Trip to Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (Part 1)

David’s just chipped in and suggested I tell you all about our new window cleaner, the most exciting news of the day… He (Mark, the window cleaner) actually uses a ladder and cleans the windows properly rather than the last lot who simply waved a long pole around somewhere near the windows with no elbow grease involved at all with limited success. Right, that’s that. On to Wales folks.

Last week we stayed in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, which is somewhere I’d never been to before and David hadn’t been to since childhood. It was so nice to get away from it all (although of course Covid and Covid precautions are there too) and we were really pleased with the cottage we’d picked for our 3 night stay. It was right in the centre of Laugharne, really spacious for the two of us and near to pubs and restaurants for dinner but it was a bit of a lottery which place was open on which night. Still, we definitely didn’t go hungry. More about that next time.

Laugharne estuary scenery is very beautiful and atmospheric, and the weather was kind to us with the rain mostly falling at night while we were sleeping. I can see why Dylan Thomas chose to live in this boathouse with his family. What a view!

And this is his writing shed. Complete with prominent social distancing notice, bet Dylan didn’t have one of those.

One morning we recreated Dylan’s 30th birthday walk. A little poignant as he died aged 39. I love walking and being by the water. I especially like walks that are well signposted with lots of information along the way, stunning views and with NOBODY ELSE at all on the whole walk there or back, bliss!

From the walk there are views of the castle. Dylan described this as “brown as owls”… mmmm, maybe, I’m not sure about that. Actually I’m not a big fan of most of his writing, but it was interesting to follow his trail. I lived for 2 years of my University life in Cwmdonkin Drive, just next door to where he lived in Swansea. I am following him around. I think I also drank somewhere in New York he used to go. Either he got around a bit or I do….anyway, back to the birthday walk (his, not mine).

There are also views of his boathouse..and the bit above the boathouse is (in my opinion) some awful, ugly tourist monstrosity called The Dylan Coastal Resort.. I kid you not. (Please nobody ever build The Waffle Resort).

And some lovely burrows and salt marshes at the end of the walk.

I took this nice shot of moss on a fence post.

And this jolly red Virginia creeper.

The walk isn’t that long, as I guess Dylan was in a hurry to get back to the pub for his birthday drinks. This was his favourite watering hole. We couldn’t follow him in there as it was closed for renovation.

To complete the stalking experience, we visited his grave. It is a simple wooden cross with Dylan Thomas on one side..

And his wife Caitlin on the other..

There are letters in existence showing that Caitlin was not happy with this being his final resting place and not befitting of Wales’s national poet. She was trying to get him moved to the boathouse where they lived, but this never happened.

On our last morning we visited Laugharne castle in the beautiful morning sunshine. It costs £3.70 each to enter which you have to buy online. We really enjoyed our visit. We had the whole castle to ourselves! We were only disappointed that we couldn’t climb the tower due to social distancing restrictions, which was a little frustrating when we were actually the only ones there at the time.

Robin and sundial on the castle walls.

I love the moon and bird in this shot.

A glorious tree and another little hut where Dylan used to write, a writer can never have too many huts with a view!

Big windows installed when the castle became more of a stately home than a defensive castle.

It’s a very photogenic castle.

So that concludes Part 1 of our Wales tour. I hope you enjoyed it. Coming up next will be food news from Wales, our day trip to Tenby, Pendine sands and the wonderful Llansteffan Castle and beach walk. Bye for now, time to heat up a fish pie xx