A little of the history
Pembrey Harbour was opened in the 1830’s for the purpose of shipping coal.
St Illtyd’s Church in the village is believed to date back to between the fifth and eighth centuries, it was re-consecrated in 1066 and has a wealth of history. Adeline Coquelin’s tombstone can still be seen in the churchyard, Adeline was a niece to Josephine (consort to Napoleon Bonaparte) and lost her life in a shipwreck off the Cefn Sidan sands while returning home from Martinique on the Jeune Emma on 25th November 1828.
Oliver Cromwell is reputed to have spent a night in Court Farm, Pembrey and it was one of the properties featured on the BBC Restoration programme.
Amelia Earhart, became the first woman to fly the Atlantic, when she landed on Burry Port beach on 18 June 1928 in her seaplane ‘The Friendship’.
Pembrey Country Park was in 1881 the site of Nobel’s Dynamite Works, in 1914 this was succeeded by the Ordnance Factory.
A new Royal Ordnance Factory was built in 1937 and employed over 2,000 staff during the Second World War. The 570 acre site was bought by Council in the 1970’s and turned into a major tourist attraction.
Much of the area has now been developed for tourism and there are a variety of interesting places for visitors.
Aberglasney House and Gardens
Burry Port Harbour
Cefn Sidan Beach
Kidwelly Castle
Llanelli Millennium Costal Path
National Botanical Gardens of Wales
Credit: discovercarmarthenshire.com
Machynys Peninsular Golf and Country Club
Special interest holidays
Beaches
Look no further than Cefn Sidan. The 7 mile long, award winning blue flag Cefn Sidan beach has been described as one of the best beaches in Europe. With it’s vast expanse of sand, even on a bank holiday you can leave the crowds behind and find a quiet area if you are prepared to walk just a little.
If you want to travel further afield the Gower Peninsular is also well known for its lovely beaches.
The beaches of the Pembrokeshire coast are within an hours drive.
Golf
Tanyffynnon benefits from its close proximity to a number of top golf courses. The championship Ashburnham Golf Course is within half a mile, the Glyn Abbey Golf Club is within easy reach and the prestigious Nicklaus designed Machynys Peninsular Golf and Country Club is just a ten minute drive away.
Cycling
This is an ideal location for all cyclists. For the more leisurely cyclist and children the Llanelli Millennium Coastal Path allows you to cycle in a safe, traffic free environment along the coast. For the more active cyclist the Llanelli Millennium Coastal Path links with other more challenging tracks which form part of the National Route 47, Celtic Trail.
Walking
The annual Llanelli Festival of Walks is held over the Spring Bank holiday weekend at the end May each year when wide selection of walks to suit all ages and abilities covering the most attractive areas in south and west Wales are on offer.
Horse racing
The newly opened Ffos Las Racecourse at nearby Trimsaran is the UK’s first new National Hunt development in 80 years. The racecourse caters for National Hunt and Flat Turf racing and has a number of unique facilities to enhance the experience of a ‘day a the races’.
Motor Sports
The motor racing circuit operated by the British Automobile Racing Club at Pembrey has a full calendar of events.
Gardens
The National Botanical Gardens of Wales at Llanarthne and Aberglasney House and Garden in Llangathen which were featured by the BBC as the Gardens Lost in Time, are within a half hour drive of the cottage.
Local places of interest:
- Burry Port Harbour with its new marina
- The historic town of Kidwelly with its imposing Norman Castle
- The Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre in Llanelli
- Dylan Thomas boat house at Laugharne
- The lovely market town of Llandeilo
- Carreg Cennen Castle
- Newton House, Llandeilo – owned by the National Trust.
Further afield:
- The Gower peninsular with its interesting villages and lovely beaches
- Tenby
- Folly Farm – a firm favourite with many of our guests
- Oakwood – a theme park with something for everyone.