- Sleeps 4
- No pets
Facilities
- Fishing
- Free Parking on Premises
- Kitchen
- Non Smoking
- Open Fire / Wood Burner
- WiFi
Garnffrwd sits in wooded countryside above the Gwendraeth valley, about nine miles from Carmarthen and two miles from the nearest shops. The cottages are converted from an eighteenth-century stone barn, and the thick walls, the beams and the open fireplaces have all been kept.
What sets the place apart is the lake. Four and a half acres of spring-fed lake sit in the middle of the grounds, stocked with rainbow and brown trout. The cottages are a couple of hundred yards from the bank.
The cottages
There are two to choose from. Both have two bedrooms, and they sleep three and four respectively. Inside, the stonework is left exposed, with a wood burner set into the old fireplace and pine floors throughout.
Each has its own kitchen with an oven, a hob and a fridge, a bathroom, and a sitting room under the roof beams. WiFi reaches the cottages. Neither of them takes dogs.
The fishing
The lake is a fly fishery and takes it seriously — it has been used as an international fly fishing venue. It is stocked with rainbow and brown trout, and there is a café at the fishery itself, a short walk from the cottage door.
You do not have to fish to enjoy it. The path round the lake is a pleasant walk on a still morning, and the grounds are full of birds and wildlife because nobody hurries them along.
What is nearby
The National Botanic Garden of Wales is three miles away. Its Great Glasshouse is the largest single-span glasshouse in the world, and there is a British bird of prey centre in the grounds.
Carmarthen is nine miles off, with its market and its castle remains. Kidwelly Castle, one of the best-preserved Norman castles in Wales, is a short drive south towards the coast.
The coast is close enough for a day out in either direction. The Gower peninsula lies east of you and the Pembrokeshire coast west. In between is Pembrey Country Park, with miles of sand at Cefn Sidan and a dry ski slope in the forest behind it.
The valley
Garnffrwd sits above the Gwendraeth valley, which was coal country until the pits closed. The villages along it — Pontyberem, Mynyddcerrig, Drefach — were built for the collieries, and the hills between them have gone back to trees and grazing.
It is a Welsh-speaking corner, and you will hear it in the shops and the pubs. Pontyberem has a shop, a pub and a chip shop, and the village is two miles from the cottage door.
Who it suits
This is a quiet, green sort of holiday rather than a busy one. There is no pool, no club and no entertainment, and the nearest shops and restaurants are two miles away.
It suits anglers, walkers, and anyone who wants a stone cottage with a fire in it and a lake to look at. Families with small children will find the grounds safe and interesting, with plenty of room to run about.
Prices
Prices start at £215 for seven nights in the smaller cottage. Cerrig Cottage, the four-berth one, starts at £335 for the week. Both figures are the cheapest week of the year rather than a summer rate.
Common questions
Can you fish at Garnffrwd?
Yes. The four-and-a-half acre lake is stocked with rainbow and brown trout and sits a couple of hundred yards from the cottages.
Are dogs allowed?
No. Both cottages are listed as taking no pets.
How far is the National Botanic Garden of Wales?
Three miles by road.
How many people do the cottages sleep?
One sleeps three and the other sleeps four. Both have two bedrooms.
What does a week cost?
From £215 for seven nights, rising through the summer.
