Letter from Llanfynydd

Tomos Lewis

Hidden away in the hills above the Towy Valley is a village close to my heart, the historic and picturesque village of Llanfynydd.

When asked to write this article, I knew it had to be here. Growing up nearby and attending the local primary school, many of my formative years were spent on its streets.

I still remember the excitement of one summer, the river Sannan glinting in the summer sun, rushing through gates and waterways, past the historic Victorian architecture, all to chase after the flock of rubber ducks to see which would be the fastest.

It was all in celebration of the school’s sports day. I recall giving him little speeches to inspire him for his big moment. Seemingly, I must have inspired him with too much adventurous spirit, as he ended up going missing.

Likely making a break for it, into the Dulais, then the Towy, and maybe even further beyond, my guess, Mexico.

Depopulation

It’s that sense of local community fun that is so hard to find in modern times that is just so present in Llanfynydd. Sadly, since then, like many rural villages, Llanfynydd has suffered from depopulation.

The school has closed down, and the village seems so much quieter than it used to.

But don’t worry, this isn’t a depressing article because Llanfynydd has so much more to tell.

I returned to Llanfynydd to visit my childhood friend who lives there.

We decided to go on a walk to re-acquaint ourselves with some of the sights we knew so well when we were children, but on our way, we found ourselves in the charming Pen Y Bont, which has stood in Llanfynydd since the 16th century.

Having had our drink (or two), we carried on our way. We walked up the hill towards St Egwad’s church. Built-in 1291, with its clear medieval architecture and well-kept grounds, it is a monument to the historicity of this ancient village.

After exploring the grounds, we kept going up the hill following the river Sannan and gazing out at the scenery, thinking why there weren’t more people here to see it.

Before I went, I wanted a nice wide shot of the village to take home. My friend knew just the place, so we headed back down to the river, dragging ourselves away from the Pen y Bont and up the opposite hill.

Capel Spite

While we were walking, we passed by the chapel of Methodist Calvinists, and for the life of me I could not remember the name of it (which is embarrassing because that’s where my grandparents used to pray). I asked my friend, and he told me that it’s called Capel Spite.

You’ll be glad to know the place isn’t a den of spiteful people but rather is called that because it was built on Spite Hill.

Built in the 18th Century, the place was a key stopping point for pilgrims travelling from Talley Abbey, a strand of history I was keen to explore. So, we found our key photography spot, getting a wide panoramic view of the village, and I said goodbye to my friend as I left to find out more about these pilgrims.

I drove maybe 20 minutes down the road to the ruined abbey, a secret hidden gem hiding among the Welsh hills for anyone interested in history or those desiring beautiful but not very well-known walking paths.

The Abbey itself was founded in the 12th century and has a long and interesting history, from ghosts to Kings. But that is beyond the scope of this article. What I am interested in is the pilgrims.

The pilgrimage itself was from Talley Abbey through Llanfynydd down to the coast and across all the way to Saint David’s Cathedral.

I didn’t much feel like walking the 70+ miles to St David’s, but I did want to follow a little in the pilgrim’s footsteps.

Luckily, there is a footpath from the abbey that follows the same route that the pilgrims took that reaches all the way to Llanfynydd, where I stopped for more persistent walkers to make the full pilgrimage.

I will warn thee, though, of the treacherous path if yee wish to follow in the pilgrim’s footsteps.

The path to Llanfynydd itself is quite overgrown in places and involves quite a bit of tree hopping and map knowledge to traverse. I then would suggest you take one of the many other more well-maintained walking routes around Talley and imagine the trials of the pilgrims rather than living them.

But if you are a particularly zealous walker, then come and let your faith be tested.

My suggestion to you, if you wish to visit Llanfynydd and turn it into a fun day trip with your family, I would do the following:

Head to Talley Abbey (Don’t fret, there is parking available), visit the grounds, walk around the lake, learn some of its history, and maybe go on one of its many walking paths if you are so inclined.

Then, when you have had your fill, make the short jump over to Llanfynydd, follow the beautiful river Sannan up past the village, visit St Egwads church and end your trip with some delicious food and drink at the Pen Y Bont; you will not regret it.

There is so much more to say, but sadly, I cannot say it all here.

At both Llanfynydd and Talley Abbey, you can find information boards that will go more in-depth in their respective histories and more besides online, which I recommend you peruse.

But while you’re here, please take a moment to enjoy the views and long history of this most beautiful part of Wales.