Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Castle Hotel
( 01550-720343;
www.castle-hotel-llandovery.co.uk
;
Kings Rd; mains £9-25; 7am-11pm)
A hugely suc-
cessful makeover of a traditional handsome pub, it eschews the prevalent boutique style
and goes for something more simple and authentic: a rambling sequence of low-ceilinged
rooms with log fires. As far as food goes, try the Carmarthenshire dry-aged beef, cooked
in a charcoal oven, or opt for a Welsh afternoon tea, complete with Welsh cakes and Bara
Birth. The Red Giraffe Studio, selling Welsh blankets and cushions and African artefacts,
is an unexpected bonus.
PUB
££
Getting There & Away
Buses 280 and 281 head to Llandeilo (37 minutes) and Carmarthen (one hour 23 minutes),
and bus 64 heads to Brecon (45 minutes).
By train, Llandovery is on the Heart of Wales Line, with direct services to Swansea (£8,
93 minutes), Llandeilo (£3.20, 19 minutes), Llanwrtyd Wells (£2.90, 23 minutes),
Llandrindod Wells (£4.70, 58 minutes) and Knighton (£8.40, 96 minutes).
TOP OF CHAPTER
North Carmarthenshire
Pumsaint
Set in a beautiful wooded estate near Pumsaint, the
Dolaucothi Gold Mines
( 01558-650177;
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
; adult/child £5.45/2.60; 11am-5pm mid-Mar-Oct)
are on the site of the only
known Roman gold mine in the UK. The Romans left around AD 120, but the locals car-
ried on for a couple of hundred more years.
Mining recommenced with the Victorians and by the time the mine was finally closed
down in 1938 the works employed more than 200 men.
The exhibition and the mining machinery above ground are interesting, but the main at-
traction is the chance to go underground on a guided tour of the old mine workings. Back
at the surface, there's a sediment-filled water trough where you can try your hand at pan-
ning for gold.
The mines are 10 miles northwest of Llandovery, off the A482.
