Schools:
Cilcennin Primary School
is about ¾ mile south-westerly in the village. Cross
Inn Primary School is 2½ miles northwards. Pennant
Primary School is 3 miles north-westerly. Aberaeron Comprehensive
School is 6 miles westerly. Other secondary schools are available
at Lampeter, 10 miles south, Tregaron, 10½ miles east,
and Aberystwyth, 15 miles north.
Universities
are located at Lampeter
and Aberystwyth, and also at: Carmarthen, 31 miles south,
Swansea, 53 miles south, Cardiff, 83 miles south-east, Newport
84 miles south-east, and Bangor, 94 miles north.
Travel:
Access to the A482
(Aberaeron-Lampeter-Llanwrda) road is 2 miles south-westerly.
Access to the A487 coast road is 5 miles
westerly at Aberarth (the A487 runs from Haverfordwest through
Fishguard and Cardigan up to Aberystwyth, Snowdonia and beyond,
taking in some splendid sea views along the way). The A48/M4
Link can be accessed at Carmarthen, some 31 miles
southwards.
Railway
Stations: at Aberystwyth
(Shrewsbury/Birmingham), and Carmarthen (Swansea/Cardiff-
London).
Ferry
services to Rosslare in
Ireland can be accessed at Fishguard Harbour, 45 miles south-westerly.
Cardiff
International Airport
is about 81 miles to the south-east.
The
property is situated
at the fringe of Cilcennin village, which
has a pub, the Commercial Inn, and a primary school, both
about ¾ mile south-westerly from the property, and
there is also a coarse fishery in the locality, a mile or
so northwards. The country pub at Cross Inn
is 1¾ miles northwards the village stands at the
crossroads of the B4337 with the B4577. The surrounding countryside
is lovely with gently rolling hills, streams and rivers and
stretches of woodland, with opportunities for walking, cycling,
riding, fishing, and bird-watching (including red kites and
buzzards). The location is only about 5 miles inland from
the west coast, famous for bottlenose and common dolphins,
porpoises, grey seals, sea birds, wonderful walks, sandy beaches
and sailing harbours, whilst the wild upland landscapes of
the Cambrian Mountains are about 11 miles to the east.
Aberarth
is 5 miles north-westerly,
a small village on the coast at the mouth of the river Arth,
a minor river flowing down from the hills to the pebble and
stone beach. Canoeing can be enjoyed on the lower reaches
of the river, which has a small tidal bore.
Llanon
(named after
St. David's mother St. Non) is 5½ miles northerly,
a large coastal village with a Spar convenience store, two
butchers, a baker, a primary school, tennis courts, a playing
field, a community hall, and a petrol filling station. There
is also a hotel with restaurant near the seashore. The beach
here is mainly of pebble and stone with some sand at ebb tide.
A coastal path leads up to Llanrhystud, passing old lime kilns
en route, and vantage points offer glorious views of the sweeping
coastline to Aberaeron and New Quay and on a clear day to
the Lleyn Peninsula and Snowdonia.
Llanrhystud
is about 7 miles
northerly at the mouth of the River Wyre, a large village
and popular seaside destination, with a general store/post
office, pub, garage, primary school, cafe, and an old church
(a listed building). Llanrhystud has an extensive beach, suitable
for swimming, surfing and sailing, with flat sand at low tide,
and the Penrhos leisure complex is on the outskirts of town
with an 18-hole Golf Course.
The
Llanerchaeron
Estate is 4 miles west of the property in the lovely
Aeron valley. Managed by the National Trust and open to visitors
in season, the estate has a fine late 18th century mansion,
designed by John Nash, walled gardens with glass houses, a
range of historic farm buildings, and extensive grounds offering
walks and beautiful views. A traffic-free cycleway and riverside
walk runs between Llanerchaeron and Aberaeron, passing through
Panteg Woods, which are decorated with daffodils and bluebells
in springtime, where kingfishers and dippers can be glimpsed.
The Aeron is a small river that rises in the uplands of Mynydd
Bach, a wild, unspoilt moorland area 8 miles or so north-east
of the property.
The
Aberaeron Wildlife and Leisure Park
is 4 miles north-westerly and Fantasy Farm Park is 5 miles
north of the property, with milking demonstrations, lamb feeding,
etc.
Aberaeron
is about 6 miles westerly, at the mouth of the River Aeron.
With its elegant, brightly painted houses, sparkling water
and picturesque harbour, this charming Georgian seaside town
is sometimes known as the Jewel of Cardigan Bay. Serving
the rural communities of the area, the bustling town offers
good shopping and craft centres selling local produce, plenty
of pubs and eateries, primary and secondary schools, doctors
and dentist, leisure centre, swimming pool, 9-hole pitch &
putt golf course, regattas, concerts, festivals, carnival,
and delightful walks and cycle rides.
Aberaeron
began life as a small herring-fishing village, but gradually
grew into an important ship building centre and trading port.
After the harbour was built in the early 19th century, the
Rev. Alban Gwynne constructed a new town and it is reputed
that the famous Georgian architect, John Nash, was involved
in the design. The coming of railway transport saw the decline
of the sea-faring industries, and the town developed as a
popular holiday resort. Recreational craft now use the harbour,
which has good mooring facilities and a thriving sailing club.
