Laugharne
Llaugharne, Carmarthenshire, SA33 4RY
Category: Places to visit, Carmarthenshire
Laugharne is a pretty rural town, famous for its castle and its literary connections. Originally an earth and timber fortress, the castle was built in stone around the 13th century as a lookout. However, it is the transformations undertaken by Sir John Perrot in the 1500s that make it special. He turned the castle into a comfortable, gentleman’s mansion which, unfortunately, declined after the Civil War. You can even climb one of the towers for some sublime views of the town. The castle and its Victorian garden, which has recently been restored, have inspired artists such as Turner and Dylan Thomas, who spent the last four years of his life at the Boathouse, set on a cliff overlooking the Taf estuary. You can visit the Boathouse, a fascinating museum featuring numerous artefacts and a tearoom and outdoor terrace. It’s probably true to say that the whole town is a shrine to Thomas who it’s said, discovered the place in the 1940s saying he ‘got off the bus and forgot to get on again’. He wrote much of his famous work here including ‘Under Milk Wood’.