Country Walking: Laugharne

Published in Country Walking magazine, December 2024

Start/parking: Public car park at The Grist/ Laugharne Castle SN 3014 1067

OS Map: OS Explorer 177 – Carmarthen and Kidwelly

Distance: 4.5 miles/ 7.1km

Time: 2.5 hours

Grade: Moderate

Is it for me? Mainly good paths with some steep/muddy sections and one badly maintained stile

Laugharne is universally loved as the former home of poet and playwright Dylan Thomas, and indeed this route takes in his Boathouse, writing shed and the glistening Taf Estuary views afforded by both. But step off the tourist trail and lovely Laugharne has plentiful rewards for the few who venture from the town, including bucolic countryside and a serene section of the Wales Coast Path sheltered by the wildlife-rich salt marshes.

1 Start: From the car park, follow the Wales Coast Path (WCP) across the stream and NE below the castle. Follow the waymarkers uphill and R into Market Lane, N, passing Sea View – another former home of Dylan and Caitlin Thomas. Turn R again into Victoria Street and follow the signs to the Boathouse, passing Thomas’s writing shed, seemingly preserved just as he left it. Note there are very steep steps down to the Boathouse, where a tearoom is open on limited days with an outdoor terrace overlooking the estuary.

2. 0.5 miles/0.8 km: Retrace your steps along Dylan’s Walk to the entrance of the coastal resort and follow the sign to Dylan’s Grave, R. At the fork, bear L along the path to St Martin’s Church, then walk down the lane between the higher and lower graveyards to Church St. Turn R and cross the road to bear L into Horse Pool Lane. Over the stone bridge, turn L into the field and S along the footpath, which runs slightly uphill, away from the River Coran. Cross a series of fields and stiles to reach Holloway Road – little more than a lane – then turn R and R again at Woodlands.

3. 1.6 miles/2.6 km: Passing the national speed limit sign, follow the road west, above the Lacques. At the cream cottage, leave the road to follow the tarmac lane L and pass through the gate marked ‘Skerry House and public footpath only’. Soon the gravel track narrows to a slim footpath directly behind a yellow cottage, then turns uphill before opening into a field. There’s no discernable path, but the right of way bears R around the mound marking the site of Roche Castle. Soon you can pick up the farm track winding SW to the white cottage.

4. 2.4 miles/3.9 km: Take care on the stile, which was not in good repair at the time of my walk. Bear L along the lane then R alongside the A4066 for a short distance. Cross carefully and take the stile into the field, climbing uphill and over another stile to the SW corner of the field. Cross two more stiles at the intersection of fences and follow the steps downhill, taking care after rain as they are very steep and can be slippery. At the foot of the wooded hill, pass through the metal gate and pick up the Wales Coast Path, L.

5. 3 miles/4.8 km: You are now walking in the shadow of Sir John’s Hill, named after Sir John Perrot, a powerful landowner who lived in Laugharne Castle in Tudor times. He was a favourite of Elizabeth I before falling from grace and being locked in the Tower of London. The salt marshes buffering the trail from the sea are home to skylarks, curlews and oystercatchers, and the land between Laugharne and Pendine has a significant population of water vole. Eventually the path climbs steeply uphill into the woods and reaches Dylan’s Birthday Walk, a section of the coast path also known as the New Walk. Continue N until the castle comes into view once more and you arrive back at the car park.