Arriva Trains Wales | SCENIC RAIL JOURNEY INSPIRES YOUNG MID WALES WRITERS

SCENIC RAIL JOURNEY INSPIRES YOUNG MID WALES WRITERS

Sixteen young writers from Powys have able to draw inspiration from the countryside as they travelled between Newtown and Aberystwyth courtesy of Arriva Trains Wales and The Academi.

ATW Class 158 The Academi - Yr Academi Gymreig - is based at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay and promotes literature in Wales. Arriva Trains Wales is supporting the development of literature amongst young people through a series of special train rides for young writing squads across Wales.

The pupils on this trip were aged from nine to 15 from the Powys writing squad. Their aim is to assist children who enjoy writing and who are beginning to write well. Members are nominated by their schools and selected to join the squad for the quality of their writing.

Led by poet Francesca Kay, the youngsters were encouraged to produce a vivid journey of words reflecting the countryside they travelled through, from the train itself and from their experiences during the day.

Here are some wonderful examples of their work.

Beach Trip

On the train
To the beach
Off we go

At the beach
Sand and sea
Having fun

On the wall
Eating ice cream
Yum yum

What a day
Going home
On the train

by Emily Roberts

Train Journey

Travelling on a train
On our way to the sea
Houses and trees are whizzing by
We see farms and villages,
Rivers and streams
On our way to the sea.

Travelling on a train
On our way to the sea
We stop at several stations
Hear people talking,
To each other, on the phone,
On our way to the sea.

Travelling on a train
On our way to the sea
Other trains pass, on their way,
We feel the sea nearer, and nearer,
Three miles, two, t hen one, we’re there!
Arrived at the sea!

by Emily Roberts

Dog swimming in the Sea

head bobbing above the water
cold water
not a hot dog any more

by William Gilmour

Museum Madness

Mosaics, costumes, flags, stages,
ships, sewing machines and bicycles
all stuffed into the museum
all stored safely
and looking good

by William Gilmour

Train time

Grey, brown, white, black, silver
all the colours I can see as
sheep, grass, trees and gates pass

passengers do magic, cards, play on minds
one man shows a white man a
trick, I don’t understand though

iPods, mp3 players, cd player
all are silent to me, no noise
I only hear the train

by William Gilmour

Time to Chill

My feelings are confused,
My head a muddle,
But sitting here calmly,
They burst like a bubble.

It’s nice to relax,
And just chill out,
With nothing at all
To worry about.

I sit down deep,
And enjoy the ride,
To Aberystwyth,
And the incoming tide.

by Katy Bennett

Off Home

As I sit,
A wave of relief
And disappointment
Washes over me.

I’m glad to relax,
But disappointed
That’s its over
So fast.

I gaze out of the window,
And reflect on the day,
I am leaving
With wet trouser legs.

by Katy Bennett

On the Train

I wonder what history
the trees, cliffs and hills hold.
I can hear rattling and the
low murmur of voices. I can
see people’s homes and lives
flashing past in the blink of
an eye.

by Katy Bennett

Tracks

‘chug chug’ says the train,
It rattles and vibrates over
the track,
As it heads towards
Aberystwyth.

by Katy Bennett

The Journey

Where fairies dance
And horses prance,
It’s tranquil,
Take a glance.
It’s peaceful,
You’re in a trance,
Go on a journey,
Take a chance.

Rocks and roads,
Muddy marshes too,
The landscape is beauteous,
Oh! What a view!

by Sara Eiluned Moyle

Home

What a wonderful day,
What an exciting day,
Full of fun, food and frolics,
Pockets full of pebbles,
The taste of ice cream lingering,
But home now we go.

Home we go after a great day out,
Home we go, without a doubt!

by Sara Eiluned Moyle

Swaying on the Train

I am swaying
Swaying on the train
Halfway through the morning
Swaying on the train

I see the fields, the trees, the sheep,
Swaying on the train
Then my view is obscured
Swaying on the train

Another train with other people
Swaying on the train
Then its gone replaced by more green
Swaying on the train

When we get there
Swaying on the train
There will be no more
Swaying on the train

by Amy Gammon

Candlestick in the Museum

So shiny,
I can see my face in it,
Yet simple,
So daily,
It is worn,
So small,
But curvy,
So bright,
It is a source of happiness,
So reflective,
It is a mirror,
So hot,
But the handle is cool to touch,
So pretty,
A brass candlestick.

