Crymych and Boncath
Crymych is a large village in north Pembrokeshire in the shelter of The Preseli mountains. Crymych sits astride the A478, the road that connects Tenby with Cardigan. It also straddles the Celtic Trail, a long distance cycle route created by Sustrans.
The Celtic Trail starts at the Severn Bridge and carries on to loop around the coast of Pembrokeshire. It follows little used country lanes and links together as many interesting places and landscapes as possible.
Crymych is widely regarded as the capital of Preseli, the area around the Preseli mountains. This is a place where the Welsh culture is strong and where the Welsh language is the first language of most of the residents.
Picture: The Preseli Mountains near Crymych.
The long-gone Cardi Bach railway went through Crymych and neighbouring villages such as Cilgerran and Llanfyrnach, where silver and lead were once mined.
Crymych is the best starting point for a walk over The Preseli’s called The Golden Road, an ancient trackway along the ridge of the mountains. A community bus service called The Preseli Green Dragon can be used to return you to your starting point. Highlights on the route includes Foel Drygarn, a Bronze Age and Iron Age hill fort and Carn Menyn where you can see outcrops of spotted dolerite, thought to be the place where the Stonehenge Bluestone originates from. There’s a lot of speculation and argument about whether it was advancing ice sheets or prehistoric man who transported them to Stonehenge.
Picture: The Green Dragon bus.
The accommoadation in Crymych itself is limited. There are a few B&B’s and guesthouses in neighbouring villages but the nearest hotels would be in Cardigan or Llechryd. There aren’t any camp sites and touring caravan parks very close but there are a quite a few good self catering cottages in neighbouring villages.
Crymych grew up around the railway in the 19th century. Although the railway has long gone, it is today a busy agricultural centre and an ideal base for exploring the surrounding Preseli Hills. Nearby, Y Freni Fawr presents a challenging walk to its summit at 1300 feet where Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus allegedly came to hunt.
Boncath, from the Welsh for buzzard, lies 4 miles to the north of Crymych and is surrounded by many fine manor houses, the most impressive to be seen being Ffynone designed and built by John Nash in 1792 and Cilwendig, a Georgian house built by Morgan Jones. A fabulous concert hall has recently been built at another nearby mansion house, Rhos Y Gilwen (Below) with a varied programe of classical and folk music.
The Cilwendeg Shell House Hermitage, to the east of Boncath, is a most remarkable ornamental grotto, and a rare survival in West Wales. It was built in the late 1820s for Morgan Jones the Younger (1787-1840), who inherited the Cilwendeg estate upon the death of his uncle.
The Cilwendeg Shell House and the Capel Colman Church are both open for public viewing on Thursdays from the first week in April through the last week in September (9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.). Admission is free to each building but site donations are always warmly welcomed.
Located to the east of Boncath off the B4332 (between Boncath and Newchapel). Vehicular access to the Shell House car park is restricted to cars only. Signs can be followed from the car park to the Shell House.