Coast Walking (Wales): Llansteffan to Carmarthen 27 June 2015

Friday 2 October 2015

Llansteffan to Carmarthen 27 June 2015

We parked at the beach in Llansteffan and walked up to the B4312 which heads directly for Carmarthen. This is the nearest route to the Afon Tywi, passing above Ferry Point where there used to be a ferry to Ferryside (which would have saved two days walking!). We followed this road for over 4 kilometres, mostly without proper verge. Although only a B-road it is quite busy and traffic travels fast. Right near the beginning we saw pencilled cranesbill in the hedge. We left by a narrow side-road (grass along the centre) heading for Llangain. Red kites circled over with their cat-calls, as we passed the distinctive church at Church House Farm. Just before Llangain we diverted eastwards towards the river along another lane, beside which we saw the striking yellow-and-black longhorn beetle Rutpela maculata on a field rose flower, and a clump of crosswort. This ended at a farm, from which a new footpath was available across pasture to the Woodland Trust property of Green Castle Wood, the best natural feature of the day. The path climbed gently up and down in semi-natural woodland with plenty of undergrowth such as yellow pimpernel, common valerian, wood and remote sedges, and many ferns (lady, soft shield, male and scaly male, hard, hartstongue, narrow and broad buckler). We had lunch here in dappled sunlight on a wooden bench with owls carved at each end.

The path continued below the B4312 (which had now also turned eastwards almost to the river) and then across the road to more woods. After this was a flowery wet meadow with yellow rattle, common spotted and southern marsh orchids. Beyond, we had to walk beside the road again for 1km until a new coast path route took us across playing-fields and eventually to the riverside and a broad surfaced path. Across the other side of the river a railway was visible and even more audible. We followed this beside wet meadows that had marsh ragwort and celery-leaved buttercup, and a mullein moth caterpillar on figwort. Passing under a metal railway bridge and a main road, we came across a colony of Balkan spurge beside the path. We entered Carmarthen past three large striking shark constructions to the metal footbridge over the river to the railway station. Before crossing here we walked into the main shopping centre close by, but there were very few facilities and no cafés, so we went straight to the station to find a taxi to return to Llansteffan.