Pumsaint 8.5 m (Carmarthen Ramblers)

On Sunday, 22nd July, Carolyn & Dennis Hills led the Carmarthen Ramblers on an eight and a half mile circular walk in the National Trust Property in the Pumsaint area. As on Saturday, this was a warm dry day with light cloud cover and temperatures in the low twenties but a more humid day. This walk started the visitor centre at Pumsaint from where they made their way in a generally northwards direction across a field to meet a footpath that led through the forestry of Allt Dolau Cothi for almost a mile. Their route descended the valley side into the Cothi valley and they then followed a footpath up the Afon Cothi for about a mile and a half, passing through Allt y Gyrn, to reach a footbridge that crossed the river onto a track. They continued upriver and around the hillside on which sits the coppiced woodland Allt Dinbeth (part of which is a SSSI) and then left the riverside as they climbed steeply up the hill to reach the road to Cwrt Y Cadno. A few hundred metres down the road they turned eastwards onto a track that led uphill past Glan-meddyg to reach the brow of the hill at a height of three hundred and sixteen metres where they stopped for lunch with a great view over the Cothi Valley.

In the afternoon they followed the ridge in a south westerly direction around the perimeter of Caio Forest and at the highest point of the day - three hundred and fifty metres they had terrific views to the south and east of the Carmarthen Fans and the peaks of Penyfan and Corn Du in the distance. They walked head on into a welcome light breeze as they gently descended along the ridge towards the Roman Gold Mines for about a mile to reach a country road and then a footpath that led to an entrance to the mines where they stopped briefly for a history of the area. The footpath led them around Careg Pumsaint from where they were able to view the associated mine buildings in the yard below before reaching a road. From this point they picked up a footpath that passed around a car park and a campsite to reach the Cothi again and crossed the river on a footbridge just below Dolaucothi Farm into a lovely shady woodland path that led back to the visitor centre to complete the walk.