I could still smell smoke all around me as I approach Llanerchindda Farm. The wildfires had been raging for days. Fire fighters had been brought in from North Wales and other parts of the country. I’m not sure how many days they had battled the force of nature, but a large swathe of land had been destroyed. Rumours abounded that it was a TikTok dare. Several fires were reported to be set by the roadside. Fortunately, there was no loss of life, but the human toil involved in cutting fire breakers, and the amount of water used to thwart the fire was immense.
Apparently, the whole community worked together. Mark, one of the twin sons of the owners at Llanerchindda Farm Guest House, had been preparing food at 4am for the firefighters. Llanerchindda Farm had turned away customers; their rooms reallocated to firefighters. In the nearby town of Llandovery, the community bonded together, feeding the firefighters. The local fish and chip shop apparently proved most popular. As he greets me Mark explains they have not seen their handyman for days; he has been helping in the battle against the fires.
To a certain extent I feel I have missed out. But I would just have been an inconvenience. Someone getting in the way of one of the many wonderful facets of this place; its sense of community.
Amazing Views at Llanerchindda Farm
What first strikes me about Llanerchindda Farm is the amazing views; all the way down to the Cynghordy Viaduct, the only manmade structure visible in the valley below. It’s hard to imagine but trains run over it from Shrewsbury to Swansea. Although, according to Mark’s father Martin the timetable is often disrupted by sheep or cows getting on the line and having to be dispersed. This is mid-Wales at its remote best.
It is this which drew Lynn and Martin Hadley here more than twenty years ago. The couple had run hotels in the Lake District for years, and had decided to come to mid Wales for some peace and quiet. A small place with a couple of rooms perhaps? Then they saw Llanerchindda Farm, and as Martin explains they thought, “we could make this work”.
Their twin sons who had gone their separate ways – one to London the other to Preston – took no time to be persuaded to join. Now the very-much family run guest house has scooped the AA’s Best B&B award for Wales. They will go to the main award ceremony at the Dorchester where they might even scoop the overall award.
Walking Around the Farm
I could have spent both the scheduled days of my visit just soaking in the view, with occasional sheep keeping me company. Instead, I decide to go for a walk around the grounds and up the hill on the other side of the small river.
Mark hands me a map and explains the route, saying it should take me a couple of hours. Clearly marked it is impossible to get lost. Or nearly impossible.
Ten minutes later I am scrambling through brambles wondering where the pond I am supposed to circumnavigate, is. The path keeps on leading me back in the direction of Llanerchindda Farm, which I know must be wrong.
Somehow, I have managed to get onto the 4WD route running around the grounds and the neighbouring countryside. The whole family are self-confessed petrolheads, and the farm is most popular with off-roaders especially in the winter months.
Reluctantly, I give up and retrace my steps along the path I have just traipsed, only to realise there is a second right fork after the one I have just taken. At the end of it is the pond. And beyond that the glorious walk through pristine countryside I have been promised. On the other side of the river are great views of the Carmarthen fans and Black mountain.
My reward two hours later as I return to Llanerchindda Farm, is a glorious pint of beer and the even more glorious views down to the Cynghordy Viaduct.
A Family-Run Welsh Guest House
The Hadleys certainly understand the success of hospitality. They knew of my pescatarian principles, but had not been forewarned of my hatred of mushrooms – a curse for a non-meat eater. This proved no problem as they swiftly pivoted their set menu to create an excellent vegetarian curry which was followed by a ginger sponge with custard. This is excellent home-cooked fare.
Afterwards I was due to go on a drive to nearby Llyn Brianne, a reservoir that provides green power for the area and water for Swansea. It also has excellent dark skies. My previous attempt at dark sky watching was thwarted by the full moon in Robin Hood’s Bay (rooky error). This time it was the heavens that were against us. Or rather the clouds that rolled in to block any view of them.
