Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways launches a new bilingual app

Visitors to the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways (FfWHR) are now able to take their very own bilingual mobile phone app guide on their train journey.

The FfWHR Explore App has been created as part of the Railway’s Interpretation and Boston Lodge Project, thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Lottery players, the Ffestiniog Railway Society and the FfWHR Trust.

The app has been designed with everyone’s enjoyment in mind, providing descriptive and historic information about stops and points of interest along the line, marking the passenger’s route as they go with a locomotive icon on the map.

Each railway also has three ’Out the Window’ games, where the whole family can spot things seen along the route. Watch out for a tank of rubber ducks as travelling through the forest between Penrhyn and Tan-y-Bwlch stations, Wagyu Cows, a herd of black cattle between Dinas and Waunfawr, trees and landmarks. There are also things to spot about the railway and the people who work on it.

FfWHR visitor experience manager, Stephen Greig said: “We want our visitors to enjoy a chat and the wonderful scenery. The app has been designed by our NLHF Project team to enhance the journey and to be a conversation starter.

“Our on-train staff and volunteers are always more than happy to tell passengers about our wonderful locations and railway, and may even help them spot that family of rubber ducks and the toy alligator who joined them last season!”

The app can be downloaded easily when visitors arrive for their journey, as every railway station along our lines has free Wi-Fi access. QR codes are available at check-in to take people straight to the download site.

The free ‘FfWHR Explore’ bilingual Welsh and English app is now available to download from either the Apple Store or Google Play Store.

The FfWHR Interpretation and Boston Lodge Project is due to open for tours this summer.