The following are some of the ways to get in touch with someone elseriving the back roads of Carmarthenshire in spring, beneath broad oaks, over little stone bridges and along stretches of fertile woodland, windswept peatland and flowery meadows, I was reminded of the rudimentary treasure maps I loved drawing as a child. They were composed of caricatures of different environments, neatly arranged within the contours of an imaginary island. Labels like Wild Wood, Barren Bog, and Misty Hills would be placed on them. Although these untamed landscapes look appealing, I am looking for something else.
The green hills, castles and beaches, as well as the historic market towns, are not all that you can find. Dylan Thomas’s Laugharne), Carmarthenshire is also considered the Garden of Wales – which was news to me, despite family ties to the area. I’ve been to some of these highlights in the past, including Aberglasney Gardens for their tonal variety and the National Botanic Garden The glasshouse is a stunning structure.
But with ever more tempting places to eat, sleep and ramble within this corner of Wales, I’ve often thought of composing a gardener’s dream itinerary: a handful of the county’s best gardens, a forest walk, an inviting pub or two, and somewhere lovely to stay the night. This spring, I was able to test it out.
The first thing to figure out was the all-important base from which to explore the county. Carmarthenshire’s pretty village of is situated in the triangle formed by the towns of Carmarthen and Llandeilo. BrechfaThe village is dotted with stone cottages and has a pub, community shop and chapel. It’s nestled in a hillside of trees and next to the Cothi River. This is also the home of Tŷ Mawr, a Grade II-listed country hotel and restaurant that prides itself on its dining, spacious rooms (Tŷ Mawr means big house), dog-friendliness and a location at once “in the middle of nowhere yet close to everywhere”– which was certainly true for the purposes of my visit, with all waypoints little more than 20 minutes’ drive away. Welcoming my wife and I at the end of our M4 slog from Hampshire was hotelier David, who with his partner, Gill, took the reins of Tŷ Mawr in 2022.
Abergwili’s was our first destination after breakfast. Bishop’s Park and Gardens. The Tywi Gateway Trust has managed to revitalize this ancient site, located on the outskirts Carmarthen. Carmarthenshire MuseumThe restored grounds include a woodland walk, water meadows, lakes, monkey puzzles, and dawn redwoods that were once prized possessions of resident bishops. At its heart is the Jenkinson Garden: a series of intensively gardened 19th century-themed beds, which head gardener Blue Barnes-Thomas infuses with vibrant plug-ins – tulips and crocuses for spring, umbels and sweet peas for summer. He showed me the site and explained the next steps of the project. These include renovating the 18th century walled gardens with new pathways, accessible greenhouses, and heritage gooseberries.
Lunch is at Wright’s In Llanarthney. Food writer owns and runs the restaurant Simon Wright, together with his wife, Maryann, it offers a chic, pared-down menu of elaborate flavours, and a lovely asparagus salad.
If you sampled a glass too many of the robust house wine, the good news is that Aberglasney Gardens The Tywi Valley is just a short distance away, and its exuberant floral diversity and variety of plants are a form of intoxication.
Aberglasney’s story is similar to Bishop’s Park: a crumbling house and a beautiful garden of four hectares (ten acres) that was painstakingly resuscitated. It opened in 1999. The gardens include alpine, Elizabethan, kitchen, and cloister gardens. Meadows are bursting with flowers. fritillaria The following are some examples of how to get started: camassia, an indoor ninfarium Penelope Hobhouse reimagined a walled gardens by the garden designer. This place is a real wonder. In 2011, Kew trained head gardener Joseph Atkin took over the responsibility of continuing the garden’s development. This saw Aberglasney become one of the best formal gardens in Britain.
A few years ago, Atkin hung up the trowel and opened a pub – The Plough – up the road in Felingwm, where you can find relaxed, wood-fired dining, Welsh ales and – if you’re cheeky enough to ask – a little gardening advice on the side.
On into the afternoon sun, which only intensified the lush profusion, and “up country” to Llandysul, as no garden itinerary is complete without an independent plant nursery – and here lies one of the greats. Spanning 1.2 hectares of polytunnels, open stock yards and shopfront, Farmyard Nurseries It is known for its diverse, hardy plants including an extensive collection of exquisite Hellebores.
After newsletter promotion
The woodland garden is its best kept secret. Richard Bramley’s nursery and his staff have allowed their fancies to run wild. Japanese maples, rhododendrons, and other shade-loving perennials, such as yellow comfrey, and hellebores, are scattered under the deciduous canopy. Buried within are further surprises: a wildlife pond and a Tolkienesque lath and plaster hut – a whimsical, after-hours project Richard told me was contrived as they went along. We left Farmyard Nurseries with a crate of the liquorice-scented agastache ‘Blackadder’ and a scarlet Aquilegia I’ve been searching for a long time.
On the way to Brechfa you can stop at Norwood Gardens and Tea RoomsThe garden offers Mediterranean, woodland, and bog plants. But we were keen to get back in time for the three-course dinner at Tŷ Mawr, featuring butter bean cassoulet and braised hake.
Our meal plans were almost scuppered, however, when our car broke down on the Llandysul to Brechfa road, high on the lofty peat moor above Tŷ Mawr. The dramatic remoteness of the location was actually quite comical – we couldn’t have picked a more isolated spot for an alternator failure (here’s a tip: if it sounds like something just fell out of your engine, reconsider crossing barren moorland). Owing to the kindness of a local mechanic, we were back at the hotel within an hour or so, leaning into a mushroom paté starter.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) manages many of Brechfa’s surrounding forestry paths. On the second day, we slowed down and enjoyed a stroll along one. We chose the Keepers Riverside Trail, its abundance of pale pink cuckoo flowers leading down a misty, gorse-lit track into shafts of morning sunlight. There are many riding and mountain bike trails in this area, but NRW still works to reopen them. Brechfa Forest Garden – an experimental forestry plot established in the late 1950s that now makes for an impressive coniferous arboretum – after storm damage.
The road will take you south and then cross the River Tywi again. National Botanic Garden of Wales. Resist making straight for the Great Glasshouse perched at the top of the hill – the largest single-span glasshouse in the world. Instead, let that be the encore and take your time meandering up – via the daylily-lined lake and the deep herbaceous beds; the Japanese, walled, kitchen and boulder gardens; and the orchid-filled tropical house. In the huge glasshouse you will find a series of pathways leading through geographically themed areas, such as Australian. banksiaSouth African Protea Macaronesian is a magnificent breed echium.
The garden has progressive aspirations, including reversing declines in Welsh-native plants and getting all schoolchildren in Wales involved with nature.
The following are some of the ways to get in touch with each other new cycle pathThe, which is already partially open, will be completed in the fall of this year, and will connect most of these locations. You can start at Bishop’s Park, follow the former railway line through the picturesque Tywi Valley, then jump off to the botanic garden, Wright’s, and Aberglasney.
The trip was organized by Discover Carmarthenshire The following are some examples of how to get started: Tŷ Mawr Hotel and Restaurant (doubles from £140 B&B). Lunch was hosted at Wright’s
