|
|
|
Old Pontamman bridge, Ammanford - Photo:
Hywel Williams
CCL |
A former mining town that
grew up around an inn in the 19th century,
Ammandford is set amid splendid countryside.
The National Botanic Garden and Aberglasney’s
‘garden lost in time’ are close by. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
Pwlldu Bay, backed by the wooded Bishopston
valley - Photo:
Nick Andrews
CCL |
The largest village on the
south east coast of the beautiful Gower
Peninsula, Bishopston nestles at the top of
cliffs and looks down on three separate
beaches. In recent years it has become a haven
for the surfing fraternity. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
|
It was on the sands here
that the pioneer flyer Amelia Earhart landed
in 1928 to become the first woman to cross the
Atlantic. Four years later she became the
first woman to fly solo across the ocean.
Nearby is the flat expanse of Pembrey Burrows
where there is a country park, which leads to
Cefn Sidan sands. Pembrey’s churchyard boasts
a memorial to the ill-fated folk on board a
ship which foundered nearby in 1828. Among the
dead was Napoleon’s wife Josephine. |
Burry Port Harbour - Photo:
David Lewis
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
A busy market town
on the banks of the River Tywi, Carmarthen is
dominated by a ruined castle and is known as
Merlin’s City, or Caerfyddin, because it was
supposedly the birthplace of King Arthur’s exotic
magician Merlin. The wizard is apparently buried
nearby beneath Merlin’s Hill. In the centre of the
town is an ancient oak tree upon which Merlin cast
the mythical spell ‘When Merlin’s oak shall tumble
down, then shall fall Carmarthen Town’.
|
St Peters Church - Photo:
Nigel Davies
CCL |
The town was originally a
Roman fort but the Normans added a defensive
castle.
In the 19th century Carmarthen witnessed one
of the so-called Rebecca Riots when protesters
attacked the local jail over the introduction
of tolls. The rioters - men dressed as women -
took their title from a verse found in
Genesis.
Beyond Carmarthen is the National Botanic
Garden of Wales whose centrepiece is the
world’s largest single-span glasshouse. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
The Cenarth Falls on the
River Teifi were discovered by the
well-travelled ‘Victorians’ and became one of
the first official tourist attractions in
Wales. Traditional coracle boats are still in
use here and the National Coracle Centre
provides an unmissable treat for visitors.
|
Cenarth Falls - Photo:
Garth Newton
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
Kidwelly Castle - Photo:
John Atherton
CCL |
A sleepy village near
Llanelli, Kidwelly is dominated by the ruins
of an immense Norman castle built in the 12th
century by the Bishop of Salisbury. Below it
runs the River Gwenddraeth. The castle was
besieged in 1136 by Grufyddd ap Rhys ap Tewdwr
whose princess, Gwenllian, was killed in the
battle. The village also boasts a medieval
bridge and town gate. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
A fascinating harbour town
with its own part-restored castle, Laugharne
was both the home and the watering hole of the
great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas who drank in a
local pub and lived humbly in wooden
boathouse. He apparently immortalised the
place as ‘Llaregubb’ in his work ‘Under Milk
Wood’.
Thomas’s house behind the castle in Cliff Walk
has been turned into his shrine. He actually
wrote many of his poems in a shed in the
garden. Half a mile south is St John’s Hill,
which featured in one of his poems. |
Laugharne Castle - Photo:
Garth Newton
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
Dinefwr Castle - Photo:
Nigel Davies
CCL |
Situated among beautiful
hills on the edge of the Black Mountains, this
peaceful market town is a useful base from
which to explore this part of Wales. The River
Tywi is crossed here by the longest
single-span bridge in Wales and close by is
picturesque Dinefwr Castle. In his epic poem
‘Faerie Queen’, Edmund Spenser claimed that
King Arthur’s wizard Merlin lies sleeping in a
cave in local woods.
|
|
Four miles from the town,
Carreg Cennen Castle stands imperiously atop a
300ft rock. It is said to be the most dramatic
castle in the whole of Wales.
Nearby Aberglasney House
and Gardens have become one of
Carmarthenshire’s leading tourist attractions.
