Carmarthenshire for a skiing holiday: ski hotel, ski slope and coast

An artificial ski slope is located in Pembrey Country Park in Carmarthenshire. The site covers 500 acres of parkland; it also includes eight miles of Cefn-Sidan Beach, toboggan runs and a bicycle hire service.

Nature

The National Botanic Garden of Wales covers more than 500 acres, including the Waun Las Nature Reserve, and has visitor paths. The garden is of international significance and is dedicated to conservation, horticulture, science, education, recreation and the arts. The WWT Llanelli Wetland Centre offers a different landscape: more than 450 acres of wetlands lie on the shores of the Burry Inlet. There are accessible paths, observation hides and interactive exhibitions.

Dinefwr is designated both as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and as a National Nature Reserve. The parkland contains trees estimated to be more than 700 years old, providing a habitat for numerous lichens and insects.

Trails

The Tywi Valley Path is a 13-mile cycling and walking trail through the Tywi Valley, connecting Carmarthen and Llandeilo. It is open to cyclists, pedestrians, users of mobility aids, and users of powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters. The Heart of Wales Line Trail can also be combined with a train journey: visitors can walk in one direction and return by train.

The surrounding Dolaucothi Estate includes 25 kilometres of walking trails. The Dolaucothi Gold Mines also offer three different guided underground tours; booking is required. They are the only known Roman gold mine in Britain.

Coast

Carmarthenshire stretches from Carmarthen Bay in the south to the western Beacons and the Cambrian Mountains in the north. Carmarthenshire’s Millennium Coastal Park offers sweeping views of the Gower Peninsula.

Culture

Carreg Cennen Castle stands on a limestone cliff almost 300 feet (90 m) above the River Cennen. Visitors can explore the natural cave and the vaulted passage cut into the rock face. The roughly hewn stone walls of Llansteffan Castle date from the late 12th century. They enclose an Iron Age hillfort that was inhabited around 600 BC. The ascent to Llansteffan Castle is steep and takes approximately 15 minutes to reach the entrance.

Dryslwyn Castle was founded in the 13th century on an isolated hill in the Tywi Valley and was an important seat of the ancient South Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth. Access is from the lower car park via a steep climb. Laugharne Castle consists of two massive medieval stone towers that guard the remains of a Tudor mansion in a 19th-century ornamental garden. Behind the gatehouse, there is easy access for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

The Dylan Thomas Boathouse was the final home of the poet Dylan Thomas, who lived there with his family from 1949 to 1953. The Museum of Land Speed presents almost 100 years of land-speed-record history at Pendine Sands and combines large-object exhibits, such as the Babs racing car, with interactive exhibitions.

For open-air shopping and shopping in covered halls, Carmarthenshire operates covered markets in Carmarthen and Llanelli, as well as weekly outdoor markets in Carmarthen, Llanelli, Ammanford and Llandeilo.

Related local pages: Llanelli, St. Ishmael, Kidwelly, Burry Port.

To the main travel overview: Wales.