by Ffion Davies

Landscape

Ba-dumba – dumba – dumba –dum
Ba-dum  Ba-dum
  Ba-dum
        PSHHHHHHHH

‘Quick get on the train’
‘Oi, I was there!’
‘DON’T PUSH!’
‘Mum, where so we sit?’
Walking down the blue carpeted aisle,
A technicoloured cardigan,
Stood on the platform,
Waving her daughter goodbye,
Granny gypsy was sitting near,
Red lippy,
Flowery shawl,
Pink glasses,
Vivid headscarf,
She made ‘The Times’ seem brighter.
Out the muddy window,
Through the blurred hedge,
Woolly Welsh polar bears,
Sat in the green North Pole.
Sitting on the camouflage blue seats
listening to

ba-dum
ba-dum ba-dum
ba-dumba – dumba – dumba – dum

by Keri Trigg and Ffion Davies

Going Home

Back on the platform,
I start to think
I’ve had such a fun day,
I don’t want to leave.

The wind rushing by
AS I played in the sea,
Eating my lunch on the beach,
Throwing my crusts out to the birds.

Laughing with my friends,
Looking at history in the Museum,
Does this day have to end?

by Keri Trigg

Going Home

On the train journey home,
I really think about my ice cream,
Melting all over my hand.

On the train journey home,
I really think about the great postcard,
Which I addressed to my family.

On the train journey home,
I really think about the stretching beach,
And the shouts of excited children.

by Jenny Lucy Lane

The Beach

A beach, a life,
Atmosphere,
A unique place to be.

Smell of sea air,
Sea washing into waves,
Tiny coloured pebbles,
Wind in my hair,
Sand in my toes.

by Rachel Walters

Thoughts

I look at my friends,
I can see their minds buzzing,
They all have different ideas to me
though all their words,
In the same place, same task,
could form a new world.

by Rachel Walters

home

head heavy and tired
i’ve still got sand in my shoes
and ice cream on my hands

by Bethan Breeden

train

slit of light
into another world
quickly over
quickly forgotten

but not gone

by Bethan Breeden

trees whizz by in
a blur
of green
vibrations beneath my feet
like adrenalin
through my veins
speed.
stopping stopping
speed. no speed
chugging by daisies
and buttercups
blowing in the breeze
leaving each one
only to be seen
by tomorrows train.
by tomorrows people.
And as they gently sway
they will surely slowly
live and die
leaving nothing behind
but a disturbance in
the air
and a flicker of a memory
in a million people’s minds.
the tomorrows train,
tomorrows people
will not know
what once was there.

by Bethan Breeden

Through the Window

I am looking out to the countryside
and I see a beautiful view,
the sky, the river, the hills, the trees,
Oak, ash, willow and yew.

I can just see the silage bales
through the big bushy trees,
I can hear the train swooping past the Welsh roads,
as the cars go past at the same time.

I can see the long green grass
on the steep hills
of the Welsh countryside.

The grey cloudy sky is brighter and brighter,
as the train swooshes by,
the cold, browny blue river flows slowly,
towards the Great Big Sea.

by Grace M Corbett

Willow Tree

I am mesmerised by the willow tree,
it is dark green, bushy and big,
the wind blows onto it,
stronger than ever.

by Grace M Corbett

Coming Home

A journey home from a seaside town
Sticky with ice cream
Hot and wet from a days paddling
Sand rubbing up and down my shins.

by Martha Fensome

Aberystwyth

I feel great, and I can see the great big trees
And I can hear the rolling of the train underneath
I wonder will there be an experience like this?
They are swaying to and fro.

Then there are the houses, the big and little houses,
With the people inside looking out of the window,
I think that they look quite small today.

Then I see the sheep and cows,
Eating grass on the field
I can hear the sound of the crowd

Or is it just me?

When I go on a train it makes me feel hyper
Even though it is just a journey
When I think about journeys I go crazy in my head
But when my imagination thinks of journeys it goes bananas!

Then I see a petrol station out of the blur
And suddenly I think we are by a new station
So time to concentrate and stop chatting
Now time for some writing

by Amy Leigh Fletcher

I can see the sea out of the window
It is calm and gentle
I can see donkeys on the beach
And caravans parked on the roadside
The grass is bright, green and long
The sand looks soft enough to dive into
And there is a huge crowd of people

Hustling and bustling on the station
And then we move on, past the fields
Wide green spaces with sheep of pure white
I see cows graze
And the train floats past the trees
As it drifts along

by Catherine Ridley

I can see the trees speeding past,
They look like they are moving,
I can hear the carriages moving too,
I’m chatting with my friends,
Sitting on the train,
Watching the world around us.

by Catherine Ridley