The gardens were constructed in the 16th
century but fell into neglect before being
re-discovered Heligan-style. A yew tunnel is
one of the oldest garden features in Europe.
|
Carreg Cennen Castle - Photo:
Cered
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
Llandovery market hall and fountain - Photo:
Colin Smith
CCL |
A thriving old market
town, Llandovery has long been a popular
stop-over destination for those wishing to
explore the Brecon Beacons National Park and
further afield. The River Tywi, which starts
its life in the hills above the town, is
Wales’ longest river. Nearby is the Llyn
Brianne reservoir and the hill where Twm Shon
Cati – the Welsh version of Robin Hood –
sought refuge from the local sheriff. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
This Welsh town has been a
prosperous coal and metal working centre since
the start of the Industrial Revolution, though
such major industries have long gone. At one
time it even earned itself the nickname
‘Tinopolis’ because of the importance of
tin-plate production. It has its own sandy
beach and a museum and art gallery set within
a delightful park. |
Parc Howard Museum, Llanelli - Photo:
Dara Jasumani
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
Afon Brân Bridge, Llangadog - Photo:
Nigel Davies
CCL |
Lying close to Llandovery,
this pretty village is overlooked by the Black
Mountains. A few miles from here is the huge,
ancient and isolated hill fort of Carn Goch
whose earthworks span 15 acres |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
This atmospheric coastal
village is beautifully situated between a
series of hills containing a number of Iron
Age earthworks. The local church is the
largest on the Gower Peninsula and was
constructed in the 12th century on the site of
a 6th century priory. The priory was destroyed
by Vikings in the 10th century. Nearby are
salt marshes and sand dunes. |
Llangennith sands - Photo:
Linda Bailey
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
River Towy viewed from Llansteffan Castle -
Photo:
Garth Newton
CCL |
This small
village near Carmarthen nestles on the banks
of the Tywi and is dominated by the remains of
an old Norman castle built on the site of an
earlier promontory fort. It is possible to
take a boat to the tranquil village of
Ferryside near which lies the splendid 13th
century castle of Kidwelly. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
A traditional seaside
resort with a prom, pier, marina, lighthouses
and beach, the Mumbles lies at the western end
of Swansea Bay and is the gateway to the
splendid Gower Peninsula. It boasts two rocky
coves known as Bracelet and Limeslade.
Surfers’ favourite Langland Bay is a mile
away. It was at The Mumbles in 1807 that one
of the world’s oldest- running passenger
railways was opened using real horsepower.
|
Bracelet Bay - Photo:
Nigel Davies
CCL |
|
Oystermouth Castle - Photo:
Nigel Davies
CCL |
Oystermouth
Castle overlooks the town and is one of the
finest castles on the Gower Peninsula. It was
built in the 11th century and is said to have
been home to the Lords of Gower. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
A busy market town close
to Cardigan, Newcastle Emlyn boasts the
remains of a 15th century castle and lies
peacefully on the banks of the River Teifi. It
is famous as a centre of the so-called Rebecca
Rioters who protested over the introduction of
toll charges. The first Welsh printing press
was established here at the beginning of the
18th century. |
Sycamore Street, Newcastle Emlyn - Photo:
Stephen McKay
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
Oxwich viewed from Nicholaston Burrows -
Photo:
Nick Andrews
CCL |
The scattered
village of Oxwich is one of the most popular
seaside spots on the glorious Gower Peninsula
boasting towering cliffs, sand dunes and an
important nature reserve on local marshes. The
13th century Church of St. Illtyd has been a
site of worship for over 1,500 years. Oxwich
Castle is a Tudor manor house. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
A popular seaside resort
with a beach that stretches for five miles,
Pendine has gone down in motoring history as
the place where Malcolm Campbell set a land
speed record in ‘Blue Bird’ in 1927. Earlier
the flat stretch of sand had witnessed the
death of another speed king, J.G. Parry-Jones,
in his 27-litre car called ‘Babs’. His vehicle
was eventually dug out of the sands in 1969
and a restored version of this car can be seen
at Pendine’s Museum of Speed. In 1933 Amy
Johnson set out from here in her attempt to
fly to America. |
Pendine Sands - Photo:
Kevin Trahar
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
View from Pwlldu Head towards Southgate -
Photo:
Nick Andrews
CCL |
Offering some spectacular
viewpoints, Pennard is famous for its cliffs –
now owned by the National Trust – which
stretch from Pwlldu Head to Southgate. A
number of important caves can be found beneath
the cliffs, including Bacon Hole and Mitchin
Hole. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
At one time a haven for
smugglers, Port Eynon is the most southerly
point on the Gower Peninsula and offers brisk
seaside walks and superb viewpoints. The old
Salt House may also have been used as ‘cover’
for certain criminal activities. Port Eynon’s
churchyard has a memorial to three local
lifeboat crews who lost their lives in 1916.