Stargazing at Llanerchindda Farm
Dafydd Wyn Morgan runs sessions on stargazing and night photography. The first thing which strikes me about Dafydd is his angerdd, or passion. First for the Welsh language he spouts like Dylan Thomas, second for this region of mid-Wales where he was born and bred, and finally for the night sky.
Instead of making a pointless drive to the reservoir, Dafydd sets his telescope up on the terrace outside the guest house. The portable telescope is quite amazing, light and cheap (less than £500), it allows people (on cloudless nights) to see and capture the stars. In the spirit of cookery programmes Dafydd shows me an image of the Milky Way he had made earlier. I had never realised how accessible it was to take images of the stars.
Dafydd believes you can see more at night than during the day. He says day skies are relatively boring, especially when cloudless. At night not only can you see all these stars and planets from other galaxies, but if you have the right camera, you can see both the beauty of the landscape all around you, and passing animals : birds, owls, badgers and foxes that you cannot see with the naked eye, but the camera lens will detect. Dafydd runs stargazing and astrophotography workshops via Serydda, which means constellation in Welsh.
Aberglassney Gardens
The following morning, I drive to Llyn Brianne. This is a wonderful example of how man can coexist with nature. All around the stark concrete, there is an unparalleled ruggedness.
My second visit is to Aberglassney Gardens, which apparently date back to the days of Henry VII.
The gardens were largely restored by Bishop Rudd in the 1600s and have the only Elizabethan Cloister Garden surviving in the country. Left to ruin, it was only preserved due to the intervention of the trust that bought Aberglassney Gardens in 1995.
This is the type of place that features heavily in gardening programmes. I am not an enormous fan of ornamental gardens, even Elizabethan ones, so instead I am drawn to the woodlands that make up most of the grounds. Aberglassney Gardens also has an excellent café where I have a sandwich and coffee for lunch.
Dinefwr Castle and Its Legends
Nearby to Aberglassney Gardens is Dinefwr Castle. Initially I visit Newton House which is owned and run by the National Trust and has plenty of exhibitions. Some show what life would have been working here in its heyday, an insight into Downton Abbey life. Others are much more contemporary in nature.
At the rear is a pleasant garden, but the real appeal of Newton House is its spectacular grounds and 18th century deer park that sweep down to the mill pond and pump house.
From here I continue my walk to Dinefwr Castle, which is included in the ticket for Newton House. The first castle was built in 877, but the current one dates back to 1165. This is a great castle if you like scrambling. It is also much better preserved than a ruin although bereft of any of the niceties of a stately home. It also has glorious views of the surrounding countryside if you are brave enough to climb the towers.
As befits a place with so much antiquity, it is full of legend. One involves the Lady of the Lake, who apparently emerged one day to marry a local farmer. She brought with her the local White Park cattle which you can still see in the grounds today proving the story must be true. Apparently, the breed can be traced back to the tenth century.
One Last Look at Llanerchindda Farm
I return late in the afternoon to resume my perch on the terrace at Llanerchindda Farm.
It is not often I spend two days staring at the same view, but this one improves with familiarity. There are rooms with views and views with rooms, this most definitely falls in the latter category.
Next to the viaduct trees stand like clumps of broccoli. In the distance lie Black Mountain and the Cambrian Mountains. We can also just detect the start of the Brecon Beacons.
The only noise I hear apart from a gentle trickle of water is that of the sheep bleating. I suppose it is not quite perfection, but it is as close to that as you are likely to find in Wales. Its remote location, hours from any major town, is perhaps what has helped preserve not just its beauty, but the wonderful sense of community that came to the fore when it was needed most.
I take the long drive back home, my journey interrupted by a herd of cattle being led across the road by its farmers. Another time I might have been frustrated. Here I just appreciate spending more time in this most wonderful hidden part of Wales.
Llanerchindda Farm near Llandovery
To book a stay or learn more about Llanerchindda Farm Guest House, click here.
While walking is popular in the summer months, in winter the focus is more on 4×4 driving experiences and Enduro Experiences. They also organise Classic Car Tours (I told you they are petrolheads). You can discover more about watching the dark skies here.
