Expect jaw-dropping beaches, cool castles and a whole lot of fun in Carmarthenshire
OZZY, a 1kg Bengal eagle-owl, swoops through the Welsh woodland dotted with brightly painted toadstool fairy houses to land gracefully on my three year old's gloved arm.
'Again!' Raffy shouts, with a grin almost as big as Ozzy's head.
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The Taf Estuary, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire
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Hide and seek your way round Dinefwr Castle
It's safe to say, the 90-minute flying experience with expert Alex and three owls – including the tiny but speedy Frodo and barn owl Allan – has gone down a treat.
Experiences cost £65 per adult, £30 for over-fives (
We're in Carmarthenshire, a county in South Wales that most tourists drive through on their way to Pembrokeshire – more fool them.
The wide, sandy beaches here hug the coastline for miles, majestic castles perch on hilltops and local delicacies are plentiful.
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A Bug's Life
First to win over the kids is Llanelli Wetland Centre with the pinkest (and smelliest!) flamingos I've ever seen, thanks to our visit coinciding with mating season.
But the highlight is undoubtedly a minibeast hunt, after which volunteer Eric pops the children's finds – a millipede, slug and spider – under a microscope and gives us a zoology lesson way more interesting than I ever had at school.
Who knew slugs poo out of their heads? Entry costs £11.15 per adult, £7.20 for over-threes (
Home for the week is Dylan Coastal Resort, where our swish three-bedroom spa lodge has all the mod-cons and a hot tub to soak up stunning vistas of the Taf Estuary.
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Breaking
On-site is the floor-to-ceiling glass-fronted Milk Wood Spa with yet more gorgeous views of the ever-changing tide from its sauna, steam room, indoor pool and alfresco hydrotherapy pool.
Later, a wander downhill brings us into pretty Laugharne, the town made famous by poet Dylan Thomas.
We follow the scent of wood-fired deliciousness to the sun-dappled courtyard of Ty Glo and head inside to its tiki-inspired interior.
Underrated towns you need to visit
The vibe is super-family-friendly, with a brilliant basket of games to borrow and fantastic food.
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The king prawn, mango, chilli and coriander cocktail with gyoza crisps is exquisite and the goat's cheese bonbons are the definition of moreish, both £10.
Pizza perfection comes in the Ultimate Hawaiian (sorry, Italians) with its ham hock, chargrilled pineapple, jalapeños, fresh corn and onion.
We also dig the Lamb-orgini – roast lamb, caramelised onion, feta and mint yoghurt and the Wild Hog, smothered in wild boar ragù with hog salami and piquanté peppers, £17.50 each (
Castle on the hill
Wales has more castles per square mile than any other country in the world, so we picnic on leftover pizza the next day in the dreamy grounds of Dinefwr Castle (
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Dinefwr delivers ramparts, towers and plenty of hidden nooks for hide and seek, plus there's a parkland with deer and roaming long-horned White Park cattle – residents here since the 9th century.
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It shore is nice at Dylan Coastal Resort
Credit: Supplied
8
Poppy enjoys the sun and sand at Pembrey beach
Credit: Supplied by Catherine Bennion Pedley
Parking costs £5 for non-National-Trust members, while castle and parkland entry is free.
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During our days exploring this enchanting county, Wright's Food Emporium proves a smart stop-off.
The deli is stuffed with local goodies and the pork belly cubano – with its positively obscene slabs of pork belly layered with ham, cheddar, pickles and sriracha mayo inside the fluffiest of ciabatta, £14.50 – is possibly the best sandwich I've ever devoured (
I'm also a firm believer in elevenses, so I'm thrilled to discover that the Gwili Steam Railway serves Welsh elevenses on board.
We sip tea (hot choc for the kids) and feast on Welsh cakes and bara brith (fruit loaf) as the train, operated by the sweetest fanatics, trundles past grazing animals and the crystal-clear Gwili river.
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We hop off to explore an old mail train and ride the miniature railway, before returning to base in Carmarthen.
Tickets cost from £13 per person (
Cool runnings
One of my favourite memories from childhood holidays in Wales is whizzing down a bobsleigh-like toboggan ride, and the country's longest is at Pembrey Country Park, a 500-acre haven of beach, woodland and grassland.