Culver Hole is a cave that may have been used
by smugglers to hide their stash but in the
last century the bones of more than 40 people
were found here together with parts of Bronze
Age burial urns and Iron Age pottery. |
Beach near Port Eynon Point - Photo:
Hugh Venables
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
Dolaucothi Gold Mine - Photo:
Stephen McKay
CCL |
It was the Romans who
first realized there was gold in the hills of
the picturesque Cothi Valley close to this
ancient village. Although the remains of their
workings can still be seen at the National
Trust’s Dolaucothi Gold Mine, most visitors
will probably want to join an underground
guided tour or even pan for the gold stuff
themselves. |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
Reynoldston is the perfect
place from which to explore the western slopes
of Cefn Bryn, a mountainous spine of sandstone
that stretches across the Gower Peninsula and,
in some places, rises to 500 feet. The summit
affords dramatic views. Near Reynoldston is
the Neolithic tomb known as Arthur's Stone, a
lonely capstone from a lost burial chamber
that dates from 400 BC. |
View from Cefn Bryn - Photo:
Linda Bailey
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
Rhossili Bay - Photo:
Richard Haworth
CCL |
Rhossili, which lies at
the western end of the Gower Peninsula and
overlooks dramatic Worms Head, boasts a flat
sandy beach, dramatic views and the sort of
conditions that surfers, paragliders and
others love to experience.
There are numerous burial
chambers on the downs nearby, including the
reputed grave of Sweyne Forkbeard, the Danish
king who gave his name to Swansea. Remains of
a Stone Age human were found in a local cave.
Offshore lies the wreck of
the Helvetia that ran aground in Rhossili Bay
in 1887. |
Rhossili’s church has a
memorial to Petty Officer Edgar Evans, a local man
who was one of Scott’s companions on his
ill-judged Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole
in 1911.
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
This
small village on the banks of the River Taf near
Carmarthen has a remarkable past; the great Owain
Glyndwr lost a battle here to the men of
Pembrokeshire in 1406 and in the mid-19th century
the village witnessed the famous Rebecca Riots. At
one time it had a Norman castle but only its mound
has survived the ravages of time.
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
|
|
|
The second largest city in
Wales, the former shipbuilding hub of Swansea
has become a general shopping area for a large
part of south west Wales and lies at the mouth
of the Tawe on majestic Swansea Bay.
When the Industrial
Revolution arrived it turned this old market
town into a hugely important port that, at one
time, was the busiest in the world.
|
Sail Bridge, Swansea - Photo:
David Luther Thomas
CCL |
|
Swansea Museum - Photo:
Hywel Williams
CCL |
The city’s Maritime Quarter is now a tourist
hot-spot and contains Wales' National
Literature Centre, an observatory, art
galleries, a working woolen mill and the
Swansea Maritime and Industrial Museum.
Many important
archaeological finds from the island-like
Gower Peninsula can be found at Swansea’s city
centre museum. Part of the museum contains the
largest collection of Egyptian antiquities
outside London, including a 4,000-year-old
mummy.
|
|
The great Welsh
writer Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea in
1914. A Dylan Thomas Centre has been
established and visitors can also join a
special ‘city trail’ which takes in various
landmarks including the author’s home and a
local park where he wrote some of his works.
Swansea lies on
the dramatic Gower Peninsula, one of Wales’
most popular holiday destinations. Largely
unspoiled, it offers a variety of attractions
from spectacular cliff top views and ancient
caves to traditional villages and sandy
beaches. |
The Dylan Thomas Centre - Photo:
Alan Roberts
CCL |
|
|
[back
to top] |
|
