Coedmor Cottages are only 5 miles away from this brilliant vantage point, so we visit often. The summit of Esgair Fraith is 415m – it is in the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains and has a Bronze Age cairn at the top.
There are a few different routes to take to get there, but it is only 15-17 minutes drive.
Routes to drive to Esgair Fraith
It’s not a long walk if you park by the old Roman road of Sarn Helen.
Just a 5 minute walk up the track, through the gate (or over the stile) and then climb the grassy path to the cairn at the top of the hill. Red Kites, Buzzards and Skylarks will be sharing the view with you.
Track from the road up to the stile.Go over the stile or through the gateClimb the grassy path.The cairn at the top of the hill.
On a clear day you can see the western edge of the Brecon Beacons to the east. To the south you can see the highest peak of the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire. You can see the sea at Aberaeron to the west. Look northwards to see the Cambrian Mountains and the foothills of Snowdonia.
Looking west you can see the sea!
If you are lucky you may even get to see RAF jets fly by – this has happened to us a couple of times.
Look east to see the Brecon BeaconsEven on a cloudy day the view is dramatic.
If you want to explore more, head back down the track towards Sarn Helen.
Looking back down the track towards the road.
There is another historic site on the other side of the Sarn Helen road which is only a few minutes walk. Careg Y Bwci ( The Goblin Stone) is a site of national importance. Thought to have originally been a Bronze Age burial chamber with standing stone circle, it was then probably used as a Roman signal station – like something from Lord of the Rings!
The Goblin Stone and remains of a stone circle at Careg Y Bwci.
Both sites can be visited in less than a couple of hours – although you may want to stop and sit a while to take in the amazing views – taking a picnic is recommended! If you want to stretch your legs further, there are brilliant walks through the neighbouring Clywedog Forest Plantation too.
We have wonderfully dark skies here – around the cottages on a clear night it is stunning. And we also have lots of Dark Sky Discovery sites within easy reach of the cottages around the Cambrian Mountains and Cardigan Bay if you want to experience truly epic stargazing. 🤩
Leigh has become pretty good at Astro Photography, capturing pictures around the cottages and our meadows.
Red Kite Cottage Starlapse image.
The Milky Way taken in Picnic Meadow.
Another shot of the Milky Way from the cottages’ Picnic Meadow. The best seasons for stargazing are Spring, Autumn & Winter.
Venturing further afield, Leigh went on a night time expedition up Drygarn Fawr in the Cambrian Mountains near Tregaron for even darker skies.
Dark Sky Discovery Sites
There are plenty of great designated Dark Sky Discovery sites within easy reach of the cottages. From the map above the three easiest to get to are:
Since Carmarthenshire hosted the start of the 2018 Tour of Britain it has become known as the “cycling hub of Wales”. Cycling is on the rise as the county has invested in the activity so that more visitors can saddle up and enjoy the breathtaking views. To coincide with the Tour of Britain, the county launched new cycle routes to give visitors the opportunity to explore the big hills and bigger views.
One of the most spectacular routes is the Big Wilderness Adventure. This is a circular route that actually passes just a 5 minute cycle ride from our door! The route is plotted to start and finish at Llandovery, but if you stay with us you can start and finish right from your cottage. It takes you to Llyn Brianne – there is challenging climb up to the lake followed by an incredible road around the perimeter with fantastic views.
https://vimeo.com/287218462
This ride is not for the faint-hearted – it is 65 miles with a difficulty rating of 7/10 but the scenery makes the ride worthwhile (the journey to Llyn Brianne one of our favourite drives). The road follows the reservoir around the edge, constantly changing in elevation with incredible views and sweeping descends around every corner.
After Llyn Brianne the route starts to feel more remote as it skirts the Cambrian Mountains. There is barely a house or car in sight, but with this emptiness comes incredible beauty that is seen nowhere else short of the Scottish border.
The route takes in a large portion of wild, uninhabited terrain so it is worth taking what you think you will need with you and not relying on shops along the route.
There is an abbreviated version of the route if you want to shorten it – it still takes in the best bits up to Llyn Brianne but is 8 miles shorter and there is also the option to not go all the way to Llandovery to save even more miles.
If this route is too much of an adventure, then there are lots of other routes in the area to check out starting at just 10 miles – see them all here: Road Cycling in Carmarthenshire.