Soon, husband Andy and I are racing down the metal track on sleds, Poppy and Raffy on our laps squealing with delight.
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8
Tuck into terrific dishes at Ty Glo where the vibe is super-family-friendly
Credit: Instagram
8
The Gwili Steam Railway serves Welsh elevenses on board
Credit: John Jones
Three rides cost £7.50 (
The day flies by just as fast, as we follow a bear trail through the pine forest, clamber over dunes and fly kites on the golden sands.
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A local tipped me off about Pantri Lolfa, a gorgeous cafe nearby, so we're fuelled by excellent coffee and gooey brownies.
Later, as the sky turns crimson, citrus-cured salmon with seaweed, pickled cucumber and a champagne sauce, £11.50, plus crab tagliatelle, £24, make for a tasty tea at Dylan Coastal Resort's Milk Wood House.
Horse play
I always love the idea of horse riding, only to usually spend the entire trek afraid I'll be bucked off.
But I've never felt as relaxed in the saddle as I do riding Apache at the excellent, family-run Marros Riding Centre.
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The British Bird of Prey Centre based in Carmarthenshire
Credit: Instagram
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Catherine Bennion-Pedley in Carmarthenshire
Credit: Catherine Bennion-Pedley
Raffy rides Woody, a fuzzy ginger Shetland, while six-year-old Poppy gets Harry, a grey Welsh mountain pony and Andy, an Irish cob named Hercules.
Having learned the basics – start, stop, steer – we ride through the farm's ancient woodland and I'm pretty certain the kids are now dreaming of owning a pony.
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A one-hour trek costs from £42 per person (
Our last night is spent in Laugharne's Dexters at Browns, the older sister of Ty Glo and a steak-lover's dream.
Andy and I splash out on 40-day aged chateaubriand with dauphinoise potatoes, creamed spinach with rarebit topping and béarnaise sauce, £76, paired with glasses of primitivo, £7.75, as the kids tuck into mini rump meals, £12 each (
It's certainly an upgrade from my mum's meat and potato pie, often squished from the long journey down in the boot of our car as a kid.
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But just as those precious memories hold a special place in my heart, retracing family holidays with my own little ones now holds a special place, too.
FYI
Four-night stays at Dylan Coastal Resort cost from £419 for four people (
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The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Expect jaw-dropping beaches, cool castles and a whole lot of fun in Carmarthenshire
OZZY, a 1kg Bengal eagle-owl, swoops through the Welsh woodland dotted with brightly painted toadstool fairy houses to land gracefully on my three year old's gloved arm. 'Again!' Raffy shouts, with a grin almost as big as Ozzy's head. Advertisement 8 The Taf Estuary, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire 8 Hide and seek your way round Dinefwr Castle It's safe to say, the 90-minute flying experience with expert Alex and three owls – including the tiny but speedy Frodo and barn owl Allan – has gone down a treat. Experiences cost £65 per adult, £30 for over-fives ( We're in Carmarthenshire, a county in South Wales that most tourists drive through on their way to Pembrokeshire – more fool them. The wide, sandy beaches here hug the coastline for miles, majestic castles perch on hilltops and local delicacies are plentiful. Advertisement Read More on Travel A Bug's Life First to win over the kids is Llanelli Wetland Centre with the pinkest (and smelliest!) flamingos I've ever seen, thanks to our visit coinciding with mating season. But the highlight is undoubtedly a minibeast hunt, after which volunteer Eric pops the children's finds – a millipede, slug and spider – under a microscope and gives us a zoology lesson way more interesting than I ever had at school. Who knew slugs poo out of their heads? Entry costs £11.15 per adult, £7.20 for over-threes ( Home for the week is Dylan Coastal Resort, where our swish three-bedroom spa lodge has all the mod-cons and a hot tub to soak up stunning vistas of the Taf Estuary. Advertisement Most read in Travel Breaking On-site is the floor-to-ceiling glass-fronted Milk Wood Spa with yet more gorgeous views of the ever-changing tide from its sauna, steam room, indoor pool and alfresco hydrotherapy pool. Later, a wander downhill brings us into pretty Laugharne, the town made famous by poet Dylan Thomas. We follow the scent of wood-fired deliciousness to the sun-dappled courtyard of Ty Glo and head inside to its tiki-inspired interior. Underrated towns you need to visit The vibe is