Carmarthenshire
CARMARTHENSHIRE (Sir Gaerfyrddin), often called the ‘Garden of Wales’, blends softly rolling farmland with dramatic uplands, ancient market towns and a sweep of sandy coastline along Carmarthen Bay. Its story stretches from the Roman town of Moridunum – modern Carmarthen, one of Wales’s oldest settlements – to medieval castles and the rugged sheep pastures of the Black Mountain on the western edge of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.
The Tywi (Towy) Valley is Carmarthenshire’s green spine: fertile floodplains, hedgerows and handsome towns like Llandeilo and Llandovery strung along the river. Garden lovers flock to the National Botanic Garden of Wales at Llanarthne, where Mediterranean plants bask inside a spectacular glasshouse, and to nearby Aberglasney, a rescued Elizabethan manor famed for its cloister garden and seasonal displays.
History is everywhere – at Dinefwr, a National Trust estate combining a romantic hilltop castle, elegant Newton House and a historic deer park, and at Kidwelly Castle, a superbly preserved Norman fortress guarding the Gwendraeth estuary.
Carmarthenshire’s coast is made for big skies and wide-angle strolls. Pembrey Country Park offers miles of pine-fringed trails and access to Cefn Sidan, an eight-mile ribbon of golden sand; cyclists can join the Millennium Coastal Path towards Llanelli and the Burry Port lighthouse, where aviator Amelia Earhart made landfall after her transatlantic flight. Further west, Pendine Sands – famed for early land-speed records – remains an exhilarating strand for bracing beach walks and sea views.
Literary Wales pulses through the county. Downstream at Laugharne, the ruined castle looks over the Taf estuary, and visitors can step into Dylan Thomas’s Boathouse to contemplate the tides that inspired Under Milk Wood.
Inland, folklore lingers at Llyn y Fan Fach beneath the Black Mountain, home to the tale of the Physicians of Myddfai; it’s also one of the county’s most rewarding hikes, with skylarks overhead and views across lonely corries.
Wildlife watchers are well served. The WWT Llanelli Wetland Centre draws migratory birds to its lagoons, while otters and herons haunt the Tywi and Tâf. Mountain bikers rate the graded trails in Brechfa Forest; families love the Gwili Steam Railway’s heritage rides through leafy countryside; racegoers head to Ffos Las. Rugby is a local passion – Llanelli’s Scarlets carry the county’s red jersey – with matchdays adding colour to pubs and town squares.
Food and drink reflect the landscape: salt-marsh lamb from the estuaries, famed Llanelli cockles, farmhouse cheeses and a growing crop of indie roasters, breweries and small distilleries. Carmarthen’s covered market is the place to graze on local produce, pick up laverbread and chat with stallholders; Llandeilo adds chic delis and design-forward indie shops between its pastel Georgian facades.
Practicalities are easy. Carmarthen is the hub for exploring westwards to Laugharne and Pendine or north to the Tywi Valley; Llandeilo makes a charming base for castle-hopping and garden visits; Llanelli suits coastal cycling and wetland watching. Trains on the scenic Heart of Wales Line connect valley towns, and roads thread quickly to neighbouring Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.
Why visit? For the gentle pace and variety: castle silhouettes at sunset, empty beaches, intimate gardens, good walking and cycling, and a genuine sense of Welsh culture – bilingual signs, chapel spires, warm hellos. Come for a weekend and you’ll plan the next one before you leave.
WATCH: When Llanelli beat the All Blacks
PROFILE: Carwyn James
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