Llandeilo has a number of small shops, some of them high class boutiques and jewellers. There is the large Cawdor Hotel, The White Horse and Angel pub/restaurant as well as a bistro and cafés, and a weekly country market.
Llandeilo is surrounded by castles, abbeys, and county parks. One of the best in Wales, Carreg Cennen stands 900 feet above the river and commands spectacular views. There’s a wonderful vaulted passageway along one side of the castle leading to a natural cave into which you can descend (take a torch!). The legend is that a young boy was killed as he was collecting water from a spring in the cliff, so the passageway was built to ensure that water could be accessed even under siege.
The ruins of Dinefwr Castle stand upon a high ridge above the meandering River Towy. Its parkland is home to some ancient oak trees as well as deer and white cattle, and the adjacent 17th Century Newton House also makes for an interesting visit. A wooded boardwalk, suitable for wheelchair users, gives access to the castle. Castle Woods Nature Reserve is an area of around 25 hectares surrounding the castle, great for bird watchers in particular.
Only fragments remain of Dryslwyn castle, but at one point it was central to the security of the kingdom. Be warned that there are steep spiral staircases and vertiginous drops from the battlements!
At the head of the Talley lakes, embellished with reeds and water lilies, stand the ruins of Talley Abbey. Like so many monasteries, it was established in a place of beauty and serenity: qualities which seems to be most intense at the end of a sunny day.
The crumbling house at Aberglasney has been transformed and the garden painstakingly restored. Its 10 acres are made up of three walled gardens, an Elizabethan/Jacobean cloister and parapet walk. and an award winning ‘Ninfarium’ – a unique indoor garden filled with a wide variety of exotic plants.
Also nearby is The National Botanic Garden of Wales at Llanarthne. The Great Glasshouse, said to be the world’s largest single-span glasshouse, has exotic plants from six areas of the world.
The National Botanic Garden of Wales is also home to the British Bird of Prey Centre, which offers a multitude of shows and talks or even hands-on flying options for their birds of prey.
In mid-July, Llandeilo hosts a popular Annual Festival of Music where you can hear performances by a variety of well-known classical musicians.
Just to the north of Llandeilo is a small village called Bethlehem. Visitors love to post their Christmas cards from the post office there, keeping staff extra busy!
Gelli Aur is a 60-acre Country Park surrounding a magnificent mansion.
Our favourite things to do in the Llandeilo area:
- Visit the ancient woods and castles at Dinefwr and Carreg Cennen and lunch in cafe
- Have a day out on the Heart of Wales Railway Line. If you just fancy a quick trip, take the train to Llandovery and back or perhaps nip down to Swansea for the day – it only takes an hour each way from Llandeilo.
- Sample the great menu at Y Polyn Restaurant.
- Take a beautiful walk or cycle ride in the Cothi Valley or Brechfa Forest
