What’s so special about Laugharne? The poet, Dylan Thomas, lived here during the last years of his life, and is buried in the churchyard. The rest of the world seems to know this (including many of my fellow coastal walkers), but it was news to me!
Below is a photo of the Boat House, where Dylan and his family stayed. They would have enjoyed the unspoilt and wonderful view across the River Taf. It’s a familiar landscape to me, being the route of my walk yesterday.
I set off from St Clears on a bright and sunny morning, heading down the east side of the River Taf, back towards the sea.
The buildings along the A4066 are somewhat unloved. I pass a dilapidated shop and a closed-down pub. But, further along, a cheerful garden makes me smile. Check out the flowerpot men.
I catch the first bus of the day from Carmarthen to Llansteffan. It’s two weeks since my last walking expedition in Wales, and this time I have left both my husband and my car behind, so I am relying totally on public transport. (Thank goodness for Traveline Cymru – which takes some of the pain out of the planning process.)
Llansteffan is both a seaside resort and an agricultural community. It has an old Norman church and, nearby, a strange white building with a curved front looks like a shop, but is actually the Old Pound; not used for dogs, but for holding stray sheep.
I set off from the church in Llangain, and walk along narrow country lanes, where nature is busily reclaiming the central section of tarmac. The verges are lined by spring flowers and I’m surrounded by the heavy scent of cow parsley.
The town of Carmarthen lies on the west bank of the river Towy. I walk past the station (on the east bank) and over a new-looking pedestrian bridge that arches delicately over the river. From the span of the bridge, I have a good view of the road bridge, further upstream.
I check my map. Today’s walk looks straightforward, and I’m worried it might be boring as it follows tracks and roads up the estuary. But the day turns out to be surprisingly eventful.
It’s a damp and dull morning when I set off from the beach at Ferryside. Across the river the pretty village of Llansteffan seems tantalising close.
I turn off the road just south of Kidwelly and follow the Wales Coast Path over the railway line. At this point, I decide to diverge from the official coast path. A public footpath will take me along the raised bank of the creek and, therefore, much closer to the water, thus obeying my Rule Number Two.
This day’s walking turns out to be wonderfully varied – from beach to estuary, from woods to marshy fields, from footpaths to busy roads. But I will start with the morning’s trek along the sands and forest trails of Pembrey Park.
I eat lunch in a local café in Burry Port. It is decorated in funky-bright colours and has loud music playing – designed to attract a young audience. A group of school boys come in and order burgers, but the majority of the clientele are older women (even older than me) and workmen on their lunch breaks, so I don’t feel out-of-place in my walking boots. It’s a friendly atmosphere and good value for money.
Afterwards I walk back to Burry Port. The tide is well and truly out, leaving the boats stranded in mud. You would have to time your fishing trips carefully.
After catching the train back to Llanelli, I resume my walk at Seaside. The tide is in, and so the little estuary (called The Flats) doesn’t look quite so muddy today. (I love these practical and prosaic names: Seaside and The Flats.)
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Response ID: 328,436,497 Report number: 1222 Location: Ceredigion Coast Path (part of the Wales Coast Path) between Gwbert & Mwnt Date: 04/02/26 2 walkers, no dog, meet about 40 Welsh Black bullocks Pips report: “On the return stretch of our walk we encountered extremely treacherous terrain and a herd of about 40 Welsh Black bullocks […]
Incident number:1220 Response ID: 328,248,081 Location: Back Forest Farm, River Dane, near Wincle & DaneBridge, Peak District ///wasps.promote.homelands Date 26/01/26 Single walker, no dog SY’s Report: “I was heading back to DaneBridge/Wincle from Gradbach/Black Forest. I’d walked by Back Forest Farm along the path between their fields and came to a gate/stile. As I crossed […]
Incident number: 1218 Response ID: 320,795,463 Date of incident: 29.12.2025 Location: Below Denston Hall, Denston Suffolk Status: Lone walker with dog on lead on PROW L.Cooper’s story “I saw a group of cows ahead and waited to see if they would move. As I couldn’t get past without going near to them I backtracked and […]
Ruth's Coastal Walk (UK) 