‘It’s a time warp, a step back in time and people have time for each other’
TO APPROACH Llandeilo via the A40 from Carmarthen means missing the iconic pastel-coloured cottages meandering up the hill from the bridge over the River Towy.
It feels like you are heading into the deep heart of Carmarthenshire, a land steeped in history, legends and mystery. Llandeilo – a collection of quaint and traditional buildings so typical of a Welsh market town – is fast becoming a rural hub for independent shops, antiques and interiors, and particularly good coffee.
In fact, I made a beeline for Diod, a smart coffee and wine shop that wouldn’t look out of place in any posh city suburb.
Ask any of the locals if Llandeilo is a lovely place to live they will tell you. In fact, when it comes to the best places to live in Wales, Llandeilo is the top of the tree, according to the
Sunday Times Best Places to Live list.
“The independent shops and cafes in Llandeilo’s tiny centre are full of the good things in life,” said the Times judges. “Its colourful houses are a delightful backdrop and the surrounding countryside is full of magical places to explore.”
“It’s a time warp, a step back in time and people have time for each other,” said Diana Cremona behind the counter in Eve’s Toy Shop, which won best Independent toy shop in the UK in 2017. Diana, originally from Canada, moved to Llandeilo for love and eventually ended up working for the shop’s owner Jane Rees.
“It’s an agricultural town, there’s a lot of loyalty, it’s cosy, it’s unblemished, untouched, it’s beautiful and creative and it’s unpretentious,” she added.
But what sets Llandeilo apart from Narberth, or Usk, or Abergavenny?
There’s a myriad of boutique shops along the quaint King’s Street and the main Rhosmaen Street featuring iconic names like Toast – a high-end brand created in a farmhouse in Wales in 1997 which has gone on to more than 20 stores nationwide.
There’s undoubtedly a bohemian edge to Llandeilo and its surroundings – something which attracted many artists and creative types seeking the slower pace of life in the late ’80s and ’90s.
Tracey Kindred has owned Heavenly chocolatiers on Rhosmaen Street, alongside her husband Paul, for 18 years. She arrived in the town initially selling just ice cream, having trained under an Italian gelato chef, but soon realised it rained more than she anticipated. The switched-on businesswoman learned how to work
with chocolate and before long, she was selling artisan chocolate creations too.
She said: “It was mostly estate agents and charity shops when we first opened,” she said.
“The high street was struggling. After we opened, within two years we saw quite a lot of new shops coming to the area and more people moving in from away. Then it kind of took on its own momentum.”
Having been a city girl until she met her husband,
Tracey moved to Llandeilo when they married. Straightaway she “absolutely loved it,” she said with a sparkle in her eye.
“The people and the environment, the walks and the castle and the rurality of it all,” she listed. “There’s something unique about the attitude of people in Llandeilo. For such a small rural market town, it’s got a very cosmopolitan outlook on things.”
Brita Rogers, 70, has been organising the Llandeilo antique fair for six years. It’s the longest-running fair in Wales she said as we caught her on the street dropping leaflets into the shops.
“People come from all over,” she said. “I think it’s the mix of shops, it has the right blend. People are looking for an experience which is unique. There’s a quaintness to Llandeilo,” she added.
As if to prove her point, Robert and Jacqueline Bellew walk past at that very moment with their two sons William and Harry, and William’s girlfriend Margaux Verheecke. The family was celebrating a 35th wedding anniversary and two birthdays and had booked a cottage nearby because it “looked nice”, they said.
Visiting from Bedford, they had set a whole day aside for exploring the town with coffee at Ginhaus, a deli, gin bar, restaurant and coffee shop on Market Street, to start. Robert said: “There’s plenty to do around here – the Brecon Beacons aren’t far and there’s good cycling too.”
Bridge Street, which becomes the town’s narrow thoroughfare Rhosmaen Street, is also the A483 trunk road between Swansea and Manchester.
Benedict Vaughan-morris, a bright and cheery man behind the counter at The Little Welsh Dresser, grew up in Llandeilo, going to school at nearby Tre-gib before moving away to Cardiff
for several years. His grandparents owned the shop he currently works from and he had always had aspirations to one day come back and start his own business.
“I always had that passion to do something,” he said. “In truth, there’s not a lot of employment around here so I thought why not make my own.”
The 40-year-old lives in the town with his wife and young children and agreed it’s a “really nice” place to call home.
“There’s something special about Wales and there’s something special about Llandeilo,” he said, his grandparents looking down on him from a black and white photo on the wall. His parents still live in Llandeilo.
He added: “It’s a relaxing way of life here. It’s perfect for someone like me with a young family.”
For now, Benedict is looking forward to a busy holiday season after his busiest ever summer in 2021: “Llandeilo has enough of a name that people are coming here to come here,” he said.
“They see it’s a beautiful area, with the National Trust and Cadw sites nearby, so it’s got enough of a pull. This summer will be busy too I think.”
Many visitors make a beeline for Peppercorn, a stalwart of the shopping scene in Llandeilo run by owners Gloria and Chris Vaughanroberts. The cookware specialist shop is packed from floor to ceiling with every kitchen gadget imaginable – from potato peelers to
The independent shops and cafes in Llandeilo’s tiny centre are full of the good things in life. Its colourful houses are a delightful backdrop and the surrounding countryside is full of magical places to explore The Times judges
specialist coffee machines.
“It’s become a destination,” said Gloria about Llandeilo’s popularity.
“It wasn’t when we first opened but now there’s more than just a few shops to visit. Many more lovely shops have opened and there’s a lot of independents.”
At the other end of town on Station Road, Marlene Davies is manning her shop, Davies & Co, which specialises in recycled furniture. She’s been trading for seven years and arrived in Llandeilo at the beginning of lockdown.
“It’s a nice town and I think what’s especially nice is it’s all independent family-run shops,” said Marlene.
“I think that seems to be a bit of a forgotten thing but people like to shop small and local and get that personal touch.”
Its success is largely down to the fact “it’s right in the middle of Wales”.
Marlene added: “It’s a place where you can easily visit lots of other places too. It’s surrounded by beautiful countryside with a really rich history of castles.
“It’s got a real city feel. Everybody seems to be on the same wavelength. There’s the locals who have been there for years and retain that tradition and there’s businesses who can see the potential of the town.
“For some reason it gels and really works well.”
“Everybody is there to help each other out,” she added.
“For Llandeilo to work, we all have to pull together.”