Plan Your Visit
We confirm with a heavy heart the closure of CAT’s visitor centre to day visitors from 09 November 2023. It will remain open for students, educational group visits, events, and courses.
A full statement from CAT: https://cat.org.uk/update/

Getting to CAT
CAT is situated three miles north of Machynlleth and is easily accessible by public transport. Machynlleth is on the Birmingham-to-Aberystwyth train line, which can be also accessed via Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton, and hourly buses from Machynlleth train station stop right outside the site.
Keep an eye on imposed travel restrictions due to COVID-19.
Before you visit
Do I need to book in advance?Yes. All group bookings to CAT must be booked in advance.
The CAT site closes to Visitors at 5pm.
Absolutely! The four legged member of the family is very welcome – we just ask that you use the biodegradable poo bag provided and keep dogs on short leads at all times.
While at CAT
When is CAT’s information service open?At the information desk you can ask questions about anything you see during a visit to CAT, and get advice on actions to take in your home or community to reduce environmental impacts.
The information desk is due to be open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday each week, although there may be occasions when this pattern changes.
The next planned change to the usual days is that the desk will be closed most of the time from Tuesday 7th to Friday 10th November, but then open on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th November, before being closed on Monday 13th.
If the desk is not open on the day that you visit, you can contact our information officer with your questions on info@cat.org.uk or 01654 705 989.
See also the advice in the articles listed at https://cat.org.uk/info.
Yes as part of our seasonal visitor programme which you can find here.
CAT’s cafe is offering delicious hot vegetarian meals and a few hot pastry favourites along with the salad menu. We also have a wide selection of hot drink options.
Our café is entirely vegetarian and offers a variety of vegan options as standard. Our professional team are very experienced in catering for all manner of dietary requirements.
Please ask a member of staff in the café if you have any specific requirements or speak to us in advance by emailing visit@cat.org.uk.
Baby changing facilities are available in the toilets next to the bottom-station ticket office, close to the top of the cliff railway and in the restaurant.
Free visitor wifi is available within and close to a number of buildings on-site, including bottom and top station, the information centre/gallery, the café/shop and the WISE building.
Accessibility and Getting to CAT
Does the site have disabled access?Disabled parking spaces are available at the top of the drive that starts next to the bottom station building and can be reserved with your groups coordinator. Otherwise, access to the visitor centre is via the woodland walk or drive, both of which are quite steep.
To reach the car park, drive up the lane to the left of the main ticket office. Please take extra care as that lane is also used as a walking entrance by visitors.
The displays are located throughout a 7-acre open-air site. Most of the pathways around site are made up of compacted aggregates which are mostly level; however wheelchair users may require assistance in using these, particularly during periods of inclement weather.
All the buildings have ramped or level access with doors, entrances and corridors wide enough for a wheelchair. There are wheelchair accessible toilets at the bottom car park reception building and at the top of the cliff railway.
We have electric mobility scooters and a wheelchair, either of which can be hired free of charge by emailing visit@cat.org.uk well in advance of your visit.
CAT has an electric vehicle public charging station which is FREE for visitors to use.
Pre-booking is essential to avoid disappointment. Please contact your groups coordinator to reserve a time-slot.
The charging point is a 32 amp Type 2 (or Mennekes) socket allowing for fast charging, typically up to 4 hours. Please bring your own charging cables.
We have plenty of free parking spaces for both cars and coaches.
Contact Us
Need more information or some help? Don't hesitate to contact us and a member of our team will get back to you.