Schools:
Llandovery is 2 miles north-easterly
and provides the Rhys Prichard Primary School and Ysgol Gyfun
Pantycelyn Secondary School, as well as private education
at Llandovery College. Another secondary school, Tregib school,
is 11¼ miles to the south-west at Ffairfach, Llandeilo.
The private boarding school, Christ College, is at Brecon,
some 23 miles easterly.
Universities
are located at Lampeter
17 miles north-west, Carmarthen, 24½ miles south-west,
Swansea, 33½ miles south, Aberystwyth 40 miles
northerly, and Cardiff, 57 miles south-east.
The
historic market town of Llandovery in the
upper Towy Valley is 2 miles north-east of the property, surrounded
by rolling hills at the north-western edge of the Brecon Beacons
National Park. The town has a mix of fine Georgian and Victorian
architecture, Norman Castle remains, a Heritage Centre and
a famous public school (Llandovery College). There is a good
selection of shops, a supermarket, main post office, banks,
hotels, cafes, restaurants, pubs, swimming pool, doctor's
and dentist's practices, small hospital, primary and secondary
schools, bus service, and a railway station on the scenic
Heart of Wales line running from Swansea to Shrewsbury over
121 miles through wonderful countryside (Swansea provides
regular inter-city services to London). The High Street is
part of the A40, and the A483 turns off here, giving access
to the M4 Motorway to the south (22 miles
from the property).
The
name Llandovery means The Church Amidst The Waters since
the river Towy is on one side of the valley, the river Bran
is on the other, and the Y Bawddwr meanders through the
town centre. This fertile region is predominantly dependent
on farming, forestry, and tourism. The town was once a vital
centre for cattle drovers as they journeyed to the English
markets, and to accommodate their money, the very first bank
in Wales was established in Llandovery's market square The
Bank of the Black Ox. The remains of the Norman Castle on
a hillock near the Castle Hotel are easily accessible. The
motte and bailey castle was built around 1116 by Richard Fitz
Pons, and overlooks the river Bran and the market square.
In recent times, a monument was erected at the foot of the
castle to Llywelyn ap Gruffydd Fychan (the Welsh martyr executed
in 1401 for helping Owain Glyndwr in the fight for independence
against Henry IV).
The
Brecon Beacons National Park extends from
Llandeilo in the west to Hay-on-Wye in the east, covering
some 520 square miles, and incorporates the Black Mountain
massif to the west, the Fforest Fawr, the Central Brecon Beacons
and Black Mountains Range to the east. The scenery is spectacular
with diverse countryside including high mountain peaks, gorges,
waterfalls, lakes, open hills and moorland, as well as wooded
valleys and lowlands with soft rolling farmland and clear
meandering rivers. The park can be explored on foot, horseback,
bicycle or by car, and is rich in wildlife. There are Castles
at strategic points on the boundaries of the Park at Hay-on-Wye,
Brecon, Trecastle, Tretower, Crickhowell and Carreg Cennen.
Across
the Towy, within the National Park, the quaint little village
of Myddfai is 5½ miles by road to
the south-east of the property situated in an area of great
natural beauty, and famous in Wales for being home to the
The Physicians of Myddfai for hundreds of years. These were
country doctors who healed with traditional remedies made
from the herbs that grew (and still grow) in this vicinity.
It is thought that these practices continued around the Myddfai
area until the 18th Century. Legend has it that the very first
Physicians were the sons of the Lady of the Lake, who in
medieval times, appeared out of the waters, married a local
farmer, and had three sons, to whom she taught the arts of
herbal medicine before disappearing back to the lake with
her white cattle. The lake is Llyn y Fan Fach, a beautiful
volcanic lake set beneath the summit of Bannau Sir Gaer a
few miles further south in the Black Mountain. A mile or so
to the north-west of the village is the Llwynywormwood Estate
with its romantic mansion ruins set in parkland by the River
Ydw (some think there may be a connection with the Physicians,
since wormwood is a bitter herb used as an antiseptic, disinfectant
and moth/flea repellant in past times).
There
are plenty of quiet country lanes serving this area, and paths,
tracks and bridleways lead up into the mountains to Mynydd
Myddfai and the Usk Reservoir (about 5 miles
south-east of Myddfai). The reservoir is in the remote upper
valley of the beautiful river Usk, at 3,444 feet above sea
level, and covers about 280 acres being a haven for a variety
of flora and fauna, and offering superb views.
