Llanelli to Carmarthen

May 28, 2022

sea views and some hills

The Premier Inn on the western edge of Llanelli - pronounced Lan-eth-ly - is quiet at 8:30 when I walk the bike through reception and out the front door.

The thought of breakfast in the Sandpiper just across the car park has zero appeal and my thinking is something better will turn up once I get to the sea. It's not very far away - perhaps a 10-minute ride. We'll soon find out.

An architectural masterpiece on the outskirts of Llanelli

A large park bordering a lake is at the back of the hotel and I make my way along a path and soon come across a sizeable group of people - maybe 100 - who look like they're about to start a fun run.

They're all in running gear and most seem slightly apprehensive, with quite a few of them looking as though they've not run much if at all since leaving school 20 or more years ago. As I pose for a snap by the water's edge, silhouetted against the morning sky and framed by trees, they start jogging past on a nearby path, with some lagging behind already. At least they've got a nice, sunny day for it.

The park opens up and I pedal to its top, then follow bilingual bicycle path signs that take me to the seafront section. It's named the Millennium Coastal Path and some of the faster joggers are now on the return leg.

A railway line seperates me from the beach and the tide is so far out it looks like it'd be possible to walk all the way over to France. I decide to set up my tripod once again and take a snap in between joggers coming by in dribs and drabs, most of them now stragglers who look spent and who have resorted to little more than brisk walking. The fun has clearly gone out of the run.

I ride through Sandy Water Park, near the Premier Inn, to get to the coast

Where Amelia Earhart landed after flying from the USA in 1928

I briefly stop at a blue plaque marking the spot where Amelia Earhart landed after crossing the Atlantic with a couple of pilots, then see a building nearby that does food, right next to a large playing field. Bingo.

You wouldn't know it, but this place is Pwll and the cafe is called The Pavillion and it has about six bench tables parked outside. The woman serving shows me a menu that has a 'large' English breakfast and I know I made a good decision back at the Premier Inn. It's not expensive.

I sit at a table in the sun, as it feels a rather cool at those in the shade of the building.

A crow hops around on the grass and slowly comes closer, eventually perching itself on an adjacent table, looking over at the few chips I've left on my plate. The menu wasn't joking about the breakfast being large.

The bird is clearly wary of getting too close, but it must be tempted by the food and I toss a few small pieces onto the ground, hoping it'll fly up onto my table so that I can take a decent close-up snap, but it keeps a safe distance and I leave slightly disappointed, albeit with a satiated gut.

My 'large' breakfast at The Pavilion cafe in Pwll

Riding west on the Millennium Coastal Path

The path is a delight and weaves along beside the sand. There are not too many people around - a few other cyclists, but no hikers. Down on the expansive beach are a few dogwalkers enjoying the vast, open space and late-May sunshine.

What I assumed to be a father and son duo on bikes turns out to be right. They stop near me on the stone jetty at Burry Port and I joke that this really is the end of the road. They often cycle here from home and Dad says he knows how lucky they are to be able to do so. His son doesn't look so sure. I saw him walking up a very gentle incline not too long ago.

A squat lighthouse stands on the other side of the small harbour - it's primary red and white paintwork looking resplendent against the almost cobalt sky.

There's another tempting cafe, but I ride past and find the start of a cycle path heading to Kidwelly which bears the hallmarks of an old railway line that's been adapted - with cuttings and embankments, and going under bridges carrying roads. It's flat, easy cycling.

There are a couple of small hills to go over to reach Kidwelly, which is a not a lot more than a one-street village with a train station, a few shops, a castle and two pubs.

There's a group of about 20 middleaged French tourists politely but chaotically lining up in the castle's small souvinir-cum-ticket office, where I get a concession price. My signtseeing turns out to be a nice experience - much better than I expected - with a woman dressed in period clothes playing a violin. Later I see her telling a story to a small group of children - a moral tale about a local man.

The Gatehouse pub is just at the end of the Castle Street and I get a coffee and sit outside at a table with two women who are touring around in a camper van. One has an accent that sounds like Dutch to me, but she tells me she's Russian and we joke about the stigma.

I follow quiet lanes that rise and fall and feel the heat. A church gets my attention - at least a gravestone with an anchor and chunky chain carved into it. My guess is it belongs to a sailor. It's just nice to stop and have a breather.

Progress is decent and it's late afternoon when I roll into Carmarthen. I'm a bit anxious about finding a room, and being able to use my bank card or cash to pay for it. The receptionist in first hotel I try tell sme they a small room for 65 quid so things are good and my bike gets wheeled into a large store and I walk along a rabbit warren of corridors to what must be the last door in teh building. The room is small as she said it was, but it'll do.

My single room in Ivy Bush Royal Hotel, Carmarthen - £65 with breakfast

It's not long before I venture out with my DSLR as teh sun is in a goodspot for snaps with it now being close to 6:00. I buy some ftuit from the Coop and make my way past a few pubs and reach the end of the main street and get to a church. That's it.

There's the European Champions Final on TV later - Liverpool vs real Madrid. I walk back to the hotel and dump the camera, then go over to The Stag and Pheasant, just across the road, as it advertises Sky. The manager tells me the game is not on Sky, but BT, and points me in the direction of the main street, where a pub called The Rose and Crown has it on.

There's time to have dinner in West End Fish and Chips, which surprise surprise, has BT and it turns out the game is delayed due to the late arrival of fans, so there's no rush. After a while I stroll up to the pub and get myself a pint. It's standing room only.

Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 728 km (452 miles)

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Robyn RichardsHi Graham
I'm enjoying reading your journal from the other side of the world. When you left your hotel in Llanelli and stumbled upon a bunch of runners in the park behind, it must have been 9am on a Saturday...because that's when parkrun takes place in the UK. Your description of the runners, some unsure (first timers), some slow (walkers or joggers), was spot on. Parkrun is a worldwide phenomenon that started in the UK. It's not a race but a community of runners, walkers and joggers who do a timed 5km at their own pace each week. Mad keen parkrunners like me also like to combine cycle touring and parkrun touristing around the world. It's a great combo and makes trip planning easy - we just need to get to a parkrun event location by 9am (or 8am in NZ) each Saturday. I haven't yet got to Sandy Water, Llanelli, but I'd like to!

parkrun.org.uk
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1 year ago

Graham FinchTo Robyn RichardsHi Robyn
Thanks for the info'. I did take a couple of snaps of the runners through some trees and may now post one on this page.

It's good to have a focal point when cycle touring and I imagine you've met some nice, friendly people while doing a parkrun.

South Wales is a really nice place and there's no doubt you'd enjoy it. It's a long flight though!
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1 year ago