super-family-friendly, with a brilliant basket of games to borrow and fantastic food. Advertisement The king prawn, mango, chilli and coriander cocktail with gyoza crisps is exquisite and the goat's cheese bonbons are the definition of moreish, both £10. Pizza perfection comes in the Ultimate Hawaiian (sorry, Italians) with its ham hock, chargrilled pineapple, jalapeños, fresh corn and onion. We also dig the Lamb-orgini – roast lamb, caramelised onion, feta and mint yoghurt and the Wild Hog, smothered in wild boar ragù with hog salami and piquanté peppers, £17.50 each ( Castle on the hill Wales has more castles per square mile than any other country in the world, so we picnic on leftover pizza the next day in the dreamy grounds of Dinefwr Castle ( Advertisement Dinefwr delivers ramparts, towers and plenty of hidden nooks for hide and seek, plus there's a parkland with deer and roaming long-horned White Park cattle – residents here since the 9th century. 8 It shore is nice at Dylan Coastal Resort Credit: Supplied 8 Poppy enjoys the sun and sand at Pembrey beach Credit: Supplied by Catherine Bennion Pedley Parking costs £5 for non-National-Trust members, while castle and parkland entry is free. Advertisement During our days exploring this enchanting county, Wright's Food Emporium proves a smart stop-off. The deli is stuffed with local goodies and the pork belly cubano – with its positively obscene slabs of pork belly layered with ham, cheddar, pickles and sriracha mayo inside the fluffiest of ciabatta, £14.50 – is possibly the best sandwich I've ever devoured ( I'm also a firm believer in elevenses, so I'm thrilled to discover that the Gwili Steam Railway serves Welsh elevenses on board. We sip tea (hot choc for the kids) and feast on Welsh cakes and bara brith (fruit loaf) as the train, operated by the sweetest fanatics, trundles past grazing animals and the crystal-clear Gwili river. Advertisement We hop off to explore an old mail train and ride the miniature railway, before returning to base in Carmarthen. Tickets cost from £13 per person ( Cool runnings One of my favourite memories from childhood holidays in Wales is whizzing down a bobsleigh-like toboggan ride, and the country's longest is at Pembrey Country Park, a 500-acre haven of beach, woodland and grassland. Soon, husband Andy and I are racing down the metal track on sleds, Poppy and Raffy on our laps squealing with delight. Advertisement 8 Tuck into terrific dishes at Ty Glo where the vibe is super-family-friendly Credit: Instagram 8 The Gwili Steam Railway serves Welsh elevenses on board Credit: John Jones Three rides cost £7.50 ( The day flies by just as fast, as we follow a bear trail through the pine forest, clamber over dunes and fly kites on the golden sands. Advertisement A local tipped me off about Pantri Lolfa, a gorgeous cafe nearby, so we're fuelled by excellent coffee and gooey brownies. Later, as the sky turns crimson, citrus-cured salmon with seaweed, pickled cucumber and a champagne sauce, £11.50, plus crab tagliatelle, £24, make for a tasty tea at Dylan Coastal Resort's Milk Wood House. Horse play I always love the idea of horse riding, only to usually spend the entire trek afraid I'll be bucked off. But I've never felt as relaxed in the saddle as I do riding Apache at the excellent, family-run Marros Riding Centre. Advertisement 8 The British Bird of Prey Centre based in Carmarthenshire Credit: Instagram 8 Catherine Bennion-Pedley in Carmarthenshire Credit: Catherine Bennion-Pedley Raffy rides Woody, a fuzzy ginger Shetland, while six-year-old Poppy gets Harry, a grey Welsh mountain pony and Andy, an Irish cob named Hercules. Having learned the basics – start, stop, steer – we ride through the farm's ancient woodland and I'm pretty certain the kids are now dreaming of owning a pony. Advertisement A one-hour trek costs from £42 per person ( Our last night is spent in Laugharne's Dexters at Browns, the older sister of Ty Glo and a steak-lover's dream. Andy and I splash out on 40-day aged chateaubriand with dauphinoise potatoes, creamed spinach with rarebit topping and béarnaise sauce, £76, paired with glasses of primitivo, £7.75, as the kids tuck into mini rump meals, £12 each ( It's certainly an upgrade from my mum's meat and potato pie, often squished from the long journey down in the boot of our car as a kid. Advertisement But just as those precious memories hold a special place in my heart, retracing family holidays with my own little ones now holds a special place, too. FYI Four-night stays at Dylan Coastal Resort cost from £419 for four people ( Plan your trip at
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Me and My Travels: Hugh Wallace on childhood Ireland trips and an extraordinary balloon ride