Boat trips are available out into the bay to view the rugged
coastline and marine wildlife. The local seashore is pebbled,
with fine sand visible at low tide, and, for surfers, Aberaeron
is a point break' which works on big southerly swells.
New
Quay is 11 miles west
of the property, hugging the hills overlooking Cardigan Bay,
with terraces of narrow streets, delightful houses, and a
selection of shops, pubs and restaurants. With its sheltered
harbour, surf school, life boat station, and wide, sandy beaches,
New Quay is popular for family holidays, as well as attracting
sailing and water sports enthusiasts. The well known New Quay
Cliff Walk climbs steeply above the town giving fabulous,
far reaching views from the top. Regular boats leave the harbour
for dolphin-watching trips, as these delightful creatures
have become quite a tourist attraction. There is a cycle route
from New Quay to Aberaeron.
Cardigan
Bay is an important environment
for a variety of marine life. The Heritage Coast between
New Quay and Tresaith (19 miles south-west of the property)
was created in 1992, and the adjacent sections of sea were
designated as a Conservation Area in 1996. Even hump back
whales have been seen travelling across the bay.
Lampeter
is about 10 mile southerly,
a traditional market town standing by the River Teif on the
border of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, providing good shops,
main post office, a leisure centre with swimming pool, cafes,
restaurants and pubs, doctors and dentists, primary and secondary
schools, and university. The University of Wales at Lampeter
is the oldest in the country (1822) and the smallest in Britain,
occupying a beautiful setting in the Cambrian Mountain foothills.
Lampeter's summer events include a Food Festival, the Rhys
Thomas James Eisteddfod, the Drovers Arts Festival and a Carnival.
The
Upper Teifi Valley offers
delightful places to visit. Tregaron is
about 11 miles to the east, a walking/cycling/fishing/bird-watching
tourist centre at the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains,
which offer magnificent landscapes with heathered hills, mountain
peaks, lakes and river valleys, with paths and tracks for
walking, riding, and mountain biking. To the north of Tregaron
is the remarkable, red-tinted Cors Caron Marshland
Nature Reserve a haven for a wide variety of birds,
including the Red Kite. The romantic ruins of Strata
Florida Abbey are 16½ miles to the north-east
on the banks of the Teifi, dating back to the 12th Century,
where many Welsh princes are buried. A few miles north-east
of the Abbey are the Teifi Pools, the source of the river
Teifi, which journeys over about 70 miles down to its estuary
at Cardigan (about 26½ miles south-west of the property).
The river forms most of the boundary between Ceredigion and
Carmarthenshire, and is popular with canoeists and anglers.
The Cambrian Mountains occupy the region
between the Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons National Parks to
the north and south, the plateau generally being between 1500ft
and 2500ft above sea level empty and magnificent with
the long-distance Cambrian Way Footpath travelling the length.
The
seaside town of Aberystwyth is about 15
miles northerly, situated at the mouths of the rivers Ystwyth
and Rheidol. It is the main holiday resort and administrative
centre for the west coast, being home to a University and
the National Library of Wales. The town has a wide promenade
and a marina, good shopping and leisure amenities, an arts
centre, cinema, sports facilities, numerous cafes, bars and
restaurants, hotels and pubs, as well as the ruins of an ancient
Welsh castle. The Aberystwyth Electric Cliff Railway climbs
Constitution Hill from the promenade, and stunning views can
be enjoyed from the summit, where the famous Camera Obscura
with its revolving mirror is sited (a reproduction of the
Victorian original).
The
impressive Vale of Rheidol Steam Railway
travels over 11¾ miles between Aberystwyth and the
famous Devil's Bridge, which crosses the
steep woodland gorge cut by the Rheidol river offering wonderful
views and walks to the spectacular Mynach Falls, where the
river Mynach plunges some 300 feet to join the river Rheidol
below.
The
beautiful Upper Ystwyth Valley is within
easy driving distance to the north-east of the property. Just
past the hillside village of Pontrhydygroes (17½ miles
away), is the Hafod Estate, offering scenic
walks, with craggy rivers, waterfalls, meadows and woodland,
and delightful views of the mountains. Nearby is Pwllpeiran,
the R&D Centre for ADAS Wales, concerned with rural and
environmental issues with way-marked walks and viewpoints.
Pwllpeiran
includes the old mining village of Cwmystwyth,
21½ miles north-east of the property, where the landscape
contains many remnants of its metal mining past. The sides
of the river valley are very steep and cliff-like, with wild,
high moors stretching beyond. Here, the B4574 road offers
a charming minor route along the valley, then crossing the
vast, dramatic upland region of Elenydd (the Green Desert
of Wales) eastwards to Rhayader and the Elan and Wye Valleys.
To
the north of Aberystwyth, the resort of Borth
(21 miles from the property) offers miles of golden sands
running up to the expansive Ynyslas Sand Dunes fringing the
beautiful Dovey Estuary. Across the estuary are the spectacular
landscapes of Snowdonia National Park (the
southern perimeter is about 34 miles north of the property).
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