Laugharne named among the best villages in Britain (South Wales Guardian 25/5/2024)
Patrick Glover from South Wales Guardian writes:
"A village in Carmarthenshire has been named among the best in Britain.
Britain's 30 greatest villages have been revealed in a list by The Telegraph featuring spots from all over the country including Pembrokeshire, Cumbria and Cornwall.
Introducing the list, the news outlet said: "Britain has no shortage of eye-catching villages, but a combination of good looks, convenience for day trippers and a few influential endorsements can be enough to turn what was once a peaceful retreat into an overtourism battleground inundated with selfie stick-wielding tourists from April till October.
"Fortunately, there are still plenty of beautiful but uncrowded British villages that do retain their authentic character, where medieval pubs and churches remain the beating heart of the community, and where welcoming shopkeepers stock treats from local producers."
Britain's 30 greatest villages
The greatest villages in Britain, according to The Telegraph, are:
- Saltaire, West Yorkshire
- Hutton-le-Hole, North Yorkshire
- Dent, Cumbria
- Alnmouth, Northumberland
- Cartmel, Cumbria
- Mells, Somerset
- Cranborne, Dorset
- Lustleigh, Devon
- Shaldon, Devon
- Lizard, Cornwall
- Laxfield, Suffolk
- Great Massingham, Norfolk
- Wing, Rutland
- Ombersley, Worcestershire
- Broadway, Worcestershire
- Wootton, Oxfordshire
- Alfriston, East Sussex
- Ditchling, East Sussex
- Bosham, West Sussex
- Dedham, Essex
- Chilham, Kent
- Hambleden, Buckinghamshire
- Sonning, Berkshire
- Solva, Pembrokeshire
- Laugharne, Carmarthenshire
- Aberffraw, Anglesey
- Beddgelert, Gwynedd
- Tobermory, Isle of Mull
- Inverie, Highland
- St Monans, Fife "
He continues with:
"The Carmarthenshire village named among Britain's best
Laugharne in Carmarthenshire was one of four Welsh villages named among the best in Britain.
The Telegraph said: "Famous as the onetime home and resting place of poet Dylan Thomas – whose former residence in the Boathouse is now a small museum – Laugharne is more than a pilgrimage site.
"It’s located on the right bank of the River Taf, with the estuary glistening half the day, and the mudbanks drawing in waders and corvids the rest of the time.
"The main drag, King Street, is lined with Georgian-style terraces, two of which house the popular Brown’s Hotel and New Three Mariners pubs.
"The skeletal castle ruin and old walls overlook lawns ideal for a picnic and Sir John’s Hill, a forest-clad hill protecting Laugharne from the Bristol Channel breezes, is great for a short poetry-themed walk.
"Without a railway station or a main road and with few bus links, Laugharne is quite cut off – which perhaps explains its romantic air."
So good news, the 222 bus goes from Carmarthen station and coach station and stops within 500 metres of the Cwtch at Forge Cottage.
There are many EV charging points in the local area and a car parking space outside the Cwtch and a locked garage for bicycles, so you can easily visit the local area and walk along the coastal paths.
So why not come and stay.