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The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- The Irish Sun
I ditched Dublin to move 10 minutes from Marbella, weekly shop is cheaper & I'll never leave Spain over key difference
HAVE you ever enjoyed your summer holidays so much you wished you could stay forever? That's exactly what Dubliner Sophie Lyons Wilson's family did when she was just nine - and now a mum herself, she's positive she won't be leaving her beloved new home in Spain. 6 Sophie, pictured above with her family, reckons her kids have a better quality of life in Spain 6 Both parents are fluent in Spanish and share their experience of living abroad on TikTok 6 Sophie first moved over to Spain as a child and knew she wanted to raise her own kids there Sophie, 23, says her parents decided to make the move in 2010 after they realised the family was "so much happier" when on their She told the Irish Sun: "We were much happier over here, the days felt brighter and we seemed to have more time. "When we came over it was such a time for friends and family, we were together and we just knew that life would stay like that when we moved over here." And once she met her partner Dylan, they knew Spain was where they wanted to raise their daughter, five, and one-year-old son. The mum-of-two, originally from Living just a 10 minute drive from stunning Marbella, Sophie and her kids enjoy countless beach days and hours spent having fun in playgrounds and activities. Sophie said: "100 per cent there is a huge difference of the quality of life for us since moving. "Just for my kids and all, they seem to grow up a little bit slower over here and that is one of my favourite things. "There is a lot of pressure for kids to start drinking young, smoking and partying. "Whereas over here you still see 14-year-olds in playgrounds and that is one of my favourite things about it, I like that my kids just stay kids a little while longer." 'I would never go back' Dublin Mum moved Spain for better life has free medical care & less societal pressure on kids Sophie shares her experiences on her TikTok account - Sophie and Dylan both speak Spanish - with Dylan, who was born in Spain to Northern Irish parents, running a bar for work. When it comes to costs, Sophie said despite a rise in prices since the She said: "For us, we are a family of four and the weekly shop averages between €100 to €250 a week. 6 From zoos to beaches, the family are never short of things to do 6 Their days are filled with activities in beautiful sunshine "It used to be a lot cheaper but then Covid hit and there's been a small increase but it's still so much cheaper than back home." The family rent a two-bedroom apartment for €1,200 a month, with Sophie admitting rent can be an issue in the area. However she still reckons it is better value than And paired with the stellar quality of life, Sophie says she'll "never leave". EASY DECISION She explained: "Just for the quality of life here, playgrounds open till 8pm, sky is brighter, my weekends are packed full of activities with beaches, pools and zoos. "And with rent, the prices back home I'd probably never leave And praising healthcare in Spain, Sophie said: "Once you have a job over here the healthcare is free and I couldn't fault it. "We also had private health insurance, for the four of us I pay €170 a month and that's full coverage. "I had both of my babies via C-section and they cover everything, if we ever need surgery, honestly I feel like it's the best money I could spend." Primary and secondary public schools are free in the region, with Sophie's daughter still in creche costing the family €300 a month. Sophie said: "We had a private nursery for my daughter and it cost €300 a month and that was for her to be there from 9-5. "With her there five full days a week, you can't even compare it back home." But they are challenges too, one being the loneliness. MISSING HOME Sophie explained: "You take for granted living close to your relatives. "And we were so close to our family, we would see them at least three or four times a week, so to come here not speak a word of the language and only have each other was quite lonely. "Friends that we made, they come and go here as they move over for a few years and then they might move back home. "So we would lose a lot of friends over the years, which created the lonely side of things." But she has since learned the language and immersed herself in the culture, calling locals her "second family". And Sophie is not alone among Irish people who've taken the plunge to make Spain their forever home, as And it's a case of work imitating life, as the Spain expert now runs her own compan y to assist other expats who are planning to relocate to the sun. 6 Sophie has no plans to return home to dreary Dublin