About
6 miles to the north-east of Llandovery is the impressive
Cynghordy Viaduct, built of stone in circa 1871 to carry the
Heart of Wales railway line, offering passengers fabulous
views. Further on, the line passes through Sugar Loaf Tunnel,
another local engineering wonder (the middle is right under
the Carmarthenshire/Powys boundary). The extensive Crychan
Forest lies to the east of Cynghordy at the foothills
of the Cambrian Mountains, with Halfway Forest adjoining to
the south, reaching down to the fringe of the National Park.
The Forests are havens for a variety of flora and fauna, including
red kites and buzzards, and are criss-crossed by miles of
way-marked trails, forest roads, and old cattle droving routes
over hills and valleys, offering superb, safe horse riding,
carriage driving, mountain biking and walking opportunities,
with plenty of viewpoints.
Travelling
some 9 miles north of the property in the wilder part of the
county past Cilycwm, finds Cwm-y-Rhaeadr, a tranquil area
of woodland on the steep valley sides of the Towy and its
tributaries, with forest walks and delightful views of cascading
waterfalls. Nearby Mynydd Mallaen rises to 1430ft. A few miles
further on (about 13 miles north of the property) the RSPB's
Dinas Nature Reserve will be found, with
wonderful scenery, ancient woodland, pools, waterfalls, and
chances to see a wide variety of birds as well as otters by
the river. Legend has it that Twm Sion Cati, the infamous
Welsh outlaw, hid in the caves hereabouts. A couple of miles
further north are the great Llyn Brianne Dam and Reservoir,
beyond which is a vast upland wilderness with rolling moors,
sparkling rivers, and few motoring roads.
The
small, charming town of Llandeilo is about
10 miles to the south-west of the property (along the A40),
with distinctive shops, galleries, pubs, hotels, good restaurants,
main post office, health centre, schools, churches, and railway
station (also on the Heart of Wales line). Llandeilo dates
back to the 13th Century, the church and town being named
after the 6th Century St. Teilo. Standing in an elevated situation
on the banks of the River Towy, the town was once the medieval
capital of Carmarthenshire, but the development of Llandeilo
really grew in the 18th Century as a market town and banking
centre for cattle drovers. It once had corn and woollen mills
as well as a tanning industry, and it is still an agricultural
centre nowadays. The town retains its old world charm, with
narrow streets, historic Georgian buildings, and a delightful
old stone single-span bridge over the Towy, built in 1848.
Just
outside Llandeilo is Dinefwr Park, with a
fine 17th Century manor house (Newton House), woodland, mill
pond, fallow deer and white cattle, and the Castle Woods Nature
Reserve, which offers a walk to the ancient Dinefwr Castle,
perched on a rocky crag commanding stunning views along the
Towy Valley. This Welsh 12th Century castle was built by Lord
Rhys (Rhys ap Gruffud) and was the stronghold of the Princes
of Deheubarth, rulers of south-west Wales in medieval times.
It was later possessed by King Edward I as a royal fortress.
The river meadows are a habitat for a variety of birds and
other wildlife.
To
the east along the A40, the historic market town of Brecon
is 23 miles from the property, standing at the confluence
of the Rivers Usk and Honddu at the foothills of the Brecon
Beacons, well known for its Norman castle remains (standing
within the Castle Hotel grounds), medieval cathedral with
neighbouring heritage centre, Georgian architecture, narrow
streets, and annual jazz festival. Brecon is the commercial
centre for southern Powys and the main town of the National
Park, offering a good range of amenities including a variety
of shops, markets, cinema, theatre, two museums, restaurants,
pubs and hotels, a modern leisure centre, and Christ College
public school (founded in 1541 by Henry VIII). The town
is a popular base for tourists, and caters for golf, fishing,
shooting, cycling and horse riding. Brecon is also an army
town with a barracks and training centre at the eastern end.
The river Usk flows through the town centre, providing boating
opportunities and pleasant riverside walks. The delightful
Monmouth & Brecon Canal terminates at Brecon, and the
54 mile Taff Trail begins here en route to Cardiff Bay,
following the canal for a while and then shadowing course
of the River Taff beyond.
The
ancient county town and commercial centre of Carmarthen
on the meandering Towy river is 24½ miles
south-westerly, combining an old world charm of quaint narrow
streets and traditional shops with bustling markets and modern
shopping amenities including well known stores such as Marks
& Spencer, Woolworths, Next, Monsoon, Curry's, Tesco,
etc.. There are night clubs, pubs, hotels, restaurants, theatre/cinema,
art galleries, leisure centre, swimming pool, schools, university
college, general hospital, heritage centre, and the County
Museum on the outskirts at Abergwili. The town is served by
good rail links through Swansea to Cardiff, and main roads
radiate out to all regions, including the A40, A48-M4
Link, A484 and A485. The ruins of a Roman Amphitheatre
are a town attraction, and the remains of a Norman castle
built circa 1094 overlook the town and the river.
