A weekend… in Laugharne

In which our reporter Elizabeth Mahoney falls for the otherworldly charms of Dylan Thomas’ home

 

Nobody describes Laugharne, the coastal village in south-west Wales, better than its most famous resident, Dylan Thomas: a 'legendary lazy little black-magical bedlam by the sea.' Despite the tourist pull of the Dylan Thomas association, Laugharne remains stubbornly low key, exuding a spirit of romantic individualism. In its third year, The Laugharne Weekend (3-5 April, www.thelaugharneweekend.co.uk) is an arts festival that suits its bewitching location. A-list musicians and writers flock to perform in venues around town. It's the kind of event Dylan Thomas might have enjoyed himself.

 

Saturday AM

10am: To begin at the beginning

I begin my Laugharne Weekend with a visit to the Dylan Thomas Boathouse (Dylan's Walk, 01994 427420, www.dylanthomasboathouse.com), where the poet and his family lived for the last four years of his life. On the way to the museum, I peek into the poet's writing shed kept just as Thomas left it and a reminder that creative geniuses are rarely tidy souls. This is where he penned much of Under Milk Wood, which was based on his time in Laugharne. Don't miss the film screened upstairs, which includes Thomas' last words: ‘I've had 18 straight whiskies; I think that is a record.' The Boathouse is the most charismatic venue of the Weekend. Last year, Patti Smith performed her poems here to an audience of 24 in Thomas' old bedroom.

 

Saturday PM

1pm: a local brew

Dylan Thomas favoured a liquid lunch and Laugharne has more than its fair share of pubs. With Thomas' favourite, Brown's Hotel, currently closed, the best bet is the New Three Mariners (01994 427426, www.newthreemariners.co.uk), with a good range of locally brewed beers and always a tall story or two about Thomas on offer. I'm pacing myself, so head instead for The Green Room (Grist Square, 01994 427870), a cheery café right in the heart of town, serving lip-smackingly fresh produce. Over a platter of local cheeses, I glance out of the window to see a riderless horse clip-clopping past on the main road. Nobody in otherworldly Laugharne so much as bats an eyelid.

 

3pm: castles and composing

The romantic ruin of Laugharne Castle (01994 427906, www.castlewales.com), described by Thomas as ‘the castle brown as owls,' perched on the river's edge, is evocative enough to bring out the poet in anyone, even me. Re-built in the 13th century as an Anglo-Norman lookout and then lavishly redeveloped by Sir John Perrot - thought to be the illegitimate son of Henry VIII - in the 16th century, it's a handsome pile blessed with mesmerising views of the Taf Estuary and back over Laugharne. I stroll around the Victorian garden with its paths made of cockleshells and compose some stunningly bad poems. There's also a summerhouse where Thomas used to write.

 

7pm: anything but bog standard

Like much else in Laugharne, The Cors Restaurant & Gardens (Newbridge Road, 01994 427219, www.the-cors.co.uk), is a one-off. ‘Cors' is Welsh for ‘bog' and that's what owner Nick Priestland inherited for a garden when he bought this gracious 1830s villa, surrounded on all sides by the River Corran. He has since transformed it into an acre and a half of lush gardens. Dinner here is a real highlight of my weekend: I tuck into a rack of melt-in-a-mouth Laugharne saltmarsh lamb, served in eclectic, yet relaxed, bohemian surroundings, with great music and enviable style. Dinner is served Thursday to Saturday evenings, so booking is essential.

 

Sunday PM

12pm: follow your nose

Stable Door (Market Lane, 01994 427777, www.laugharne-restaurant.co.uk) is another of Laugharne's quirky treasures, tucked away in a 17th century former stable block of the castle and blessed with castle and estuary views from its conservatory. This gallery, wine bar and tapas restaurant is the best place in town for Sunday lunch. I look like one of the Bisto kids as I follow as irresistible aroma along a picturesque cobbled lane. Delicious pumpkin soup and local Welsh beef await.

 

2pm: in a wide open space

I've only got lunch to walk off, but if you're suffering the excesses of those late-night, Dylan Thomas-inspired literary discussions, there's no finer place to clear your head than Pendine's seven-mile stretch of sand. This is where Amy Johnson set off on her crossing of the Atlantic in 1933, and where attempts at breaking the land speed record were all the rage in the 1920s. Malcolm Campbell reached 174.88 miles an hour here in 1927, but I savour the wide-open beauty of Pendine Sands at walking pace to relish the views before heading home.

 

Stay at...

Hurst House on the Marsh has 18 glamorous suites, which exude opulence - mine was all foxy deep purples, plush velvets and stylish antiques - while the new spa and private cinema make this the ultimate rural bolthole. Don't miss dinner, which uses just-picked produce from the organically managed kitchen garden. East Marsh, Laugharne (01994 427417, www.hurst-house.co.uk/wales). Double B&B from £265.

 

Also try...

Ty-Ni is a stylish self-catering option for two (01865 722065, www.ty-ni.co.uk). Three nights from £130.

The Boathouse B&B has luxurious double rooms from £70 (1 Gosport Street, 01994 427263, www.theboathousebnb.co.uk).

 

Getting there

From the M4, join the A40 to St Clears and the A4066 to Laugharne. The nearest train station is Carmarthen (www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk).

 

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