Discover Laugharne: Dylan Thomas, Coast and Walking Trails

Laugharne combines coastal scenery, literary history and varied walking trails. The town lies on the estuary of the River Taf, where it flows into Carmarthen Bay. Anyone planning a trip with cultural discoveries and outdoor activities will find various ways to organise their days here. When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday cottage, you can therefore consider whether to focus on the town itself, the trails or, above all, the history of Dylan Thomas.

Literary history surrounding Dylan Thomas

Laugharne is closely associated with Dylan Thomas. The poet wrote Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog at Laugharne Castle’s summer house. The Dylan Thomas Boathouse was his last home; he lived there with his family from 1949 to 1953. This gives the town a special connection to a specific period of the poet’s life and work, rather than conveying literary history through dates alone.

St Martin’s Church is also one of the important cultural points of interest. The church dates from the 13th century. Dylan Thomas is buried in the new churchyard of St Martin’s Church; his grave is marked with a simple white crucifix. Visitors interested in the poet as a person and in his surroundings can experience these sites as different aspects of a literary visit.

Walks between the town and the coast

Laugharne lies directly on the Wales Coast Path. From the town, short walks are possible in both directions. Sections of the walking trails in Laugharne run along the Wales Coast Path; information boards at viewpoints provide information about the surrounding area. This allows you to begin your stay with short sections of the route or to incorporate individual walks deliberately into your daily plans.

Dylan’s Walk is 4.6 kilometres long, or around three miles. The north-eastern section runs mostly over relatively level ground and is surfaced as far as Dylan Thomas’s writing shed and the Boathouse. This information helps you choose between a shorter circuit with literary points of interest and a longer day outdoors, without committing yourself to just one type of visit.

Another tradition is Laugharne’s Common Walk. This is a ceremony involving walking the community boundaries, held every three years on Whit Monday. The route is more than 20 miles long. For a considerably shorter walk, the St John’s Hill Walk is listed as 2.6 kilometres, or slightly more than 1.5 miles. The route referred to as Sir John’s Hill Walk also includes a short flight of steps, grassy paths, fields to cross and a short section along a country road.

Local life and practical information

In the centre of Laugharne, there are public toilets and a car park near several pubs, shops and cafés. At the Dylan Thomas Boathouse, the Y Gegin Gartref tearoom serves light lunches, drinks, snacks, scones and Welsh cakes. This complements the literary focus with a practical opportunity to take a break during your visit.

Laugharne is therefore suitable both for a trip centred on the history of a writer and for a stay involving walks along the coast and through the surrounding countryside. A holiday apartment or holiday cottage in Laugharne is particularly an obvious starting point for your search if you want to combine culture, local life and different trail lengths in the same destination.

Discover more places

For further orientation, you can also explore Felindre, Ammanford, Cynghordy, Llangadog, Newcastle Emlyn, Llandeilo, Burry Port and Llangunnor.

For the higher-level travel overview: Carmarthenshire.