Coast & Countryside

Carmarthenshire's Coastline

There’s a lot more to Carmarthenshire than just its gorgeous green countryside, we have some of the most glorious sandy beaches in Europe.

Stretching across seven miles, Cefn Sidan is Wales’s longest beach and is just a stone’s throw away from the hugely popular Pembrey Country Park - what a perfect family day out.

Pembrey’s vast stretch sweeps around to a lovely farm-fringed estuary where the River Tywi meets the sea. Here you’ll discover delightful Ferryside and quaint Llanstephan, both with olde-worlde seaside appeal and bucket loads of personality.

Then you can soak up what inspired one of Wales’s greatest writers, with a visit to Laugharne. This sleepy, timeless town made famous by Dylan Thomas is enjoying something of a renaissance as the film 'The Edge of Love', based on Thomas’s life, attracts the attention of a new wider audience.

The boathouse is now a heritage centre, packed with original furnishings and memorabilia - there is even a tantalising glimpse inside the great man’s famous writing shed.

Carmarthen Bay’s 'heron-priested shore' ends with another stretch of golden sand at Pendine.

Pendine, nudging the borders of Pembrokeshire, is the perfect place to while away the hours rock-pooling and eating ice cream.

There’s history here too. This vast stretch is where the World Land Speed Record was set. During the 1920s, the sands at Pendine echoed to the roar of monster machines driven by the likes of Sir Malcolm Campbell and JG Parry Thomas. Overlooking the beach is the impressive 'Museum of Speed', a building jam-packed with record-breaking stories, vehicles and other racing paraphernalia. The most famous of these is 'Babs', the vehicle in which Parry Thomas lost his life in a record-breaking attempt. 'Babs' takes pride of place in the museum during the summer.

(Coast Map »)