After passing Landore depot on the right and burrowing through Cockett Tunnel, the train
arrives at
Gowerton.
The northern coast of the Gower peninsular is some distance away, but not inaccessible
from the station. In the town, St John's church is notable for its marble reredos.
The line crosses the River Loughor estuary in parallel with a more-recent road bridge, and
soon is joined by the
Heart of Wales line which converges
from the right.
Llanelli
owes its existence to iron, tinplate, copper, and coal, but today, Trostre Tinplate works
is the only reminder of its heavy-industrial past. Its long-closed port has been turned to
leisure use, and modern buildings are replacing the arcaded structures for which the town
was noted. Some imposing buildings remain: the Jacobean-style Town Hall; Tabernacle chapel, Capel Alis; and the more-recent Roman Catholic Church. Parc Howard House is now a
museum and art gallery, while Stradey Park is famous as the home of the town's rugby union
team, The Scarlets.
Pembrey and Burry Port
is close to Pembrey Country Park which has an eight mile coast-line, a falconry, forest
walks and a ski and toboggan run. In the last century, Burry Port was prominent in the
coal-exporting trade, but, like Llanelli, its harbour is now put to leisure use.
Kidwelly
station is on the edge of the town which is dominated by its 12th century castle. With a
ditch on one side and the Gwendraeth River on the other, such was its strength and
strategic position, that in 1403, a handful of archers and townspeople were able to
repulse the might of Welsh prince Owen Glyndwr's army. The castle featured strongly in the
battles of the Welsh Uprising of 1257.
St Mary's Church also dates from the 13th century, while close to the town is the harbour
and Tinplate museum. Nor far away is the Welsh Motor Sports Centre which includes a
Formula Three racing circuit.
Ferryside
no longer has a ferry across the River Towy, but with the sailing club close at hand, a
crossing to Llanstephan is not impossible. Set in beautiful surroundings, the village is
encircled by hills, with the river estuary winding to the north, and sand dunes to the
south. Also to the south, is the 13th century church of St Ishmael with its unusual mix of
architecture. Some cockle-gathering still takes place, but nothing like the intensity of
the early part of the century when the economy of the village depended on the industry.
Carmarthen
stands on the Towy River and is founded on the Roman town of Moridunum, but is also
steeped in Arthurian legend. One legend states that when the Carmarthen Oak falls, the
town will fall with it. All that is left of the oak (in Priory Street) is the stump, but
what remains is guarded with meticulous care!
Of the Norman Priory no trace remains, but it is famed for the Black Book of Carmarthen: a
collection of Welsh poetry, and the oldest manuscript book in the Welsh language (now at
the Museum of Wales in Aberystwyth).
For how long the Church of St Peter has stood is uncertain, but parts of the building have
been dated to the 13th century, and there are references to the church during the reign of
Henry I. Parts of the 11th century castle remains, but has been encroached upon by more
modern structures.
Near the
Guild-hall, a statue to General Sir William Nott - a hero of the Afghan Wars - stands on
the spot where, in 1555, Bishop Ferrar was martyred at the stake for his Protestant
beliefs.
Three miles north, the Gwili Railway is a two-mile long, preserved
railway operating through a wooded valley.
South of the town, on the west of the Towy estuary is Llanstephan Castle, and the
village of Laugharne, briefly the home - and finally the resting place - of Welsh
poet and dramatist Dylan Thomas, and said to be the model for Llareggub in Under Milk
Wood, though this he always denied (perhaps wisely, considering what the cod-Welsh
name reads in reverse). The picture (left) shows the boathouse where Dylan lived and the
Towy estuary.
Whitland
is, today, a market town which thrives on agriculture and the dairy industry, but its
place in history is assured thanks to the 10th century ruler of the district, Hywel Dda
(in English, Howell the Good). During his reign Hywel succeeded in uniting the warring
kingdoms of Wales, and, in the year 930 at an assembly of clergy and laymen held at
Whitland, he codified the laws on which present-day democratic government is based. The
town's memorial to Hywel takes the form of six small gardens which symbolise the six
principles embodied in those laws.
The parish Church of St Mary dates from the early 18th century, but the site goes back to
medieval times.
Whitland marks the eastern boundary of the Landsker: an imaginary border which
historically separates the English-speaking south from the Welsh speaking north of
Pembrokeshire.
This is an extract from the Arriva Trains Wales pages.
To access the main site select either the North Wales, The Marches,
and Chepstow-Swansea section, the Heart of Wales, Swansea and
West Wales section, or the full version which combines the
two.
Select one of these links to return to the Gazetteer of Stations or Route Sections page.
Return to top of Page
Copyright © 1998/9/2000/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8 by Deryck Lewis. All
rights reserved.
Page created January 28 1998; Redesigned March 29 1999; Updated
February 6 2008
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author at WalesRails
