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Carmarthenshire, Wales: the perfect break
How green are Carmarthenshire's valleys, but also how wonderful its vast beaches and artisan shops, says Joanna Symons.
Why go?
Most people hurtle past Carmarthenshire on their way to the more famous and trumpeted charms of neighbouring Pembrokeshire. But this green and peaceful county is well worth visiting in its own right for its forests and mountains, vast beaches and tumbling green hills. You'll find spectacular walking on the eastern reaches of the Brecon Beacons, lowering castles, chipper little market towns, genuinely friendly locals, and wide, grassy-edged river estuaries sweeping out to Dylan Thomas's "sloe black, slow, black, crow black fishingboat-bobbing sea…"
Get there by…
Car, along the M4; keep heading west until you reach the end of the motorway. The compact and bustling market town of Llandeilo, a good base for a visit, is about 161 miles from London, 97 miles from Birmingham. There is a rail station at Llandeilo; change at Swansea for the Heart of Wales line (www.heart-of-wales.co.uk), one of the most scenic routes in Britain.
Stay at…
Fronlas (01558 824 733; www.fronlas.com), which must be among the best b&bs in the country. A double-fronted Victorian house in a residential street, it has smartly contemporary decor, incredibly comfortable beds, great bathrooms and thoughtful extras such as complimentary cake for tea, a stash of OS maps for walkers and proper coffee and tea, with fresh milk, in each bedroom. The delightful young couple who run it do a cracking breakfast. It's very popular, so book ahead – and try for a front-facing room upstairs. Double room with breakfast from £80 a night.
The bedrooms at The Cawdor Arms (01558 823 500; www.thecawdor.com) in the heart of Llandeilo are comfortable and well-furnished, although the bar and reception areas are looking a bit tired. Staff are friendly and food is good value. From £65 a night for a snug double to £200 for a huge suite with superb views. You can view each room on the website.
Ty Cefn Tregib (01558 823 942; www.tregib.co.uk) offers two comfortably furnished tepees set in rolling countryside just outside Llandeilo. One is beside a rushing waterfall, the other in a field overlooking the Towy Valley – and both are very private, with spotless kitchen and bathroom huts alongside. There is also a newly renovated Airstream caravan in a leafy glade. All sleep two and cost from £210 for a three-night weekend, or a four-night midweek break.
Spend the morning…
Exploring the pretty Georgian and Victorian streets and squares of Llandeilo. The shopping here is excellent: try King Street for the superb Peppercorn kitchen shop, Scorpio interiors (with a huge range of Melin Tregwynt rugs and blankets), and fashion retailer Toast, which has an outlet shop here. The Works antiques market by the station stocks old Welsh blankets and Gaudy Welsh pottery, and Heavenly in Rhosmaen Street sells award-winning ice cream and chocolates.
Have lunch at…
The Cawdor, where the restaurant is a cut above the bar and serves good value, well-prepared staples in huge portions; two courses from £12.95.
Plan your visit to Aberglasney Gardens near Llandeilo to coincide with lunch at The Gardeners' Café, set in a peaceful corner of the gardens with a terrace overlooking the lake and grounds. It serves soup, sandwiches and excellent salads using local ingredients (crab salad, £10.95).
Head south-west along the eastern bank of the River Tywi to Ferry Cabin (01267 267 084), an unassuming café close to the water in the village of Ferryside that does great fish and chips (from £7.95).
Spend the afternoon…
Among the county's castles and gardens. The area is littered with dramatic ruins, the most atmospheric of which is Carreg Cennen castle (01558 822 291, £3.60 adult). Take the steep and spectacular walk up to and around the fortifications, from where there are dizzying views across a switchback of emerald green hills dotted with sheep. From here, you can follow longer walks into the Brecon Beacons. Also well worth a visit is Dinefwr Park and Castle (01558 824 512; www.nationaltrust.org.uk, adult £6.70), with more crumbling battlements, sweeping views and lovely walks through the deer park and landscaped grounds. When it comes to gardens, the National Botanic Garden of Wales (01558 668 768; www.gardenofwales.org.uk, adult £8.50) is the local big shot. It's beginning to look more established, and is worth a visit for the soaring Norman Foster-designed glasshouse, but I still found it slightly soulless. Aberglasney Gardens is on a more human scale, with lovely walled gardens and a stream garden through the woods (01558 668 998; www.aberglasney.org; adult £7).
Dine out at…
Y Pollen, Capel Dewi, near Carmarthen (01267 290 000; www.ypolynrestaurant.co.uk), which is the perfect local restaurant. Informal but with a real buzz, it serves well-sourced and beautifully prepared bistro-style food (daube of Ferryside salt marsh lamb; coq au vin), from £24 for two courses. Closed Sun eve and Monday.
The Cors, Laugharne (01994 427 219; www.thecors.co.uk), a quirky restaurant with rooms, is set in enchanting gardens with a consistently good repertoire using local lamb, beef and fish. Only open on Thurs, Fri and Sat evenings, so book ahead.
A few miles north of Llandeilo, in Llangadog, the friendly local, the Red Lion, serves good, straightforward pub food; the bar area is the most atmospheric, with lots of pictures and a few antiques. Home-cooked ham with mash, £9 (01550 777357; www.redlioncoachinginn.co.uk).
Spend the next day…
In Laugharne, where the River Taf flows out to the sea and where Dylan Thomas and his family lived for a while in "this timeless, mild, beguiling island of a town". His house and writing shed are open to visitors, and both are arranged just as he would have had them (01994 427 420; www.dylanthomasboathouse.com, adult £3.75). Laugharne castle is at its most imposing from the beach below – where you can picnic, with benches thoughtfully provided, or set off for coastal walks – (see www.discovercarmarthenshire.com for the routes).
Nearby are the great flat sands of Pendine, where Amy Johnson took off to fly non-stop to America and Malcolm Campbell broke several land speed records in Blue Bird. For relaxing and sunbathing, my favourite beach is below the pretty Victorian resort of Llansteffan – with yet another castle to explore – or try the dune-backed Cefn Sidan sands on the eastern flank of Carmarthen Bay, with views across to the Gower Peninsula. It's backed by Pembrey Country Park, with a good adventure playground, cycle tracks, a toboggan run and wildlife trails.
For more information…