Opening date revealed for new cycle path
Richard Youle – Local democracy reporter
The opening date has been revealed for a new cycle path running through one of Wales’ most stunning valleys.
The council-led has project in Carmarthenshire’s Towy Valley been years in the making.
It will link Abergwili on the outskirts of Carmarthen to Ffairfach, by Llandeilo, around 13 miles away.
A number of sections of the scenic route have been completed and in April this year the council estimated it would be finished this winter.
In October the council announced the opening of two new sections between Llanarthne and Cilsan, the installation of two bridges spanning the Towy and Cothi rivers, and said it expected the project to be fully completed in the new year.
While the weather was ideal for outdoor work for much of 2025 it has been a different story in recent weeks as rainfall totals accumulate.
Asked for an update on the project and whether any sections along the low-lying valley route have been submerged by water, a council spokeswoman said the plan was to open the whole path next May.
She said: “Seasonal weather is to be expected and construction is monitored on a weekly basis. Working areas adjacent to and at times lower than the path route has experienced flooding which is effectively managed by the project team.”
The previous Conservative Government in Westminster contributed £16.7 million towards the project with the council allocating a smaller sum of its own. It is hoped the shared-use path will boost tourism and the local economy as well as providing a commuting option for people living close by.
Engineers were commissioned in 2013 to identify options for a shared-use path between Carmarthen and Ffairfach and a couple of short sections were completed in 2018 and 2019 before the previous Government’s £16.7 million Levelling Up Fund award in 2021.
Independent councillor Edward Thomas, cabinet member for transport, waste and infrastructure services, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that while the official opening was planned for May the path should be completed in March.
Councils are cautious about making announcements and decisions in the run-up to elections that might have an effect on the election campaign, and voters go to the polls in Wales to elect a new Senedd on May 7.
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Initially I thought this was a waste of money. Now that I have cycled it a few times I really like it. It is the perfect place for people to start cycling.
The only thing missing are benches & a bit of shade. It would then become a nice place to walk too.
Now let’s get the Llandeilo bypass built. Heavy goods vehicles racing through the town will, one day, kill an unfortunate pedestrian.
There’s a nice pub half way called the Railway at Nantgaredig. Beer garden. It’s where the cycle path forks if you want to divert over the hill via the Botanic Gardens, Cefneithin, Tumble, Cynheidre, down to Llanelli.
There are ‘enclaves’ on the route, suitable for benches or picnic tables. No doubt people will be able to donate a bench with a plaque in memory of a loved one, like you’ll see on the millennium coastal route.
Note to editors – It’s spelt Tywi.
Now can we connect it to the Cross Hands – Llanelli cycle path? That would truly be an asset to the area.
A piece of that section is now closed. The maintenance was handed over to the Bristol based ‘Walk Wheel Cycle Trust’. They forgot to unblock the culvert under a curved embankment just south of Tumble. Swept away by winter rainfall and is now closed.
Great to see an accessible development of this scale. Shame a fraction of the costs haven’t been applied to supporting the Public Rights of Way team to unstop/unobstruct blocked paths; protection for the public a statutory duty, cost neutral as re-billable to offending landowners. Reportedly 500-700 issues in Carmarthenshire, some not progressed in three decades. Enforcement protocol “to assert and protect the rights of the public where discussion, negotiation, goodwill and cooperation have failed by 2020”, due by 2021, deferred to 2025, not started a couple of weeks ago. 2024 mid-term revision to 2019-2029 Right of Way Improvement Plan still… Read more »