The Dylan Thomas Trail
Encyclopedia
The Dylan Thomas Trail runs through places associated with the poet, Dylan Thomas
in Ceredigion
, west Wales. It was officially opened by Aeronwy Thomas, Dylan’s daughter, in July 2003. The trail is marked by blue plaques and information boards in Lampeter, Aberaeron and New Quay. There is also a detailed guide available, The Dylan Thomas Trail, which helps you walk the route but also describes the poet’s time in the area.
The trail begins on the coast at the Central Hotel in Llanon, then meanders through upland countryside to Plas Gelli, Talsarn, the mansion where Dylan and Caitlin lived for part of WWII. It continues to Lampeter
, before turning west to wander along the beautiful Aeron valley. The walk passes Tyglyn Aeron (now a hotel) which was the summer home of the publisher, Geoffrey Faber – T. S. Eliot
spent holidays here in the 1930s.
The trail then continues past the National Trust’s Llanerchaeron
estate until it reaches Aberaeron
on the coast of Cardigan Bay. From here, it runs along the cliffs to New Quay
, where Dylan and family lived in 1944-45. The trail runs through Plas Llanina, once the home of Lord Howard de Walden, who encouraged Dylan to write in the mansion’s apple house.
Next comes Majoda, the tiny bungalow where Dylan and family lived through one of the coldest winters on record (the field next door was used to build the set for the film, The Edge of Love). The trail then follows the beach, before it arrives in New Quay, its finishing point. There are further day walks on extensions of the trail, including Eli Jenkins' Pub Walk which starts and finishes at the Crown in nearby Llwyndafydd.
For those walking the trail who want to know more about Dylan’s time in west Wales, there’s a companion book available, A Farm, Two Mansions and a Bungalow. It also contains an account of the infamous shooting at Majoda whilst Dylan lived there in 1945.
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
in Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
, west Wales. It was officially opened by Aeronwy Thomas, Dylan’s daughter, in July 2003. The trail is marked by blue plaques and information boards in Lampeter, Aberaeron and New Quay. There is also a detailed guide available, The Dylan Thomas Trail, which helps you walk the route but also describes the poet’s time in the area.
The trail begins on the coast at the Central Hotel in Llanon, then meanders through upland countryside to Plas Gelli, Talsarn, the mansion where Dylan and Caitlin lived for part of WWII. It continues to Lampeter
Lampeter
Lampeter is a town in Ceredigion, South West Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Teifi and the Afon Dulas.-Demographics:At the 2001 National Census, the population was 2894. Lampeter is therefore the smallest university town in both Wales and the United Kingdom...
, before turning west to wander along the beautiful Aeron valley. The walk passes Tyglyn Aeron (now a hotel) which was the summer home of the publisher, Geoffrey Faber – T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
spent holidays here in the 1930s.
The trail then continues past the National Trust’s Llanerchaeron
Llanerchaeron
Llanerchaeron, known as "Llanayron House" to its nineteenth-century occupants, is a mansion on the River Aeron, designed and built in 1795 by John Nash for Major William Lewis as a model, self-sufficient farm complex located near Ciliau Aeron, some 2½ miles south-east of Aberaeron,...
estate until it reaches Aberaeron
Aberaeron
Aberaeron |Aeron]] being a Welsh god of war) is a seaside resort town in Ceredigion, Wales. Situated between Aberystwyth and Cardigan, it is home to the headquarters of Ceredigion County Council. The population was 1520 in 2001.-History and design:...
on the coast of Cardigan Bay. From here, it runs along the cliffs to New Quay
New Quay
New Quay is a seaside town in Ceredigion, West Wales with a resident population of around 1,200 people. Located on Cardigan Bay with a harbour and large sandy beaches, it remains a popular seaside resort and traditional fishing town.-History:...
, where Dylan and family lived in 1944-45. The trail runs through Plas Llanina, once the home of Lord Howard de Walden, who encouraged Dylan to write in the mansion’s apple house.
Next comes Majoda, the tiny bungalow where Dylan and family lived through one of the coldest winters on record (the field next door was used to build the set for the film, The Edge of Love). The trail then follows the beach, before it arrives in New Quay, its finishing point. There are further day walks on extensions of the trail, including Eli Jenkins' Pub Walk which starts and finishes at the Crown in nearby Llwyndafydd.
For those walking the trail who want to know more about Dylan’s time in west Wales, there’s a companion book available, A Farm, Two Mansions and a Bungalow. It also contains an account of the infamous shooting at Majoda whilst Dylan lived there in 1945.