'Under milk wood' ~ Our Dylan Thomas Walk by Kath Norgorove

River Taf from Dylan's Walk. photo Kath Norgrove

Breakfasting in the sunshine overlooked by Laugharne castle beside the River Corran was the first stop on our 'Dylan Thomas walk' exploring places connected with the stormy welsh Poet's life. Laugharne, pronounced 'Larn', was granted its 1st charter in 1307 & retains some of its medieval traditions. One of these is a town council known as the Court Leet presided over by a Portreeve, elected annually. It also had the reputation as a haunt for pirates during the 16th century; close as it was to shipping in the Bristol Channel.

Originally fortified in the 12th century, the Largharne Castle remains date mainly from the Tudor times. Sir John Perrott rebuilt the castle at the end of 16th century after it had been sacked twice by the Welsh. It was a royalist stronghold during the civil war but fell in 1644.

The shore path takes you almost to the Boat House, now a museum, where Dylan Thomas moved to in 1949 with his wife Caitlin and their two children with a third on the way.

A steep set of steps takes you to Dylan's shed where he did most of his writing including Under Milk Wood and his last poems. The path alongside was originally known as 'Cliff Walk', but renamed 'Dylan's Walk' in 1958.

At the end of Dylan's Walk, the path continues through woodland connecting with the Wales Coast path. Through fields and up a stony lane, the path eventually means a tarmac road which takes you down to St. Martin's Church.

St. Martin's Church, the parish church of Laugharne dates from the 14^th Century and was restored in the 19^th Century. The grave of Dylan Thomas is marked by a simple, white wooden cross. He died in New YorK in 1953 during a lecture tour of the States.

A green lane brings you back into town and the shore. A couple other buildings of note are the elegant Town Hall, rebuilt in 1746 and Braun's Hotel, reputedly one of Dylan Thomas' favourite haunts.

In the opposite direction, rejoining the Welsh Coast Path, of which the first part is known as Dylan's Birthday Walk, was a mainly woodland walk around Sir John's Hill and then following alongside reclaimed marshland. Sir John's Hill, inspired one of Dylan Thomas' poems: “Over Sir John's Hill, The Hawk on fire hangs still....”

Finally summiting the ridge that separated the Laugharne to Pendine Road from the marshes, we descended into Broadway where we were staying.