Whether on bike, on foot or in a car, the Tywi Valley in Carmarthenshire boasts incredible views, a fascinating history and attractions, but it’s also facing a threat people are very worried about
The Tywi Valley wrapped around Dryslwyn Castle in Carmarthenshire (Image: Carmarthen Journal)
As we hurtle towards the end of August, with those diminishing warm and sunny nights getting shorter and shorter, you could be forgiven for sensing a slight melancholy in the air as summer drifts away and the spectre of autumn and winter looms around the corner.
However, if you’re lucky enough to live in one particular part of Wales you’ll find there’s plenty to explore even when the temperatures start to cool and the beaches become less of a draw. Read here about nine of the most enchanting train rides in Wales that will have you gazing in awe.
Carmarthenshire has long been dubbed the ‘Garden of Wales’ and it’s easy to see why. It’s a county splashed with green, beauty, rivers, and the odd fantastic castle here and there. And nowhere represents a bigger concentration of this canvas of Welsh wonders more than the Tywi Valley. Stay informed on Carms news by signing up to our newsletter here.
This beautiful bit of Welsh countryside stretches and climbs either side of the River Tywi, which measures around 75 miles in total as it makes its way from the Cambrian Mountains all the way to the sea at Carmarthen Bay.
The valley itself has been in the news more in recent months than in the previous few years due to the ongoing construction of a 20km cycling and walking path which splits between the scenery and alongside the river, connecting the towns of Carmarthen and Llandeilo.
The beauty of the Tywi Valley in Carmarthenshire (Image: Media Wales)
Costing more than £18m – mostly paid for through UK Government ‘Levelling Up’ funding – the path has already been a huge hit with locals and tourists alike as its most western section, between Abergwili Museum at the east end of Carmarthen and the village of Nantgaredig four miles away, has been open since April.
Another section between Dryswlyn and Gelli Aur further east has also recently opened, while bridges which will cross rivers were delivered last week and are expected to be in place soon. Over the coming months, once the full path is open, different parts of the Tywi Valley will be more accessible than ever, offering people a plethora of options when looking for a day out.
If you want a bite to eat or a nice drink on your travels, you’ll find plenty of local pubs if you’re exploring the Tywi Valley Path or just enjoying the valley itself by car.
A section of the Tywi Valley Path east of Dryslwyn (Image: Media Wales)
Stacey’s Kitchen has earned itself quite a reputation and its popularity has soared further as it’s located at Abergwili Museum – the starting point of the cycle path.
The Black Ox, also in Abergwili, is a welcoming pub, as is Tafarn y Railway, situated in Nantgaredig, which currently acts as the end of the cycle path if you’re heading east from Abergwili.
In between those two you’ll find the Riverside Diner on the side of the A40 at Whitemill, offering food and hot drinks to enjoy as you sit beside the Tywi. Further along the A40 heading towards Pontargothi you’ll come to the Cresselly Arms, offering arguably the best beer garden in Carmarthenshire with ample seating right next to the tranquillity of the River Cothi.
If you’re looking for more of a restaurant rather than a pub, this corner of Wales is home to two of the most popular destination food spots in the whole country. Award-winning Y Polyn is tucked away off the B4310 between Nantgaredig and Porthyrhyd, while the award-winning Wright’s Food Emporium in Llanarthne is another delicious option if you’re heading along the windy B4300 towards Llandeilo.
Tŷ Mawr Country Hotel and Restaurant in Brechfa(Image: Tŷ Mawr Country Hotel and Restaurant Mawr)
Nearby and further north into the hills, The Plough Inn in Felingwm is a unique dining experience set in a beautiful old pub, while if you carry on to the quaint village of Brechfa you can enjoy a warm welcome at Tŷ Mawr Country Hotel and Restaurant and the recently revamped Forest Arms, another pub with a glorious rear garden to enjoy on a nice day.
If all that isn’t enough to whet your appetites, you can always head straight to the market town of Llandeilo, which is full of independent pubs, cafes, restaurants and shops.
But of course, the Tywi Valley isn’t just about food and drink. It’s filled with incredible scenery that will take several excursions to fully absorb. Between Llanarthne and Porthyrhyd is the famous National Botanic Garden of Wales, which celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier this year.
The wonderful town of Llandeilo (Image: John Myers)
As impressive as the Garden’s beauty is the sheer scale of this attraction: 568 acres, impossible to explore completely in several visits, filled with fields, paths, lakes, water features, ancient walls, beautiful buildings and incredible structures, all surrounded entirely by nature. It’s an enormous piece of land which one could easily get lost in given its sprawling design.
