Local Area

Local Places of Interest

There is much to do in the local area. The follow is a selection:

Newcastle Emlyn is a thriving market town at the heart of the Teifi Valley with an amazing history. You will also find a friendly community, an excellent choice of shops, pubs, eating places and activities. It was here that the last dragon in Wales was killed while resting on the castle walls! The castle, built in 1240, was the centre of the town for 400 years. You can still visit the ruins and picnic in the grounds next to the River Teifi. This scenic River Teifi flows over 70 miles from the Cambrian mountains to Cardigan Bay and forms the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. It supplies salmon, trout and grayling for fishing, as well as white and flat water for canoeing and kayaking.

Cenarth Falls are five minutes drive from Maes-y-Derw towards Cardigan. Here you can watch the salmon leaping in the autumn or, if you prefer, try to catch them (see Fishing). In addition, there is the National Coracle Centre and some very nice pubs.

The Teifi Valley Railway runs for some 2 picturesque miles along its Valley; a 10 minute drive from Maes-y-Derw. Located in her own Art Gallery near to the station is Diane Mathias, a landscape artist inspired by her passion for the Welsh countryside - well worth a visit.

The Gwili Steam Railway runs along a beautiful wooden valley, not far from Carmarthen and approximately half an hour’s drive from Newcastle Emlyn.

The National Wool Museum presents the history of the Welsh Woollen industry. It can be found at Dre-fach Felindre and takes about 10 minutes to reach from the house by car.

There are excellent Local Beaches at Aberporth, Llangranog, Poppitt Sands (Cardigan) and New Quay, many of which are less than half an hour away. Poppit Sands, South West of Cardigan is particularly nice and when the tide is out, stretches for some 2 miles. It is 30 minutes drive from the house. There is a car park right next to the beach and a café, which is open every day during the summer season from 1030am until 5pm (sometimes later if the beach is busy). There are some lovely pubs around the estuary too.

While you are in the area why not treat yourself to a one day massage course at Glyn y Mel, just 5 miles away, where couples are taught how to give each other a relaxing massage. This is a very popular day which needs to be booked in advance. Go to www.helpyourselftomassage.co.uk for more information.

Cardigan is a lovely coastal market town and is some 20 minutes drive from Newcastle Emlyn. It has many privately owned shops, a lovely old market building which still houses the market and antique stalls, various restaurants and a cinema. For more details of what it has to offer, contact the town’s Tourist Information Centre. The dramatic West Wales coastline can be viewed close-up from the two paths that begin and end in Cardigan, namely the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path and the Ceredigion Coastal Path.

Within approximately 35 minutes drive are the extremely picturesque old harbour towns of Aberaeron and Fishguard.

Carmarthen is the largest main town in the area and is half an hour’s drive from Newcastle Emlyn. As such, it has all the usual high street shops as well as many attractive privately owned shops. It also boasts it own castle from which there are stunning views of the surrounding countryside. For more information, contact its Tourist Information Centre.

Lampeter is home to the oldest university in Wales, it is an attractive town and is some half an hour’s picturesque drive from Newcastle Emlyn and offers a variety of privately owned shops.

Tourist Information Centres: