Carmarthen a tour of three towns
Hopping on the train at Bristol Temple meads we settled into our journey to Carmarthen. In just over two hours and a quick change in Cardiff, we were ready for our weekend by the coast. Having spent my university years in Carmarthen town I’m ashamed to admit I have never visited its neighbouring towns.
Carmarthen – an underrated destination
After settling into our holiday apartment in Llanelli with a view straight out onto the Gower we headed out to explore the beautiful Millennium Coastal Path.
The Millennium Coastal Path forms part of the Wales Coast Path. This is a 13-mile pedestrian walkway and cycleway along the south coast of Carmarthenshire. We strolled along for twenty minutes to North Dock and St. Elli’s bay Bistro and Brasserie. With locals and holiday makers enjoying evening drinks looking out over the sea, it was hard to believe we had been in the city just a few hours before. We all grabbed an ice cream, kicked off our sandals and dug our feet in the soft sand.
After we had spent a couple of hours building sand castles we headed back for a quick shower and change before heading out again for dinner. A side note, we ate so well this weekend and lots of this post will be heavily food related! We headed to The Machynys Bar & Brasserie where we looked out at views over their golf course and lake.
The kids were pretty tired by this point so Mabli got a ‘daddy carry’ on the stroll home and we all flopped into bed ready for the next day exploring Llanelli.
A Day in Llanelli
After breakfast we walked across the walk Millennium coastal path again, a quick stop at St Elli’s for coffee and cake whilst the kids went to the playground there and then onto Sandy Water park.
When we reached Llanelli town center we browsed the local market in search of laverbread. I’m embarrassed to say this as someone with a Welsh father and who has lived in Wales for seven years but I did not know laverbread…wasn’t actually bread!
We picked up a portion to try and were advised it would be great with scrambled eggs the next day. I was skeptical if I would like it as I’m not often a fan of seaweed-type flavours but it was really delicious and a great accompaniment to breakfast.
Having only brought a couple of bits from the market we didn’t really need help with our groceries however if we did we could have used the Deliver Elli scheme to take it back for us. It’s available free for all town centre businesses. Visitors can get products delivered straight from the shop to your door with their e-cargo bike. Makes for a great sustainable way to shop locally!
We headed to Hwyl for lunch which is a relatively new cafe to Llanelli. With stunning interiors and delicious food I would definitely recommend brunch here if you are ever in town.
An afternoon soaking up Llanelli’s history at Llanelly House
After lunch Mabli was feeling pretty tired we decided to split and have some one-on-one time with each child. I took Wilf to our scheduled tour of Llanelly House(only a few minutes walk around the corner from Hwyl). Tom took Mabli to Parc Howard (but more on that later).
I wasn’t sure what the tour would be like but we both got so much out of it. Wilf as a keen history fan possibly more so. Our guide Craig was fantastic at bringing it’s history alive and its immersive elements (talking portraits and an interactive court trial) really made you feel part of its history.
Parc Howard Llanelli
As Wilf and I were soaking up the history Wilf and Mabli were soaking up the beautiful Parc Howard Gardens. Unfortunately, Parc Howard Museum is closed until February 2023 for renovation but it’s worth the trip there for the gardens alone for sure. A Tranquil spot just minutes away from the centre of town. All the places we visited on this trip were accessible by foot or rail.
We ended the day with takeaway from Marzanos which we ate on our balcony as the sun set. A brilliant first full day in Camarthenshire and ready for our next day heading into Camarthen town.
Sailing in a coracle across the River Tywi Carmarthen
After a short journey from Llanelli (with a stop at Unit 7 for coffee) we arrived in Carmarthen station. Crossing the bridge over the River Tywi and headed straight to the Carmarthen Coracle & Netsmen’s Association.
The River Tywi is one of only three rivers in Wales where coracle boats are still used for fishing. We were privileged to meet with three members of the same family who have been coracle fishermen since 1642 using handmade nets and paddles. Tom and Wilf were lucky enough to go out on the boats and we were demonstrated how their fishing techniques are used.
Lunch at The Warren
Eco-café The Warren is the center of Carmarthen and we headed there for Sunday lunch. It’s the creation of chef Deri Reed who is passionate about using local, plant-based food. The Warren Sunday lunch was delicious and worth a trip to Carmarthenshire alone. Our only downside was being too full and being on a tight schedule so we couldn’t fit in pudding. However, they were kind enough to back up some vegan brownies for the kids to take on the go.
Having gone to university in Carmarthen town it was really interesting to see how it had changed in the past fifteen years. So many great food places to come back and try!
A walking history tour with Rob the Roman
With our tummies full we walked the five-minute walk to Carmarthen Castle to meet Rob for our Roman tour. Ever the professional Rob was dressed in full Roman armor in 30-degree heat! We learned about Tudors, the Dematae tribe, and Merlin the wizard and their connections to this town.
Burry Port
Last but no means least on our tour of Carmarthenshire we headed to Burry Port. I feel quite regretful that I had no idea these beautiful beaches surrounded me while living in the area. However, we have said we will definitely be returning to Burry Port for another long weekend as soon as possible
Grab a crepe from Crazie Crepes and then head to the glorious sand dunes and dip in the sea. We loved that this beach had so many warm lagoon-type pools that felt really safe to swim in. So many people were paddle boarding or floating on lilos. The atmosphere was brilliant and we could have easily spent an entire day here.
We had such a fantastic time during our three days in three of Carmarthenshire’s beautiful towns. If you want to travel by train like us then all these towns are very well connected on the train line. From Bristol it was two and a half hours which included one change in Cardiff.
Useful links :
Llanelli
Burry Port
Carmarthen
One Response
I’m glad that you enjoyed your three towns visit in Carmarthenshire. I should point out that the Europe’s largest industrial reclamation scheme is called the Millennium Coastal Park, not path. You rightly say that the coastal path is part of the National Welsh Coastal Path. Please come again next year when the museum at Parc Howard has reopened. It will be worth visiting to see the wealth of history in this proud town of the Sosoan and Scarlets . I’m glad you enjoyed laverbread made from seaweed gathered in the Loughor Estuary and known as the Welsh caviar available at Llanelli and Swansea Markets.