Around eight miles east from the National Botanic Garden of Wales is another gem of nature – Aberglasney Gardens. At its heart lies a fully restored Elizabethan cloister garden that is the only surviving example of its kind in the UK today.
Beyond this, visitors can explore 10 acres and more than 20 different garden styles from formal to woodland, right through to exotic and modern, along with the fully restored ground floor of Aberglasney’s grade II listed mansion.
Aberglasney Gardens(Image: Media Wales)
And if you just can’t get enough wide and open spaces you can make the short trip to Golden Grove Country Park, situated within the Gelli Aur Estate, a 100-acre wooded parkland which surrounds an ancient and Gothic mansion house, offering stunning views across the valley. Here you’ll find nature trails boasting a variety of plants, butterflies, and the opportunity to spot birds of prey and deer as they too enjoy the countryside.
Another great way to take in the views in this part of Wales is by visiting one of its castles. Wales has more castles per square mile than any other country in the world, and the Tywi Valley has a few gems of its own.
Dryslwyn Castle is more ruinous than others but it still offers incredible views in every direction across the valley. You can park for free opposite the castle and then take the gentle climb up to the castle itself, with Carmarthen in the distance to the west and Llandeilo to the east.
The valley surrounds Dryslwyn Castle (Image: Western Mail)
Speaking of Llandeilo, here you’ll find Dinefwr Castle set within the 850-acre Dinefwr Estate. You can see the heritage White Park Cattle, probably the most ancient breed of cattle native to the British Isles, and a Grade II listed house which was for centuries home to descendants of Rhys ap Gruffydd.
Meanwhile, if you step into the estate woodland you’ll find some of the oldest trees in Britain. There are more than 300 oak trees at Dinefwr, some more than 400 years old.
Just a few miles from Dinefwr is arguably the most lauded castle in the region and one of the most well-known in Wales – Carreg Cennen. The castle is owned by a family who actually bought it by mistake.
Carreg Cennen castle(Image: WalesOnline Gayle Marsh)
The views here are on another level to anything else in the valley. Standing at 300 feet above the Afon Cennen below, Carreg Cennen doesn’t just loom over the countryside, it towers.
It’s widely regarded as one of the best ancient attractions anywhere, with Countryfile magazine describing it as “the most romantic ruin” in the country, while The Telegraph once listed it as one of the best 10 places to take your children in Wales. It also has a number of ancient caves to explore and a café and shop at the entrance.
But no chatter of things to explore in the Tywi Valley would be complete without mention of Paxton’s Tower. You can see it peeking its head over the mountains for miles around. It was erected in the early 1800s by Scottish-born landowner and MP William Paxton.
Paxton’s Tower, seen from the grounds of the National Botanic Garden of Wales(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
The structure was originally called Nelson’s Tower, serving as a tribute to naval hero Lord Nelson. While several memorials to Nelson dot the length and breadth of the country, today, Paxton’s Tower is more recognisable as a folly built by an ambitious newcomer desperate to make his mark on society.
There is, however, a threat looming over the valley. Last year, Green GEN Cymru, a renewable energy subsidiary company to Bute Energy, wrote to farmers across mid and west Wales requesting access to their land to raise pylons across Wales from Carmarthenshire to near the English border.
The aim is to build pylon highways through Wales to connect a large number of wind farms which are at various planning stages.
One of the pylon highways named the Towy-Usk route would run from Nant Mithil to Llandyfaelog going through Aberedw Hill, Llangammach Wells, Llandovery, Llandeilo, and Llandyfaelog. Another named the Towy-Teifi route would run from Lan Fawr to Lampeter through Llanllwni, Alltwalis, Rhydargeau, and Llandyfaelog. There is also a third pylon route planned which would be referred to as the Vyrnwy-Frankton route.
A fierce campaign is well underway to fight the plans and protect the Tywi Valley from having pylons run through it, with campaigners arguing that the cables could instead be placed underground.
Green GEN said previously: “Our investigations show that underground cables require more land and create more ground disturbance during construction. This could also lead to longer-term ecological and environmental impacts. Using pylons will allow us to provide a new connection quickly with minimal disruption to the land allowing us to fight back against climate change as soon as we can.”
That fight is ongoing and you can read the latest on it here.
But, despite that, the Tywi Valley really does have a huge amount going for it, and once the ambitious £18m cycle path is complete it will connect various beauty spots like never before, making them easier than ever for everyone to enjoy.