CARMARTHENSHIRE
Carmarthenshire is Wales’s most underrated county, with woodlands, fields and moors galore. Some of the nicest walking is around Carreg Cennen and Dinefwr castles; the latter has veteran oaks believed to be more than 700 years old. The Wales Coast Path, opened in 2012, is one of the few footpaths in the world to encircle a country’s coastline; the section between Kidwelly and Llansteffan passes through several long stretches of relatively isolated woodland.
WALK
Laugharne to Pendine (12 miles)
The walk has a bit of everything and there are a couple of ways to get back. Laugharne is famous as the place where Dylan Thomas spent his last years and is buried. The walk leads around the edge of the estuary and up Sir John’s Hill, along a path known as the Birthday Walk after a Thomas poem; this is a densely wooded area, but between the trees you’ll catch fabulous views across to the Gower Peninsula. If you’re heading back to Laugharne from Pendine, you can use the beach for the return trip if the tide is out; the young wet woodlands on the dune system between Pendine and Laugharne are arguably of national significance, as wooded sand dunes are rare in western Europe. walkthewalescoastpath.co.uk
STAY AT Brown’s
This sometime rough and ready local pub – frequented by Dylan Thomas – has been turned into a stylish boutique hotel. The in-house restaurant, Dexters, takes its name from the cattle used for the superb dry-aged steaks on the menu. Doubles from £130, including breakfast (01994 427688; browns.wales)