Rhydwilym (Carmarthen Ramblers)

Sunday, 23rd February
On Sunday 23rd February, Carolyn and Dennis Hills led the Carmarthen Ramblers on an eight-mile country walk laced with interesting local history, that started from Rhydwilym Chapel, about a mile west of Efailwen in Pembrokeshire. There were some signs of spring with patches of snowdrops and daffodils along their route. In some sections, footpaths or bridleways resembled streams following a couple of weeks of stormy weather, however, they were blessed with a fine dry day with light winds and temperatures that reached 10 degrees C and they enjoyed splendid countryside views throughout the walk.

The walk started from the chapel car park from where they entered the graveyard and Carolyn gave a little history of the chapel. Leaving the chapel, they headed towards the Eastern Cleddau and crossed the river via a footbridge. The adjacent road bridge had recently been under several feet of rainwater following the recent floods, and although now visible was still closed to traffic, with large tree trunks that had been washed down river now pulled clear of the road into the nearby fields. A hundred metres north of the river, they left the road and turned onto a footpath running below the woodland on Tanygraig, parallel with the river that led them in a northeasterly direction up the valley for about a mile to reach the farmyard of Pencraig-fawr. They continued in the same general direction across some fields to Pen craig-fâch then a lane to Pant-y-maen where they took a footpath that led them around the perimeter of the grounds of Danderwen House down into the valley to meet a sturdy footbridge that enabled them to cross the river to reach the old Gilfach Slate Quarry which closed almost 30 years ago. Here they stopped whilst Carolyn related some of the history of the quarry. They retraced their footsteps back around Danderwen House to reach a lane that led them into the hamlet of Llangolman and here they stopped to read the local history at the information board on the green. Next, they followed the road westwards about half a mile to reach a bridleway that turned southwards for about three quarters of a mile to pass Llangolman Mill to reach Llangolman Farm. Just beyond the farm they entered a woodland and stopped for lunch in a sheltered corner.

In the afternoon they walked through some particularly attractive woodland for about a mile to reach the remains of a church at Llandilo-isaf. Their route now turned southwards along a country road for about a quarter of a mile until they reached a footpath that circled around a hillside past Blaenllwydarth, and onto a country road to reach the highest point of the day at a height of one hundred and ninety-nine metres with excellent views looking west. They headed southwards along the road, descending gently for about half a mile until they located a bridleway which first crossed open land hidden beneath tall rushes toward Rhos-fâch before it became a more open and usable track, by-passing Cefnmwynant, which they followed downhill. Emerging onto another lane, they crossed over and took an attractive footpath which led them along the banks of the Eastern Cleddau back to the footbridge that they had used at the start of the walk and crossed it back to Rhydwilym Baptist Chapel to finish the walk.