Heading west into the wilds of Wales ESTHER BROWNING strikes holiday gold in the rolling hills of Carmarthenshire

You’ve all heard about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and as Wales is well known for its showers I thought it might host that elusive treasure.

So, in quest of a family holiday, we followed the M4 to its end, and where the westerly traffic jams begin, took a northerly turn into the Welsh hills, along a valley tucked below the Brecon Beacons.

We were greeted by rolling green hills laden with sheep against a blue sky as golden sunshine shone on red and orange autumn leaves, and welcomed into a traditional 17th century farmhouse complete with wooden panelling, exposed stone and roaring fire alongside a little brook on the North eastern edge of the Carmarthenshire.

In nearby Llandeillo, a pretty town of brightly coloured buildings perched on a hill above the river Tywi, the high street boasted a series of independent shops, where art and locally-made crafts abounded.

These included Heavenly, an outstanding chocolate shop with towering chocolate-covered cakes.

It seems that Carmarthenshire is to Wales what Switzerland is to Europe: at the other end of the county, there’s Pemberton’s Chocolate Farm where, in the tourist season, you can explore behind the scenes of their handmade chocolate operation.

Pemberton’s is just a swift drive away from Pendine Sands, a seven-mile length of beach on the shores of Carmathen Bay which served as a natural speedway for Malcolm Campbell’s Blue Bird as he set the world land speed record of 146mph in 1924.

The Carmarthenshire coastline also boasts the National Wetlands Centre, Wales, a 450-acre mosaic of lakes, and heaven for birdwatchers with a bright array of multi-coloured ducks and waterfowl from around the globe, 600 species in all, many rare or endangered.

You can follow the boardwalks with a bag of bird-food or borrow bikes to explore the salt marshes.

Back in Llandeilo, we found a thousand years of Welsh history on a single estate at Dinefwr Park (main picture).

Within the grounds, ancient castle ruins, right, stood shrouded in woods atop a hill while down below, a seventeenth century manor, Newton House, was nestled in the valley and we took a ‘hidden house’ tour to explore behind the scenes.

From a rooftop vantage point, one enjoyed by Capability Brown, we could see across the softly-undulating landscape to where earlier Roman forts had lain.

The Romans mined gold in neighbouring Dolaucothi, and although we ran out of time to explore the pit which was active until 1938, we’d had a terrific break and found real a real gem in colourful Carmarthenshire.

For more information on Carmarthenshire and its attractions visit discovercarmarthenshire.com
Esther and her family stayed in The Farmhouse, at Maerdy Holiday Cottages near Llandeilo which sleeps up to 10. Prices starts at £490 for a week. See maerdyholiday cottages.co.uk