelling route! Okay, here goes…

1/. Corwen is synonymous with the historic Llangollen Railway with amazing views over the River Dee. It takes the steam and diesel trains 8 minutes to its first stop up the line in Carrog!

2/. Alighting the bus in Ruthin, customers can visit Ruthin Castle, a medieval fortress, which features 8 distinctive towers!  There’s great walking tours of this historic treasure, as well as delightful grounds and falconry too. The Castle also hosts medieval banquets, featuring period costumes, traditional music, and a feast inspired by historical recipes, providing a unique and immersive dining experience.

3/. The bus traverses the lovely Denbighshire Hills, an area of outstanding beauty and the Clwydian Range Circular Walk, a leisurely and lovely scenic 8 mile walk.

4/. When the Great Scenic Journeys team reviewed the service, 8 out of 10 customers that we spoke to gave the service a 100% satisfaction rating and the remainder rated it ‘very good’. This was one of the best across our collection of over 200 routes!

5/. The City of Chester was founded as a fort (see above photo), known as Deva Vixtrix, by the Romans in the 8th Century, as early as AD74, based on discovered lead pipes. The city was the scene of battles between warring Welsh and Saxon kingdoms throughout the post-Roman years until the Saxons strengthened the fort against raiding Danes.

6/. It’s a double 8 of scenic thrills and spills out the bus window in the northbound direction, where a journey from Corwen to Chester on the T8 is timed to take 88 minutes.

7/. One of our favourite listed buildings in Chester is at 8 Bridge Street and was built in 1886. It currently houses a delightful small shop and cottage and has ornate painted brick and timber framing. This wonderful building typifies the fab architecture in Chester and is a haven for sightseeing photographers.

8/.  At the beginning or end of the journey in Chester, folk can visit the Old Dee Bridge. This historic 14th century structure is characterised by its double-arches, forming a figure-8 shape, that looks fab on the eye! The bridge, which dates back to the 14th century, is said to have been haunted by the ghost of a cow. According to local legend, a cow fell off the bridge in the 19th century and drowned in the River Dee below. Since then, there have been occasional reports of a spectral cow appearing on the bridge or in the vicinity, especially during foggy nights.

The T8 really is an inspiring, delight of a route and it’s easily accessible by train to Chester, from Liverpool, Manchester, London, the Midlands and many more destinations and also by bus. To plan your trip, check out  T8 Chester – Corwen – Great Scenic Journeys

And to find out more about the fast, convenient and customer-centric network of Traws Cymru routes, go to Routes and maps – Transport for Wales (traws.cymru)