Builth
Wells is 24½ miles
north-east, a market and spa town nestling on the banks of
the River Wye amidst beautiful, unspoilt countryside, with
a golf course and the Royal Welsh Showground
nearby, a venue for many activities including the annual Royal
Welsh Agricultural Show. The appealing, old world town of
Hay-on-Wye is about 37 miles to the north-east,
famous for its Georgian character, book shops, delightful
tea rooms and hostelries and summer literature festival. The
ancient town of Rhayader on the Wye is about
33 miles northerly, known as the Gateway to the Elan Valley
the spectacular lakelands of mid Wales.
The
major Welsh maritime cities of Swansea, 33½
miles south, and Cardiff, 57 miles south-east,
have excellent shopping facilities, universities, marinas,
parks, castles, theatres, cinemas, leisure centres, bus &
rail links, etc. Swansea provides a ferry service to Cork
in Ireland, and there is an international airport at Cardiff.
Ferry links to Rosslare in Ireland can be
accessed at Pembroke Dock, 59 miles south-west, and at Fishguard
Harbour, 59½ miles westwards. The ferry link to Dublin
can be accessed at Holyhead, 138 miles north-west.
Golf
is available locally at
Llandovery College (2 miles north-easterly), at the Glynhir
Golf Club, Llandybie (15½ miles southerly), and at
Garnant Park (18½ miles south).
There
are numerous visitor attractions in the
locality. Talley, with its ancient Lakes and famous 12th Century
Abbey ruins is 8 miles west, and the Dolaucothi-Ogofau Roman
Gold Mine site at Pumpsaint is 9½ miles to the north-west.
The magnificent 14th Century Carreg Cennen Castle is some
14 miles southerly, dramatically set atop a limestone outcrop
at the fringe of the Black Mountain near the village of Trapp.
Some 13 miles to the west, across the river Cothi, is Brechfa
Forest, one of the largest forests in Wales, with delightful
walks and tracks for horse riding and cycling. A stage of
the Rally of Great Britain takes place here, as do equestrian
endurance events. To the south-west, the restored Gardens
of Aberglasney and Gelli Aur (Golden Grove) Country Park are
about 14 miles, and the National Botanic Garden of Wales 19 miles
distant, featuring the Great Glass House designed by Norman
Foster. Further into the Brecon Beacons National Park, the
Dan-Yr-Ogof Show Caves (350 million years old) and children's
Dinosaur Park are about 21 miles to the south-east of
the property. The famous Pontneddfechan Waterfalls in the
upper Neath valley are about 28 miles to the south-east. One
of the UK's top theme parks, Oakwood Leisure Park, is 48 miles
to the south-west with the CC2000 Crystal Maze and Bowling
Alley nearby.
The
Coast is within reasonable driving distance.
To the south on Carmarthen Bay, the Wildfowl & Wetlands
Centre is about 29 miles away near Llanelli, a nature conservation
reserve at the edge of the Burry inlet. The Millennium Coastal
Park is also at Llanelli's shoreline, providing beaches, dunes,
salt marshes, fens, woodland and leisure facilities, whilst
Pembrey Country Park is some 32 miles distant with parkland
and forestry offering walks and nature trails along with pony
trekking, cycling, a dry ski slope, and a saltmarsh nature
reserve. Pembrey adjoins the peaceful, sand-duned, 7 mile
expanse of Cefn Sidan Beach. Pembrey Circuit is nearby, a
centre for motor sports, autocross, go-karting and 4x4. The
lovely resort of the Mumbles is about 36 miles south on the
stunning Gower Peninsula, which has beautiful unspoilt landscapes
and coastline. To the north-west, on the Cardigan Bay coast,
famous for dolphins, seals, porpoises, sea birds, sandy coves,
and exhilarating cliff top walks, Aberaeron is about 30 miles
distant, a thriving town with notable architecture and picturesque
harbour, and New Quay is 32½ miles, in a sheltered
bay with golden beaches and miles of secluded coves nearby.
The popular resorts of Saundersfoot and Tenby in the Pembrokeshire
Coast National Park are some 48 miles to the south-west.
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